Novocaine (2001)

Based on 27 critic reviews provided by

75	Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert A screwball film noir with a lot of medium laughs and a few great big ones,
70	Los Angeles Times John Anderson Martin is marvelous; through sheer charisma, he takes over certain scenes as if no one else is there.
50	The New York Times Dana Stevens Nothing is particularly believable here, but there are still a few moments of silly, sinister fun.
50	USA Today Claudia Puig With Bonham Carter's been-there, done-that performance and a plot that spins out of control, we end up with a movie that you can't quite sink your teeth into.
50	Washington Post Desson Thomson It's too bad the movie's intriguing effect wears off (so to speak) about two-thirds through.
42	Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman There are many things wrong with Novocaine, but the film's most gnawing pain is its clodhopper farfetchedness.
40	Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern Starts out stylishly, and promisingly, but then coarsens into a silly parody of film noir.
30	Rolling Stone Peter Travers Slack direction fails to touch a nerve. Martin was scarier and funnier extracting Bill Murray's molars without Novocaine in "Little Shop of Horrors." Now that was one crazy dentist.
25	San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle Spins an unconvincing, miscast noir tale.
20	Washington Post Stephen Hunter A coarse, witless and stunningly violent black comedy.