Dazzle

Unlike most of the family movies today this one does not find a need for profanity or hidden innuendos to make it work. It is light hearted and easy to follow for most any age yet has enough comic relief for adults to be entertained from the gnomes. Although there is some bare bottom nudity it is easily explained to children without any concerns (if a fairy grows to human size her clothes no longer fit!). The only aspect that I found unnecessary was the interaction with the teacher.

There are no Oscar winning performances or brilliant morals to this story of a fairy (Chantelle Stander) that loses her memory and is taken in by a widow (Maxwell Caulfield) and his daughter (Charlotte Savage). The story line works very well for anyone that likes fairies and fairy tales, no matter your age.

As family movies go, I would let my grandchildren watch this one.

Tom (Maxwell Caulfield) lives in England with his young daughter, Melissa (Charlotte Savage). A recent widower of 16 months, Tom is struggling to get back to his work as a children's fantasy writer. Also, his habit of reading only fairy tales to Melissa irks the local teacher, Miss Martinet (Mia Sara). Yet, one day, a tiny fairy, Crystal ( (Chantelle Stander) travels from her magic world to Tom's house, for she greatly admires his writings. Unfortunately, she bumps into a tree and, suddenly, she is a human-sized, scantily-dressed woman-fairy. Amnesia, also, hits Crystal and when she comes knocking on Tom's door, she is so confused that Tom invites her in and vows to find her family. The more he sees of beautiful Crystal, too, the more he is attracted to her. But, alas, an evil supernatural being known as the collector (Jeff Fahey) comes to town, also, for in her present state, the collector can capture the fairy and put her in a bottle. To prevent that, two elves likewise enter the human world to look for Crystal and protect her from the evil forces. What a tangled web! Will Crystal survive? This is a good family film that's art direction is tremendous. From the country setting to the fairy costumes to the special effects, this film looks very, very beautiful. It also has an imaginative plot and a capable cast, with Caulfield making a nice, caring father. Stander, too, is a lovely fairy while Sara is a hoot as the specs-wearing, didactic teacher. But, be cautioned parents. There are some dark elements, with Fahey giving the collector a frightening persona. Also, some may find the brief minutes of Crystal's lack of clothing (nothing is shown, only implied) objectionable. However, most families will find the film very worthwhile, more so than some major feature releases. If you are looking for something new to show to your loved ones, Dazzle should fulfill your wishes nicely.

What a film, excellent is not the word for it. Suitable for the whole family it has you glued to the seat the whole way through. Maxwell Caulfield plays a brilliant part throughout, it is very funny and a bit sad it parts. It is one that can be watched over and over again and still have the same effect. My whole family absolutely love the film and have watched it so many times I have lost count. Maxwell Caulfield should make so many more films like this he is certainly great in this one, much better to see him as the nice guy than the villain. We hope to see him again on screen very very soon in the United Kingdom, we are so short of good actors here.

Tom Nightingale (Maxwell Caulfield, 'Electric Dreams'), a writer of children's books, falls prey to a serious case of writer's block, after the loss of his wife. He now spends his time reading fairy stories to his young daughter, Melissa.

But they are not alone, for each night a real fairy, Crystal, listens in on the stories. Meanwhile, Tom's pet dog is keeping an eye on Crystal and one night decides to chase her. Crystal collides with a tree and is knocked out. She is suddenly transformed into human form and subsequently suffers amnesia.

Tom finds crystal and eventually falls in love with her, much to the disappointment and disapproval of Melissa's teacher, Miss Martinet (Mia Sara, 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off). The only trouble is Crystal has to return to Fairyland before The Collector (Jeff Fahey, 'Darkman III') can capture her and send her to the dark world. And she only has six days!

With only the help of two clumsy midget detectives, Oddkin and Bodkin, can Tom find the spell that will save Crystal?

'Dazzle' is an enchanting film, suitable for all the family, but especially for children. It is a tale of courage and love, spiced with a sprinkling of humour and a dash of madness. The cast put in good performances all round, and there are some dazzling special effects.

Matthew J Lee-Williams, Review

Except for being illogical in a few ways this is a nice entertaining movie with plenty to keep us interested. It is cute. It is also quite funny. There a few things such as jealousy thrown in to make it more dramatic that I think was unnecessary.

In the beginning of the movie, we see that the father and daughter are obsessed by fairies. Then just by coincidence there happens to be a real fairy lurking around them. There is an accident and the fairy becomes temporarily human. The rest of the movie is about her encounter with the father and daughter.