Movies: Teeth

I could say a lot about the premise of "Teeth," a low-budget black comedy/horror film directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein, but it's probably easier (and more entertaining) to show you the trailer:



The story of "Teeth" is wacky, tongue-in-cheek, and surreal. There's some plodding predictability here that hampers the effect that the sometimes-disgusting silly parts have - soon you expect every male Dawn comes into contact with to rape her. Thankfully, Jess Weixler pulls off a rather guileless and believable performance, so Dawn always has the sympathy of the viewer, no matter what his or her gender might be.

There are a number of swipes at conservative religious types (especially at abstinence-only sex education), although the movie overall does seem a bit hypocritical. The only normal relationship in "Teeth" is the conventional, happily married life - all other couplings inevitably turn ugly (and bloody), which would seem to go with Dawn's initial leanings toward chastity. Additionally, the ...ahem...weapon Dawn uses in her struggles is never portrayed on-screen, mirroring her censored schoolbooks on human anatomy. Then again, maybe I'm overthinking a movie where the central theme is vagina dentata.

Rating: 5/10 (but only with friends supplying heckling and running commentary)