Novocaine (2001)

A dentist finds himself a murder suspect after a sexy patient seduces him into prescribing her drugs.

Director:

David Atkins

Writers:

Paul Felopulos (story), David Atkins (story),

Stars:

Chelcie Ross, Steve Martin, Laura Dern

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chelcie Ross	...	Mike
Steve Martin	...	Frank Sangster
Laura Dern	...	Jean Noble
Lynne Thigpen	...	Pat
Polly Noonan	...	Sally
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Susan
JoBe Cerny	...	Pharmacist Wayne Ponze
Elias Koteas	...	Harlan Sangster
Yasen Peyankov	...	'Sunshine Lounge' Bartender
Scott Caan	...	Duane
Teri Cotruzzola	...	Attractive Complaining Patient
Lucina Paquet	...	Mrs. Langston
Preston Maybank	...	Gelding
Sally Kao	...	Chinese Wife
Quincy Wong	...	Chinese Husband

Storyline

Dr. Frank Sangster is a straight-laced dentist who because of one innocent lie, finds his tidy, prosperous life transformed into a comic quagmire of illicit sex, illegal drugs and inexplicable murder in this brilliantly offbeat, bitingly comedic film!

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | dentist | murder | sex | handcuffs | 

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Taglines:

Crime Is Not Only Done By Criminals.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, sexuality, language and drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Artisan Entertainment

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

23 November 2001 (Italy)

Also Known As:

A Paciente Misteriosa

Filming Locations:

Cedarburg, Wisconsin, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$418,098 (USA) (16 November 2001)

Gross:

$2,025,238 (USA) (4 January 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artisan Entertainment, Numb Gums Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steve Martin and Scott Caan did not get along during filming due to Caan's reckless behavior toward a stunt person in a scene in which his character smashes a beer bottle over the head of a man in a bar.

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Goofs

Bruise on Frank's left cheek changes notably between scenes,

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Quotes

Frank: What's the drift? You roll into town. You line up a few dentists or do you hit doctors too?
Susan Ivey: Dentists are easier. They're dumber. No offense.

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Crazy Credits

The caption 'The End' just before the end credits is displayed in French ('Fin') instead of English.

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Connections

References The Hard Way (1991)

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Soundtracks

"The Money Shot"
Performed by Sex-O-Rama
Written by Carvin Knowles
Published by Figs. D Music, Inc. o/b/o Oilgo Music
Courtesy of The Oglio Entertainment Group, Inc.

User Reviews

Strangely intoxicating

To start with, any movie in which Helena Bonham Carter gets naked is a good thing.

This is a weird weird movie, but good pacing and casting saves it. A more disciplined director could have turned it into a cult classic.

Steve Martin is convincing in a challenging part. He is a fine actor.He brings just enough comedy so the movie doesn't descend into the land that light forgot. This edge gives the film strange believability.

Laura Dern is also exquisite walking a fine line to achieve a balance between farce and drama. Her character, blondness and 'hard body' look contrasted effectively with HBC's petite, auburn wickedness.

At the end, I wanted to watch it again to appreciate the fine points I missed the first time through.

I would describe it as a darker " The Whole Nine Yards".