Tooth Fairy 2 (2012)

Directed by: Alex Zamm | 90 minutes | comedy, family | Actors: Larry the Cable Guy, Erin Beute, David Mackey, Brady Reiter, Lucius Baston, Noah Kronenberger, Jacob Bertrand, Ellie Brannan, Ashton Brown, Sheryl Carbonell, John Connon, Mary Rachel Dudley, Omar Elkalyoubie, Reilly Gentges, Holland Hayes, Doreen Heard, Da’Zhaun Hicks, Gabriel Suttle

On paper ‘Tooth Fairy 2’ seems like a lost cause: a sequel to a film that was already not very well received. Add to that the fact that protagonist from the first part, Dwayne Johnson, always good for some happy faces, didn’t want to put on his tooth fairy costume again and that the dubious choice fell on Larry The Cable Guy, mainly known as Mater (Takel) in the original. version of Pixar hits ‘Cars’ and ‘Cars 2’. Apart from his successful contribution to these animated films, the acting talent of the typical redneck is nothing to write home about.

The beginning of ‘Tooth Fairy 2’ therefore suggests the worst. The story hardly differs from the first part, so that the viewer who has seen the first part thinks he is getting a copy of the adventure in which The Rock was suddenly confronted with a makeover in a ballerina-like fairy costume. But where Dwayne Johnson’s character Derek Thompson was an insufferable, over-the-horse egotist for much of the film, Larry The Cable Guy quickly turns his Larry Guthrie into an amiable bungler: he’s blunt and somewhat short-sighted, but has his heart in the right place. And that’s half the difference.

The plot of ‘Tooth Fairy 2’ is not innovative or really exciting, but thanks to some nice events, the film manages to keep the viewer’s attention. While the “fine” Larry gets for completing his assignment to get 20 teeth in two weeks doesn’t seem significant enough to cause any tension (if he doesn’t pass, his “social worker” takes away his best memory), the makers have to let the viewer empathize. That’s of course because you’ve long realized how the fork is in the tail: Larry’s sweetheart Brooke is not at all a good fit with Beauregard Billings running for mayor. For a large part of the film Larry does his utmost to regain the favor of his ex, for whom he still has warm feelings. The fact that not every attempt turns out well (his bumbling at childcare, for example) and that his new second job as a tooth fairy also often throws a spanner in the works, is in any case not due to a lack of good will. There’s another beautiful reflection in it, which has to do with Larry’s best memory. Some amusing scenes related to Larry’s visits to teeth-picking homes do the rest. The film will not win any awards, and the fart joke that is almost insurmountable in this genre is also in it, but for a light-hearted one and a half hours of entertainment in the company of the target group (children from about eight or nine years old), ‘Tooth Fairy 2’ is best to do.