TOOTH

"I am the anti-Clause"

Plug

Tom (Copus) is a dreamer. Instead of living his humdrum life he escapes into his own imagination where his parents are secret agents and his sister has been eaten by bears. The reality is that his Dad (Dutton) is a failed musician, his Mum (Phillips) has to cope with having all the furniture repossessed and his sister Tolly (Preston) is losing her teeth and as annoying as ever. With Christmas coming and everything going from bad to worse, Tolly leaves a note for the Tooth Fairy (Paige) begging for help. The next day she awakes to find Tom and her bedroom filled with money but the problem is that the young Tooth Fairy needs it back because her mistake could ruin Christmas.

For a movie that deals with the loss of magic in the world, it is a real shame that Tooth is complete void of the very thing it is trying to promote.

Feeling more like a made for TV special or an effort by the UK Children's Film Foundation that existed is the 1970s, Tooth just looks plain amateurish. First time writer/director Edouard Nammour has created an interesting premise, the world has been consumed by greed leading to disappearance of magic, assembled a top-notch cast of British talent and then gone completely mad.

For a start, which country is this set in? Yasmin Paige is American, Sally Phillips has an American accent and works for and shops in an American store, the Tooth Fairy gives out money in dollars and cents but then everything else is quintessentially British. Harry Enfield's character is British; Vinnie Jones is British in fact the rest of the cast with the exception of Jerry Hall sound British. Even on closer inspection of the coins given out by the Tooth Fairy, they are British 1p pieces.

The performances of the older cast are, especially from Harry Enfield, very pantomime. Enfield is so over the top it is untrue to the point that he just becomes increasingly annoying. Richard E. Grant just hams it up and you expect more from Phyllida Law and Stephen Fry. The kids are ok however. Rory Copus as Tom, Yasmin Paige as Tooth and Maisie Preston as Tolly hold the film together as without them the movie would be totally un-watchable.

The reason for these shortcomings has to be writer/director Edouard Nammour. His own script inadequacies are all too evident throughout. Why is Plug obsessed with catching a Fairy? If Santa and Mrs Clause have retired who delivers the toys the Tooth Fairies collect the money to buy? If no one believes in magic anymore, why are the tooth fairies still bothering collecting teeth? There are so many more but even with the excuse that this is a kids movie, there is still no need for all these inconsistencies.

Tooth is a movie that even kids would struggle to enjoy. There are not enough laughs or action sequences to keep them entertained and adults will find the whole thing as pleasurable as having a tooth pulled. Badly written with over-the-top, hammy performances, Tooth is the cinematic equivalent of a trip to the dentist for as many fillings as it is possible to get.

NOT AVAILABLE

Sammy's Super T-Shirt (Children's Film Foundation)

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2004