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TOOTH FAIRYMovie Reviews
Comedy about a hard-charging hockey player who is sentenced to serve as a tooth fairy for one week as punishment for his hubris and misanthropy. Cast:The Rock, Ashley Judd, Stephen Merchant, Julie Andrews, Ryan ShecklerDirector:Michael LembeckRelease Date:January 22, 2010DVD Release:May 4, 2010From:20th Century FoxRating:PGLength:1 hr. 41 min.
Tooth Fairy played to fair reviews. • Michael O'Sullivan wrote in the Washington Post, "The Rock almost single-handedly carries this movie on his broad, beefy back. It's not heavy lifting; the movie is as light as cotton candy, minus the cavities." • And Tom Long wrote in the Detroit News, "...intended for 5-year-olds. It's called 'Tooth Fairy,' for pity's sake." More Reviews Below...
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...despite its predictability and pat cliche, it's mostly charming.... families could do a lot worse than spend some time with the toothy smiles of Johnson and Merchant."(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 571 words, 01/21/10
Missy Schwartz, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "A clumsy fable... finds the guy formerly known as The Rock further solidifying his post-WWE persona as America's cuddliest muscleman."(See all of Missy Schwartz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 129 words, 01/21/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "...will make your teeth ache and your skin crawl.... Johnson has an affable on-screen presence. It's just too bad he rarely puts it to good use in worthy movies."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 517 words, 01/21/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "There's no way I can recommend this movie to anyone much beyond the Tooth Fairy Believement Age, but I must testify it's pleasant and inoffensive..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 01/21/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "Watching the first half-hour is like reaching into a grab bag... After that, the wit more or less evaporates, replaced by bloated sentimentality and clumsy plot exposition."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 01/22/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...purely synthetic, assembly-line stuff... As a result Johnson overcompensates, amping up his typical enthusiasm until it feels uncharacteristically false."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 331 words, 01/22/10
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...relies on gimmicks such as Derek learning to use anti-cat blasters or shrinking paste to execute his tooth fairy duties.... Your kids may like some of it, or all of it."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 01/22/10
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...if you've seen the ads, you've seen the only joke in this one-joke movie, although there are also endless groan-worthy gags about wings and teeth."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 338 words, 01/22/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "There's no way I can recommend this movie to anyone much beyond the Tooth Fairy Believement Age, but I must testify it's pleasant and inoffensive..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 01/21/10
Tim Grierson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...trite... requires little of your higher brain functions, thereby allowing you ample time to focus on Johnson's performance."(See all of Tim Grierson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 01/22/10
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Don't judge a tooth fairy by his tutu.... isn't bad. In fact, there's a few laugh-out-loud lines sprinkled like pixie dust in this predictable story. Rock in a jock and a tutu."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 503 words, 01/22/10
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...for all the film's high-priced help, there is no disguising the fact that Johnson, a former wrestler, isn't much of an actor or comedian."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 01/22/10
Josep Parera, La Opinion: POOR(cg) "Ni todos los efectos visuales del mundo, ni mil y una caras populares logran elevar esta película anodina, plana y absolutamente olvidable."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 378 words, 01/22/10
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The Rock almost single-handedly carries this movie on his broad, beefy back. It's not heavy lifting; the movie is as light as cotton candy, minus the cavities."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 573 words, 01/22/10
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: WEAK(cg) "Michael Lembeck directs with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, pounding every joke and cliche until they are flat, flat, flat."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 466 words, 01/22/10
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...isn't half bad, outfitted with gently funny high jinks that place its brawny lead in progressively ridiculous circumstances."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 568 words, 01/22/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: WEAK(cg) "...that Disney touch (which even Disney has trouble replicating) is missing. Even the hockey is unconvincing. So no dollar under the pillow for this cavity."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 01/22/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "...isn't as bad as you may have feared. It's not all that good, either, but at least it's possible to sit through it and hold down your popcorn.... strictly by-the-numbers..."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 550 words, 01/22/10
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: WEAK(cg) "Five writers with impressive credits ('Mrs. Doubtfire,' and 'City Slickers' among them) worked -- and reworked, no doubt -- this formula of redemption. Still no magic."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 492 words, 01/22/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: POOR(cg) "It took five writers to get this movie made and one flatulent directing performance from Michael Lembeck. Most of the scenes just sit there on the screen, inert."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 497 words, 01/22/10
Stephen Whitty, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: POOR(cg) "...one-note joke, stretched out by an awful lot of bad puns ('You can't handle the tooth!')... there's not much to this picture once you get past the ridiculous setup..."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 459 words, 01/22/10
John Hartl, Seattle Times: WEAK(cg) "...a shamelessly derivative fantasy... The script borrows heavily from 'Miracle on 34th Street,' 'Peter Pan' and even 'The Incredible Shrinking Man'..."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 329 words, 01/22/10
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...the message is so tired -- you can't score if you don't take a shot -- and the comedy is so lame that the whole enterprise comes across as depressing."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 314 words, 01/22/10
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD(cg) "...delivers exactly what it intends: family-friendly amusement with a nice message for kids about raising their expectations..."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 488 words, 01/23/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...intended for 5-year-olds. It's called 'Tooth Fairy,' for pity's sake. You're expecting an intimate look at an urban therapy group that works as a metaphor for globalization?"(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 336 words, 01/22/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Tim Grierson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: FAIR "...trite... requires little of your higher brain functions, thereby allowing you ample time to focus on Johnson's performance."(See all of Tim Grierson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 01/22/10
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: FAIR(cg) "...it's all over pretty quickly, so audiences are rarely given time to reflect on how utterly ridiculous and pointless all this is. That leaves the glass at least a quarter full."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 438 words, 01/21/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "Watching the first half-hour is like reaching into a grab bag... After that, the wit more or less evaporates, replaced by bloated sentimentality and clumsy plot exposition."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 01/22/10
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...relies on gimmicks such as Derek learning to use anti-cat blasters or shrinking paste to execute his tooth fairy duties.... Your kids may like some of it, or all of it."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 01/22/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (5 Reviews)
Lael Loewenstein, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...truly entertaining... A serendipitous combination of star (Dwayne Johnson), material and director (Michael Lembeck)... scores a goal for kids and adults alike."(See all of Lael Loewenstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 753 words, 01/21/10
Ethan Alter, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "Johnson's compulsively likable presence is the saving grace, almost diverting attention away from the film's muddled script (five writers) and made-for-TV mise-en-scene."(See all of Ethan Alter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 628 words, 01/21/10
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...relies on gimmicks such as Derek learning to use anti-cat blasters or shrinking paste to execute his tooth fairy duties.... Your kids may like some of it, or all of it."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 385 words, 01/22/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: FAIR(cg) "...disappointingly schmaltzy and predictable... might appeal to some children but parents and other adults (if they go) would be looking at their watches."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 426 words, 01/21/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "Watching the first half-hour is like reaching into a grab bag... After that, the wit more or less evaporates, replaced by bloated sentimentality and clumsy plot exposition."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 474 words, 01/22/10
14.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Tooth Fairy's reviews are separated by an average 14.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Tooth Fairy (34 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Tooth Fairy's reviews cover 47.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,025 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 412 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 12.2 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Tooth Fairy's reviews on average broke 12.2 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Tooth Fairy's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Tooth Fairy (34 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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