Seems The Rock, aka Dwayne Johnson, is always cooking up something. Lately it has been the smell of success in the area of family comedies; having voiced last years Planet 51 and starring in Race to Witch Mountain. Deciding not to go the action drama route that would better suit his dimensions he has instead taken the road to slapstick. Or in the case of TOOTH FAIRY, slap shot.

Derek (Johnson) is a hockey player who is stagnant in the minor leagues. Seeming to be past his prime he is content with being the enforcer on the squad and brought in only to take out opposing team members. He usually separates them from their teeth along the way, earning him the nickname, the Tooth Fairy. He has given up on his dreams and this attitude spills over into his everyday life. When he crushes the imagination of a young girl, he is sentenced to one week of real "Tooth Fairy" duty. Wings and all.

This film has two separate stories going on. One is Derek in fairy land and the other is Derek in real life. The real life Derek is where we get the message of the film and see his character come around to doing the right thing. The winged Derek is where we get the funny elements of the story and, though at times juvenile, there are plenty of solid laughs along the way. Real life Derek has a girlfriend (Ashley Judd) with two kids who wants him to be an influence in their lives. Winged Derek has to learn to play by the fairy rules and fulfill his punishment.

I prefer fairy land over the real world as far as this movie goes; mainly due to the supporting cast and laughable moments. Julie Andrews plays the strict Godmother who has little tolerance for his rule breaking cynicism. Stephen Merchant (Tracy) is the case worker assigned to guide Derek through the process. Merchant is a truly talented British writer, actor, and comedian and with his pencil thin, six foot seven stature he incorporates everything into this performance. The verbal jabs between him and Johnson are some of the funniest moments of the film. I was also surprised to see another comedic genius in the lineup who I will not divulge so that you too can be just as pleasantly amused.