wheelerv2002

Remembering my own childhood test for the existence of the Tooth Fairy by secretly placing an old baby tooth under my pillow and NOT finding it replaced by money in the morning, I hope the title of this new film "Tooth" does not stop dentist-phobes from taking themselves and their children to see this irreverent and very funny film about the battle between good and evil, social class, and industrial efficiency at the interface of the Real World and the Magic World. These fairies are not Tinkerbell or Lang's fairies in pastel tones. These fairies--such as Fat, Bitter, Stutter, Chef, Professor, and Tango Fairy--have more in common with Willy Wonka, without the meanness. These are not the fairies at the bottom of the garden but ones passing in the Real World who must rediscover their magical purposes. In this story, the Age of Man is resisted by the Age of Magic, successfully at least for a while with the help of ordinary human heroes: children and their parents. The look of the film is lush and the well-done characters are comic commentaries on modern times (e.g, Mrs. Claus using a shiny motorized scooter for the aged and infirm).