Teeth Review

"Teeth" reviews

Movie

Teeth

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2008-06-13 21:42:48

Rating

3.5/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

A very dark comedy about vagina dentata that ends up being a cautionary safe sex message and perhaps a disturbing cult date film.

Story

Dawn (Jess Weixler) has grown up in the shadows of two giant nuclear power plant towers in a suburban American town, and as she reaches the ripe age of sexual maturity, she discovers that there are teeth in her nether regions. That kind of explains why her stepbrother Brad (John Hensley) has this love/hate relationship with her because as a child his hands wandered where they shouldn't have and he was bitten on his finger. Brad has grown up to be a tattooed sex renegade, while Dawn has joined the teen abstinence movement, The Promise, and is one of their featured speakers. One of the Dawn falls for one of the Promise guys, Tobey (Hale Appleman), as they try to resist their teenage passions for each other--to no avail. Yeah, it isn't pretty. Soon, Dawn asks a gynecologist, Dr. Godfrey (Josh Pais), to check her, with equally devastating results. Can Dawn have a sex life without emasculating her admirers? Only the brave dare try.

Acting

The cast of young actors is relatively unknown, partly because director (and former actor) Mitchell Lichtenstein said it was hard to convince any actor to take the part. The girls would have the stigma of being ''that girl'' with the strange problem, and the guys would--for the most part--be known for having their most private parts bitten off. Nevertheless, Weixler does an astounding job, taking a chance after her stint on daytime soap One Life to Live and a few other minor movie roles. Blonde, innocent, and with a quirkiness much like Anna Faris in the Scary Movie films, Weixler is delightful. She plays Dawn like a bewildered superhero, rather than a hapless victim. Likewise, Appleman, as the good-looking all-American horny teen, is quite likable, and Pais as the creepy gynecologist is completely hysterical. The guy who steals the show as complete creep, however, is Hensley (TV's Nip/Tuck and The Sopranos). He's so evil, when he finally gets his remarkable comeuppance (one that you'll talk about for a long time), cheers of approval and groans of disgust will most likely come from the audience.

Direction

Writer/director Lichtenstein, who you might remember from Ang Lee's Wedding Banquet, deftly mixes horror and comedy within Teeth. The film is at once dark and frightening as well as being hysterically funny without turning campy. It's a tall order to fill, especially when dealing with a myth that has spanned ancient cultures worldwide and pits guys against their deep, dark subconscious fears of castration, but Lichtenstein crafts the story by incorporating other teen concerns such as the censoring of drawings of the female anatomy in high school science books and the movement by some teens to pledge themselves to stay virtuous until marriage. The director also knows how to push his actors into dark and uncomfortably humorous situations. All woven together, Teeth is a comedic cautionary safe sex tale.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 3 1/2 stars.

Movie

Teeth

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2008-06-13 16:40:15

Provider

MRIB

Review

"I think there might be something weird going on inside" says Dawn (Jess Weixler) to her doctor. She's not wrong either. For between her legs she has something rather scary and we're not talking about a lack of waxing. Partly gross out comedy, partly an update on the ancient myth of vagina dentate, Teeth is certainly not run-of-the-mill fare.

Dawn is a teen virgin and proud of it, she even heads one of those chastity movements that has become common in the US. Her stance is challenged when she meets Toby (Hale Appleton). Although he shares her beliefs, the pair become attracted to each other and Dawn is cajoled into losing her virginity. At a romantic lakeside setting, Toby soon regrets his persistence when, much to Dawn's surprise too, a set of sharp teeth gets hold of him and the detached body part seen on the ground tells you this is not the beautiful encounter it should have been. She then gets checked out by the aforementioned doctor whose fate is similar to Toby's (surely she should've seen a dentist). Thus continues the rampage of Dawn's vicious vaginal teeth.

In the wrong hands this film could've been plain stupid, but as it turns out first-time writer-director Mitchell Liechtenstein makes it palatable and entertaining. Weixler has to take much credit as her downplayed performance, worthy of the Sunderance accolades she received, makes the character surprisingly real. Okay, some of the set ups are overly contrived, particularly one strangely involving her half brother, but it's a fun ride (not for her victims) and a comedy horror flick with real bite. Can't imagine too many men demanding a repeat viewing though.

Teeth Review

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