Teeth is a puzzling movie that doesn’t know what it is supposed to be: it tries to be too many things at the same time and ends up becoming a mess not worth seeing. The topic of "vagina dentata" (basically vagina with teeth) seems to suggest it is a horror movie as this monster lurks beneath and strikes unsuspecting male victims with very graphic castrations. On the other hand, it is also a female empowerment movie as the main character learns to control her teeth down below to punish those who try to take advantage of her, including her stepbrother.
The movie tries to make an environmental point - and blames the "vagina dentata" on a radiation from nearby nuclear power plant. But the problem is the movie doesn’t have a focus and becomes a parade of male mutilations until the end. It tries hard to be a dark comedy, without any comedic payoff, and it becomes increasingly hard to root for a heroine who turns her mutation into a weapon of revenge.
In the end, this movie will be known for its shock value, and the performance of Jess Weixler that won her a special jury prize at Sundance Film Festival in 2007. The problem with shock value is, after the first scene of severed male genitalia with blood pumping out, the rest becomes gratuitous.
Rating: 15%
Recent Comments