Film

Tooth Fairy

Name: Tooth Fairy
Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy
Released: 2010
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Stephen Merchant, Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews, Ryan Sheckler

Comedy
Fantasy
Light-hearted

A family fantasy-comedy where Dwayne Johnson plays a jaded hockey player magically conscripted into actual tooth-fairy duty for a week. It's broad, earnest, and designed for kids with parents watching nearby. Johnson commits fully to the absurdity, and Julie Andrews brings unexpected warmth. Exactly what it promises: silly, harmless, and surprisingly kind about second chances.

TMDb rating

2.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a sweet-natured, silly fantasy where a hulking athlete's pratfalls and self-mocking bravado carry the whole thing, and you don't mind the gags landing a bit broadly.

Skip it if you want sharp writing or a grounded story; the jokes are broad, the sentiment arrives on schedule, and the fantasy premise asks you to accept a lot of silliness.

What it asks of you: A brisk hour and forty minutes, light and bright from start to finish, asking you to leave your cynicism at the door and let the nonsense pile up.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Game Plan2007

Dwayne Johnson again, but as a football player discovering he has a daughter. Same heartfelt-through-the-cheese approach: a big man learning to be gentler. It lands the emotional beats without pretension.

But The Disney formula is very visible here. If broad family comedy feels like medicine to you, this won't change that.

Elf2003

Will Ferrell as an adult who believes in wonder in a cynical world. Like Tooth Fairy, it's sincere about joy and redemption. Funnier overall, and the New York setting grounds it better than fantasy usually manages.

But Quotable to the point of exhaustion. If you've heard the best bits already, rewatching loses its charm.

Paddington 22017

A family film with genuine wit and craft. It respects its audience while remaining whimsical. The same warmth as Tooth Fairy but executed with actual style and invention in every frame.

But If you haven't seen the first one, you might feel like you're missing context. Also: British comedy sensibility, which doesn't land for everyone.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Tooth Fairy

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The NeverEnding Story1984

Both films hinge on an adult relearning wonder. Both believe that magic is real if you're willing to commit to it. But one is cynical-turned-sincere with a hockey player; the other is operatic from the start and never blinks.

A child realizing his imagination is real—literally saving a fantasy world through belief. Like Tooth Fairy, it takes whimsy seriously and means every word. But it's visually strange, operatic, occasionally dark. Beautiful proof that family films can be genuinely ambitious.

But The special effects are deliberately artifactual—puppets and paint, not CGI. If you need modern polish to buy in, the artifice shows. Also: a falcor (flying dog) that some find creepy rather than comforting.

Yours, Mine & Ours2005

Blended families and learning to parent differently. Same emotional core as Tooth Fairy—a guarded person made vulnerable by caring. Lighter than it sounds, with genuine heart between the chaos.

But It's a remake (badly overshadowing the 1968 original). The plot is familiar if you've seen any family comedy in the last decade.

Tooth Fairy 22012

Larry the Cable Guy takes over the tutu. If you liked the first film's commitment to absurdity, this leans even harder into it, with slightly lower stakes and zero pretension.

But Johnson's charisma was doing heavy lifting in the original. Without him, the film is noticeably thinner and the novelty has worn off.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor2008

Brendan Fraser and Maria Bello in another big, dumb, fun adventure. Less sincere than Tooth Fairy but in the same wheelhouse: spectacle over subtlety, family-friendly, never punching down.

But It's the third film in a series and treads old ground. Also significantly longer than Tooth Fairy, which tests your patience if you're not fully in.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor poster

Bedtime Stories2008

Adam Sandler discovering that imagination matters. Similar theme to Tooth Fairy but with more production money and Sandler's particular brand of sincerity. The kids-save-the-day angle works better here.

But Some of Sandler's old habits surface—unnecessary mean-spiritedness creeping in. Also: a lot of CGI that looks notably dated now.

Enchanted2007

Amy Adams as a princess learning the real world isn't a musical. Fantasy meets cynicism in a way that actually sharpens both sides. Much smarter than Tooth Fairy without losing the joy.

But Tonal whiplash between fairy-tale earnestness and New York snark. If you want consistency of mood, this isn't it.

Gulliver's Travels2010

Jack Black in a fantasy adventure designed entirely for families. Like Tooth Fairy, it's comfortable being silly and asking nothing more of you. Brisk, harmless fun with a good cast.

But It came out the same year as Tooth Fairy and was largely forgotten for a reason. Thin plot, thinner jokes. Exists mostly to fill time.

Krisha2016

Both ask: can a flawed person—one who's hurt people—actually change? Tooth Fairy says yes with a magic wand and warmth. Krisha says maybe, and only if you're willing to lose almost everything. They're the same question answered as lullaby or requiem.

An intimate, devastatingly real portrait of a man trying to change and failing, mostly because he doesn't know how. It sounds nothing like Tooth Fairy, but it's about the same thing: whether you can be better, and what that costs. Made on a shoestring by a first-time director with almost no script.

But There is no levity here. No fantasy, no tutu, no Julie Andrews. It's exhausting in the way only honest cinema is. Also difficult to find and 84 minutes of sustained bleakness.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

Same DNA as Tooth Fairy—a lonely person learning to care, a child needed to teach them—but where Tooth Fairy is a fantasy, this is grounded and genuine. Proof that the emotional story works even without magic, and perhaps works better.

A grumpy old man and a foster kid learning to love each other in the New Zealand bush. It's funny, it's kind, it earns its emotion. Taika Waititi directs with such warmth you almost don't notice the craft. Found family and second chances, but with real edge and wit.

But The tonal mix—comedy-drama-adventure—doesn't work for everyone. Some find it cutesy. It's also very specifically New Zealand in setting and humor, which has a learning curve.