# Tooth Fairy (2010 film)
**Tooth Fairy** is a 2010 American family comedy-fantasy film directed by [Michael Lembeck](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-lembeck), in which minor-league hockey player Derek Thompson ([Dwayne Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/dwayne-johnson)), nicknamed "Tooth Fairy" for knocking out opponents' teeth, is sentenced to serve as a real [tooth fairy](https://www.edgepedia.org/tooth-fairy) after he discourages a young fan's belief. It was released wide on January 22, 2010 by 20th Century Fox, rated PG, with a running time of 101 minutes.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202110-tooth_fairy) • [2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | January 22, 2010 (wide), 20th Century Fox; PG for mild language, some rude humor and sports action[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy) |
| Director / writer | Michael Lembeck; screenwriters Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, Joshua Sternin, Jeffrey Ventimilia, and Randi Mayem Singer; story by Jim Piddock[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tooth-fairy-2010) • [4](https://watch.afi.com/movie/tooth-fairy) |
| Lead cast | Dwayne Johnson (Derek Thompson), Ashley Judd (Carly), Julie Andrews (Lily), Stephen Merchant (Tracy), Billy Crystal (Jerry)[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tooth-fairy-2010) |
| Box office | $60,022,256 domestic; $112,610,386 worldwide against a $48,000,000 production budget[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy) |
| Opening weekend | $14,010,409 in 3,344 theaters, 23.3% of the total domestic gross[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy) |
| Critical reception | 17% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 113 reviews; 41% on the Popcornmeter from 100,000+ ratings[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202110-tooth_fairy) |
| Home media | DVD and Blu-ray released May 4, 2010 by Fox Home Entertainment; estimated disc sales of $26,072,359[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Derek Thompson is a hard-charging minor-league hockey player whose nickname, "the Tooth Fairy", comes from his habit of separating opposing players from their teeth; he has not taken an actual shot at the net in nearly a decade.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202110-tooth_fairy) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-jan-22-la-et-tooth22-2010jan22-story.html) When he tells his girlfriend Carly's young daughter that the tooth fairy does not exist, he dashes the child's dreams, and the real tooth fairy authorities take notice.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202110-tooth_fairy) • [6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/2010/02/19/family-filmgoer/5cdecffe-caeb-4bf9-901d-5bafc1d0dc9e/)
That night Derek sprouts wings and is brought before the Head Fairy, Lily ([Julie Andrews](https://www.edgepedia.org/julie-andrews)), at the magical tooth fairy headquarters, where he is sentenced to hard labor as a real tooth fairy, complete with wings, a magic wand, and a frilly tutu.[6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/2010/02/19/family-filmgoer/5cdecffe-caeb-4bf9-901d-5bafc1d0dc9e/) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/tooth-fairy/umc.cmc.6w0o9x7tzciaohfr2t66pex1j) The film presents the tooth fairy not as a single figure but as a whole work force, tightly scheduled and supervised by the strict Head Fairy.[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tooth-fairy-2010) Most trade and studio summaries put the sentence at one week, though at least one review describes three weeks of duty.[8](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl628590081/) • [6](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/2010/02/19/family-filmgoer/5cdecffe-caeb-4bf9-901d-5bafc1d0dc9e/) Bumbling at first, Derek slowly adapts to the job and begins to rediscover the dreams he gave up long ago.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202110-tooth_fairy)
## Cast and production
Dwayne Johnson, then still widely billed as "The Rock", leads the cast as Derek Thompson. [Ashley Judd](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashley-judd) plays Carly, Julie Andrews plays Lily, Stephen Merchant plays Tracy, a gawky fairy-domain case worker, and [Billy Crystal](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-crystal) has a cameo as Jerry.[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tooth-fairy-2010) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/tooth-fairy/umc.cmc.6w0o9x7tzciaohfr2t66pex1j) [Ryan Sheckler](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-sheckler), Chase Ellison, Destiny Whitlock, Seth MacFarlane, and Brandon T. Jackson appear in supporting roles.[7](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/tooth-fairy/umc.cmc.6w0o9x7tzciaohfr2t66pex1j) • [9](https://www.netflix.com/title/70108018?source=35) The screenplay is credited to Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, Joshua Sternin, Jeffrey Ventimilia, and Randi Mayem Singer, from a story by Jim Piddock, with original music by George S. Clinton.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202110-tooth_fairy) • [4](https://watch.afi.com/movie/tooth-fairy) Production companies included 20th Century Fox, Walden Media, Mayhem Pictures, and Blumhouse, with Jason Blum, Mark Ciardi, and Gordon Gray producing.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202110-tooth_fairy)
**Visual effects.** The film's effects were led by Jake Morrison and the team at CIS Vancouver for director Michael Lembeck.[10](https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/how_i_shrunk_the_tooth_fairy/) In one sequence, Derek uses "Shrinking Paste" for a tooth raid on a child's bedroom, shrunk to no bigger than a matchbook; the team settled on a 12:1 scale, shot Johnson from above where possible, and used reduced depth of field to suggest macro photography.[10](https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/how_i_shrunk_the_tooth_fairy/) Nearly all the fairy wings in the film were practical elements rather than digital, and Prime Focus created additional effects including fairy wings, magic dust, and a swirling vortex sky.[10](https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/how_i_shrunk_the_tooth_fairy/) • [11](https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Magazine/C/Computer%20Graphics%20World/201004%20%5B99%5D.pdf) The film was shot on Kodak 5219 film stock.[10](https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/how_i_shrunk_the_tooth_fairy/)
## Box office
Tooth Fairy opened on January 22, 2010 in 3,344 theaters, earning $14,010,409 on its first weekend and ranking fourth.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy) It finished with a domestic gross of $60,022,256 and international gross of about $52.5 million, for a worldwide total of roughly $112.5 million against a $48 million production budget, about 2.3 times the budget.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy) • [8](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl628590081/) The domestic share was 53.3 percent, and the film showed unusually long legs for a January release, with a domestic multiplier of 4.28 times its biggest weekend.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy) Estimated home-video sales added $23,403,270 from DVD and $2,669,089 from Blu-ray.[2](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy)
## Reception
The film was poorly received by critics. Its Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus reads: "Dwayne Johnson brings the full force of his charm (and his appropriately pale chompers) to the title role, but flat direction and a committee-written script render The Tooth Fairy unacceptably dull."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202110-tooth_fairy) Recurring criticisms targeted the script and comic timing: the Guardian's Andrew Pulver wrote that Johnson "is not on good terms with the concept of comic timing, so gag after gag falls flat," while [Stephen Merchant](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-merchant) "does a little better but is defeated by unhelpful material."[12](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/27/tooth-fairy-film-review) Roger Ebert, who could not recommend the film to anyone much beyond the tooth-fairy belief age, nonetheless called it "pleasant and inoffensive."[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tooth-fairy-2010) Audiences were warmer than critics: the Popcornmeter stood at 41 percent from more than 100,000 ratings, and parent reviews on Common Sense Media describe a lighthearted, family-friendly comedy with positive messages about dreams and personal growth.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202110-tooth_fairy) • [13](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/tooth-fairy/user-reviews/adult) Common Sense Media rates it appropriate for ages 7 and up.[14](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/tooth-fairy)
## Availability
The film streams on [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) and can be rented or bought on Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home.[15](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/tooth-fairy-2010)
## References
1. [Tooth Fairy, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202110-tooth_fairy)
2. [Tooth Fairy (2010), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Tooth-Fairy)
3. [Want a Rock under your pillow? Tooth Fairy review, Roger Ebert](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tooth-fairy-2010)
4. [Tooth Fairy, American Film Institute](https://watch.afi.com/movie/tooth-fairy)
5. [Review: Tooth Fairy, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-jan-22-la-et-tooth22-2010jan22-story.html)
6. [Family Filmgoer, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/entertainment/2010/02/19/family-filmgoer/5cdecffe-caeb-4bf9-901d-5bafc1d0dc9e/)
7. [Tooth Fairy, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/tooth-fairy/umc.cmc.6w0o9x7tzciaohfr2t66pex1j)
8. [Tooth Fairy, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl628590081/)
9. [Tooth Fairy, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/70108018?source=35)
10. [How I Shrunk the Tooth Fairy, fxguide](https://www.fxguide.com/fxfeatured/how_i_shrunk_the_tooth_fairy/)
11. [Computer Graphics World, April 2010](https://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Magazine/C/Computer%20Graphics%20World/201004%20%5B99%5D.pdf)
12. [Tooth Fairy review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/may/27/tooth-fairy-film-review)
13. [Parent reviews for Tooth Fairy, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/tooth-fairy/user-reviews/adult)
14. [Tooth Fairy parents' guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/tooth-fairy)
15. [Tooth Fairy streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/tooth-fairy-2010)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2009 to 2010 › Released in 2010*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license