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102 reviews in total

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21 out of 29 people found the following review useful:
What an unexpected surprise!, 7 December 2001

Author: jotix100 from New York

Novocaine is a very strange film. It doesn't make up its mind whether it's a take off on a genre or is it playing straight. That said, the story has a lot of laughs and it was a complete surprise given the negative comments one had heard about this film. David Watkins' script and direction give this film a different look of what Hollywood is giving us lately. Steve Martin is a very difficult actor to cast and he has to have the right vehicle and direction in order to excel, as he does here. Sometimes Mr. Martin comes across rather shallow in some of his screen portrayals, but as the dentist at the center of this comedy, he is at the top of his craft. Laura Dern is just perfect in her role. She keeps getting better all the time, whether it's comedy, as it is here, or her other film this year, Focus. She's an actress who doesn't repeat herself. She's a true original. Helena Bonham-Carter is perfect as the junkie that appears in Steve Martin's life. Quite a change for her image, better known for her appearances in serious films. This must have been quite a turn around for this actress, better remembered for her work in serious English drama. The most remarkable scenes are those of the great Kevin Bacon as an actor tailing David Keith in preparation for an upcoming police film. He is hilarious as the method actor in search of ways to interpret the real life detective in the movies.

All in all, this is a very satisfying comedy.

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16 out of 20 people found the following review useful:
Strangely intoxicating, 21 December 2002

Author: Brian B-2

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".

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16 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
Steve Martin Surrounded by Brilliance, 12 December 2001

Author: howarduq (howarduq@hotmail.com) from ABQ, NM

I would never have seen Novocaine had it not been for my love of Steve Martin. But what amazed me in this film were the genius performances by the other actors: a terrific character turn for Laura Dern (didn't mean to rhyme). The always-charming Helena Bonham-Carter playing a role reminiscent of (but NOT the same as) her Fight Club character. Elias Koteas' quirky, stupid take as Steve Martin's younger brother. Kevin Bacon making a cameo in one of the only roles I've EVER liked him in.

But most of all, Laura Dern. This woman can act. She absolutely stole the show. A character who seems at once timid and sweet, then sends me spinning with her karate fanaticism. I will not tell you anymore about her performance (of which there is MUCH more to tell), because you need to discover this film for yourself.

The filming is an absolute masterpiece, as well as the writing, both done by David Atkins. The music is a wonderfully stylized score by Danny Elfman, calling forth 'film noir' memories. And there couldn't have been a more thrilling cast to watch on screen.

Novocaine is a suspense thriller, as well as an extremely funny movie. See it for Steve Martin, though you won't be watching him for long.

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18 out of 31 people found the following review useful:
Impressed with Steve Martin all over again., 22 August 2001

Author: clarkca from Dallas, TX

Steve Martin has great taste and gets some of the best stories in the industry. I don't think he's made a bad movie and this one is stellar. Novocaine is a little along the lines of Spanish Prisoner and reminds me of Memento. The plot was complex, the acting superb, it was well crafted, surprising, and even funny. When it started out I couldn't help but squirm in my chair due to the horrible decisions the dentist was making. Nevertheless, let me assure you that in the end we all went away feeling fully entertained and pleased. The crowd at the advance screening loved it as well. I continue to be impressed with Steve Martin. How many actors or artists can you honestly say that about? What a great show!

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9 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
Totally Surprising and Brilliant!, 20 October 2001

Author: Louise R.

I was lucky enough to get to go to an advance screening of Novocaine (I won tickets). I LOVED it!! I always loved Steve Martin but was really impressed at what a great actor he is as well as comedian! I don't want to give anything away, but this movie totally surprised me, part thriller, part drama part comedy. Nothing like Martin's done before but still very Steve Martin. Helena Bonham Carter plays a role similar to her Fight Club role, very mysterious and brooding. I was also happy to see Laura Dern in a great role. She's different in every movie and is especially strong in this one. The movie is such a mixture of twists and turns that it's hard to rave about it without giving anything away. But I definitely recommend this movie to everyone, perfect for a date or with friends. Even the score is phenomonal too. I can't wait to go again and see it in the theatre the first weekend it comes out.

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4 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Good performance....seriously flawed film....., 21 October 2008

Author: merklekranz from United States

Steve Martin is believable as a dentist who sees his life spiraling out of control after a series of cascading lies sets him up as a murder suspect. What is not believable is the script, which seems to overlook common sense. Cops that fall asleep while guarding a suspect, and worse yet handcuffing a suspect to a flimsy bench in the court house. After an intriguing set up, everything has less and less logic. The proverbial happy ending is totally unbelievable, as is the supposed motivation for the entire storyline. If you want to see a pretty good Steve Martin performance and can overlook Novocaine's many flaws, it is definitely watchable. - MERK

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7 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
Decent black comedy, 9 August 2003

Author: MovieAddict2012 from UK

I hesitate to call "Novocaine" a film noir, for those knowledgeable cinema buffs out there may harass me and tell me film noir is usually set in the forties, and so on and so forth. But the core of film noir is really the essential idea of the Everyman thrust into incomprehensible situations, not aware of what is happening, why, or how to stop it. Film noirs usually show our hero caught up in framed murder. In "Novocaine," a dentist is thrust into a world of lies, deceit, sex, drugs, and murder. And if that doesn't tickle your fear, then maybe the fact that the dentist is Steve Martin will.

Film noirs are a tricky thing to make correctly. They can fail very easily, such as the incredibly disappointing "D.O.A." They can stumble, mess up. When the rare "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" comes along, it is time to rejoice. I must admit that when I went to see "Novocaine" with Steve Martin, I did not expect very much. I had already heard bad news about it, seen little previews for it, and generally expected it to be a bad movie. Steve Martin in a film noir about a funny dentist? Fortunately, I instantly realized I had made a mistake.

Our tale begins with Dr. Frank Sangster, a mild-mannered dentist (isn't that how it always is in film noirs?) with a fiancé/co-worker, Jean (Laura Dern), and a generally nice, peaceful little world. But that world is shaken when a sleazy, lusty woman named Susan Ivey (Helena Bonham Carter) walks through the doors. She wants Novocaine, but Frank doesn't know this. After a night of passion in the dentist's chair, Frank agrees to give her Novocaine for pain she is having. But the next day, when he thinks he may have gotten away with everything, he finds out that Susan has increased the amount on the prescription he gave her from about 1 to 100, or something like that. Soon Frank is being checked out by the Three-Letter Government Corporations, and, unable to come up with excuses for the missing Novocaine, tries to find Susan and confront her about it. Before long he is caught up in a web of deceit, murder, perjury, all the stuff I said before.

"Novocaine" is a sweet ball of darkness, laughs and film noir. It numbs you, leaving you breathless. It is as if the film itself is "Novocaine." It isn't a terrific comedy, or a terrific film noir, but it is a heck of a lot better than you have probably been led to believe. Steve Martin is about the last person you'd expect to see in a film like this, but my favorite comedian pulls it off. His character, Frank, has no idea what is going on. He isn't experienced in the world of greed, lust and so on and so forth like Susan is--he is new to it, stumbling forward unsure of where to go next. As situations catch up with him, he runs farther, searching the darkness, trying to find answers.

This is a fun movie to watch, the kind of movie I've been looking for. The beginning credits, which show X-rays of the human mouth, set the tone for the film--it is a dark movie, and leaves you feeling dirty throughout. It is the type of movie where you want to sit back, shake your head and make ticking sounds with your mouth. It frustrates you, it leads the characters into wrong decision, and you want to yell at the screen to stop them from doing what they're doing. But when the dirty feeling of the film kicks in, the small laughs along the way provide a balance to the darkness. "Novocaine" is a very well-done film noir. When the credits start rolling, you will feel surges of anger, frustration, laughter and sadness, and then the numbness will kick in on the ride home, and you'll feel like you've just been given a dose of Novocaine.

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7 out of 12 people found the following review useful:
excellent suspense, 7 May 2002

Author: ben berman from berkeley

The suspense of this beautifully written plot manages to keep you squirming while the actors dazzle you with comic flourishes, thick sexual tension, and all-around excellent performances. A great film. Steve Martin has proven that he has a knack for suspense thrillers with this film and The Spanish Prisoner.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Mixed feelings, 13 May 2002

Author: mattymatt4ever from Jersey City, NJ

OK, so I have to give this movie points for originality. How many films involve a dentist protagonist? I watched the featurette on the DVD and director David Atkins explained that he wanted to throw a curve ball at the audience by having Steve Martin play the main character in a dark comedy--since audiences are probably expecting something much broader. I didn't get any laughs out of this film; just some mild chuckles. But whether it's a dark comedy or a mystery-thriller, it doesn't quite gel. And ultimately, the film left a bad taste in my mouth--no pun intended. It's watchable, and at times quite intriguing, but it's definitely not a memorable film that I would watch on repeat viewings.

The cast is spirited. Steve Martin never ceases to please, whether he's playing a broad comic role or the straight man. Here, he plays more of the latter. But I wasn't surprised he was able to pull it off. If anybody has seen Lawrence Kasdan's "Grand Canyon," you know Steve is a versatile actor who can easily pull off a serious role. This isn't his first time playing the straight man. Laura Dern is amusing as Steve's neurotic, obsessive-compulsive, karate-kicking wife. Helena Bonham Carter is sassy and sexy, a totally convincing femme fetale. Elias Koteas has some nice moments as Steve's black-sheep brother. And last but not least, Kevin Bacon has an amusing unbilled cameo as an actor researching murder cases for his upcoming movie.

Danny Elfman's opening theme is wonderfully haunting. There are certain elements of "Novocaine" that I liked, it does have its moments (the twist ending totally caught me by surprise!!), but it just doesn't come together.

My score: 6 (out of 10)

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2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Novocaine or Sleeping Gas??, 14 July 2003

Author: roland-sinn from Sydney, Australia

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

In my opinion, Novocaine had a brilliant trailer, but the film was a big disappointment. The first time I saw the trailer on a video rental, I knew I had to see Novocaine. I was expecting a Cohen Brothers style film of sharp wit and beautiful surreality. What I got was 'try hard' wit and ridiculous implausibility.

Now this really p****s me off because I love Steve Martin, I love Laura Dern, I love Helena Bonham Carter and I love Kevin Bacon. I really expected more from a cast of very talented, very experienced actors. This basically means that the fault didn't lie with the cast. It lay with the severe implausibility of the story .

SPOILERS IMMINENT!! REPEAT, SPOILERS IMMINENT!!

At the film's beginning, Steve Martin's engaged to Laura Dern (what more could an average Joe want?), he's got a good job, he's got a very nice home, he's portrayed as a stable, even tempered middle aged dude. Suddenly Helena BC appears, asks for a script to be filled and Steve allows her to scam 10 times the amount of drugs from a local pharmacy! Two or so scenes later, when Helena BC steals the entire drug supply from Steve's dental surgery, Steve coyly makes up a paper thin story to the authorities that wouldn't stand up to detailed scrutiny by investigators!!

This is when Novocaine jumped off the rails of plausibility and `Plot' gave way to `Series of Events'. To anyone out there who thought these scenes seem logical, do you realise how big a crime Steve's committing?? How much senseless risk?? How much all the drugs which Helena stole cost?? If Steve wanted to have some sex on the side, it would have been much, much cheaper and much less stress to go visit a high class lady of the night every night for several weeks. And as for the climactic scene in the film from which the title is derived, I was physically disgusted and really couldn't believe that an tempered, stable middle aged dude would be capable of taking out all of their own teeth, as well as those of a corpse. Come on!! It felt like the writers thought of that one scene first and tried to create a movie around it.

Overall, not too badly directed, but very immaturely written. Looks like a student film. Steve, Laura, Hel and Kev all should have known better. 2/10

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