It's astounding that The Tooth Fairy manages to so precisely feel like a late-80's, early-90's Schwarzenegger concept comedy down to the line readings. I should mention that star Dwayne Johnson is many times more likable and believable than Das Governor would have been at any age.
I found enjoyment in the amount of practical effects they employed (an endangered species!), and for most viewers, the movie is exactly as good or bad as the trailer indicates. You might hate it for being crassly commercial and elementary, or love it for this. There is no deeper hidden meaning, unless, perhaps, you watch it as half-inebriated as I was yesterday.
If you think about it, the storyline encourages the myths of the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus constructs on the surface, but is more directly reinforcing theological belief systems. That's a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you are, but it's the kind of thing that didn't wear age well relative to movies I enjoyed as a kid. The movie is dated, and the script seems largely unchanged from when it was pitched as a Schwarzenegger vehicle.
The casual sexism inherent in the girlfriend character (Ashley Judd) is 90's chick stereotyping at its best. She endures no end of betrayals of trust and plenty of evidence of cheating, but she always sticks by her man like a good victim! Likewise, her kids are the un-complex, easy to please kids that were how all children were homogenized in the 90's. Only the use of the word "emo" dates one kid as post-millenial. Substitute a pager for a Blackberry and poof, instant 90's.
The extras include behind the scenes featurettes that are surprisingly informative and not snore-inducing. It's been a while since one of these broad audience, kid-friendly movies has managed something like this, and I have a feeling it's thanks to director Michael Lembeck's insistence that they show off the solid effects work. Yes, Lembeck directed both Santa Clause sequels and Connie & Carla, but the supplemental stuff adds a layer of respectability to the guy. The Gag Reel is basically a waste with the exception of a bit with Johson and Stephen Merchant oogling a blurred-out nude centerfold of Ashley Judd, which made me laugh so hard I coughed up a lung.
Tooth Fairy hit the street this past Tuesday.