Novocaine

Rating:
Summary: Painful Dentistry
Review: The fact is, this movie is a mess. Sure it has it's moments and it has its Martinesque touches, especially the ending, but it basically doesn't know what it wants to be.

It has action and violence which sometimes we are supposed to think is funny: every time a dead body shows up, Martin's character slips on the blood and does a pratfall. At other times, we are waiting for the action to be funny but after it is set up, it never quite comes off. Then there are times when the action seems merely routine.

The story has twists, some are dramatic, some are funny but the audience is left detached and somewhat confused. The impression one gets is the script wasn't very good to start with and that some good bits were thrown in during filming but there wasn't enough in the end to make a good movie.

Martin shows us a one-dimensional character who manages to make a bad decision at every opportunity. His character, Dr. Sangster, a dentist, doesn't play as very amusing or even interesting; he hardly ever changes his expression.

Helena Bonham Carter looks the part of a drugged-out waif and plays that role convincingly but we are at a loss to see her sex-appeal, especially to Martin's straight-arrow dentist.

Laura Dern also does a great job as the neurotic dental assistant and fiancée of Dr. Sangster. She develops a complicated character very well.

Both women are in sex scenes with Dr. Sangster which lend little to the story and look like every other sex scene in the movies these days. Martin will never be convincing in a sex scene.

There are some great supporting performances from Lucina Paquet as a persevering office manager, James Chisem as the local cop being trailed around by an actor studying up on being a detective, and ? as an obsequious DEA agent.

Scott Caan is a convincing young tough. Elias Koteas plays a good low-life but it is hard for us to believe that this could really be the dentist's brother. Kevin Spacey plays the actor/detective in an uncredited role (a good move on his part).

Rating:
Summary: Tries hard but full of holes
Review: There is a shot way too early in the movie that reveals who the chief villian in this movie is. My nine-year old daughter caught it, and asked me afterwards why they gave this away so early in the movie. Thus is my major problem with a movie I was rooting (no pun intended, see below) for from the beginning, but ended as a disappointment.

This was a noble attempt to create an intelligent thriller about a dentist (thus the "root" pun) whose life is turned upside down because of a pretty face. This has happened many times before, both in the movies, and in real life, and, as a male, I will grudgingly admit it does have credibility.

The man in this movie is a dentist played by Steve Martin, who seems to have it all together. He has a successful practice, and Laura Dern is his fiance. Of course when a movie hits you over the head with information like this, you know things are going to change fast.

This change occurs when the pretty face (Helena Bonham Carter) appears in his office, and nothing is ever again the same. She first cons Martin and a pharmacist out of some narcotics, then appears again and seduces him in his own dentist chair. The fact that she does this so easily shows that maybe he wasn't as happy as he first declares in the movie. Or maybe it has something to do with the movie's funniest line. When Martin asks her if she does this all the time with doctors and dentists, she replies just dentists because they're dumber, no offense.

So far, so good, and the situation gets even stickier when Martin discovers the next day that his whole stash of narcotics is missing, and one vial was found at the scene of a tragic accident. This leads to an encounter with the brother of Carter's played violently by Scott Caan, a definite chip off his old man's block. While the movie has several "bad guys" of varying degrees, it is here that we get the shot of who the real "whodunnit" person is. That's it. Strike three. Movie over.

So now we have to sit and wait for Martin to catch up with us, and the movie continues while pretending it didn't reveal this to us. While watching, I'm reminded of the far superior "Something Wild", where Jeff Daniels goes on a far more exciting roller coaster with Melanie Griffith. This movie should have gotten some tips from that one.

While there are some humorous parts, the timing is sometimes bad. While being interviewed at his home, the plot decides to introduce Kevin Bacon as an actor researching a cop role. I imagine this was supposed to be funny, but it just didn't work at this time. We find out later that the character was introduced here to be a plot device later, but that scene is also clumsy and improbable.

And that's the problem. The movie wants to give us some laughs as well as the tension. It does the tension fairly well, but the comedy doesn't work enough. Steve Martin doesn't need to revert back to a "Wild and Crazy Guy", but if he's going to go for laughs, he should play less staid characters than he's played lately or learn to become a better straight man while others get the laughs.

So pick up "Something Wild" to see this subject treated better, and the orginal "Lethal Weapon" to see crime and comedy work well.

One more note. While Steve Martin isn't THAT old, and Dern and Carter aren't THAT young anymore, and Martin does keep fit, and we're not going into Woody Allen territory here, we still have the "older male actor gets younger women" syndrome yet again. Don't hold your breath waiting for Sally Field to couple up with Freddie Prinze, Jr. in the near future.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Movie, but Not Quite as Advertised
Review: This film is one of those cross-genre movies that must drive marketing people nuts. Part murder mystery, part erotic suspense thriller, part black comedy, the marketing people took one look at this, saw Steve Martin, and called it comedic. Really, it's more ironic than comedic. The situations in which people find themselves, from Laura Dern's OCD fiancee to Steve Martin's repressed dentist caught up in a spiraling web of deceit are definitely not funny in the traditional sense, and I am sure that is what put many people off about the film.

Despite the unsavory elements of the story and only average acting from otherwise good actors, the story holds the audience's interest, subtlely foreshadowing the climax, which unfortunately "pays off" all too quickly after the amount of work that goes into setting it up.

This, plus the aforementioned average acting and dark storyline are the primary reasons that this movie is usually found in the bargain bin. Still, Helena Bonham Carter is definitely worth watching as a drug addict, abused by her incestuous brother. Some of the character's dress and actions are vaguely reminiscent of her portrayal of Marla Singer in Fight Club, and she remains sufficiently tortured throughout the film to add a slightly deeper layer to the film.

Not for the squeamish (or dentist averse), the film has an ironic but "happy" ending that leaves the viewer a bit unsettled, mainly because it ends a little too cleanly. Not Steve Martin's best work, by far, but certainly an amusing diversion.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Movie, but Not Quite as Advertised
Review: This film is one of those cross-genre movies that must drive marketing people nuts. Part murder mystery, part erotic suspense thriller, part black comedy, the marketing people took one look at this, saw Steve Martin, and called it comedic. Really, it's more ironic than comedic. The situations in which people find themselves, from Laura Dern's OCD fiancee to Steve Martin's repressed dentist caught up in a spiraling web of deceit are definitely not funny in the traditional sense, and I am sure that is what put many people off about the film.

Despite the unsavory elements of the story and only average acting from otherwise good actors, the story holds the audience's interest, subtlely foreshadowing the climax, which unfortunately "pays off" all too quickly after the amount of work that goes into setting it up.

This, plus the aforementioned average acting and dark storyline are the primary reasons that this movie is usually found in the bargain bin. Still, Helena Bonham Carter is definitely worth watching as a drug addict, abused by her incestuous brother. Some of the character's dress and actions are vaguely reminiscent of her portrayal of Marla Singer in Fight Club, and she remains sufficiently tortured throughout the film to add a slightly deeper layer to the film.

Not for the squeamish (or dentist averse), the film has an ironic but "happy" ending that leaves the viewer a bit unsettled, mainly because it ends a little too cleanly. Not Steve Martin's best work, by far, but certainly an amusing diversion.

Rating:
Summary: more Shock Value than any real Shock
Review: this film starts out interestingly then it becomes a bad Sore Joke.it tries to be many things without doing any one thing well to me overall.i felt it was tired in spots&never could hold up fully all the way through.it wanted Comedy,suspense&Romance but never fully developed none of them fully.

Rating:
Summary: A horrible, horrible waste of time
Review: This film was such a disappointment. Considering it has Steve Martin, Kevin Bacon, and Helena Bonham Carter - my favorite actress - in it, I would have expected better. But I get nothing.

Steve Martin plays a dentist who is happily engaged to Laura Dern and has a normal life until one day he finds Helena Bonham Carter in his office. He is immediately stricken by her and starts to fantasize about her until finally he has a full fledged affair with her. Now, I would pick Helena Bonham Carter over Laura Dern any day of the week...but when we're introduced to Steve Martin's character as crazy and head over heels for his fiance, having him forget it all just for one woman he knows for about five minutes is poor writing and awful character development.

What follows is a hideous mobius strip of a movie. Steve Martin goes to Helena Bonham Carter, some thing happens, he gets in trouble, and then he goes back to Helena Bonham Carter and every thing starts all over again. This happens a good four or five times. Halfway through the movie you're thinking "When is this going to end?!"

Did I mention Helena Bonham Carter does nudity for this? First why does this movie need nudity, and second was she so bad on finances that she needed to be rolling around on top of Steve Martin? I was almost offended by that.

The only savoring part of this movie is Kevin Bacon playing a famous actor (grand irony) who is one of the most competant people in the movie. Otherwise, I would just avoid this whole mess like your life depended on it.

Rating:
Summary: How Do You Feel About Dentistry?
Review: This is an important question to ask yourself before settling down with this movie. If, like me, you feel you have to pop a few Valiums before you can even consider an exam, pause. The opening credits depict an x-rayed skull that is laughing, chewing, and swallowing and other everyday functions. It should be interesting, somewhat funny and it least clever. I broke out in a sweat.

Steve Martin is a kindly, but obsessed with his profession type who declares and demonstrates his "perfect" world: a flawless dental practice that runs like a well-oiled machine. Much of this perfection is due to his head assistant/fiancée expertly played by Laura Dern. They look to be the perfect match. Everything about her is perfectly organized, and she is undoubtedly the perfect fiancée. The worm in the apple in the form of Helen Bonham-Carter comes in with a raging toothache and a taste for drugs. Steve is instantly smitten as only he can be. Quickly lies, deceit, suspicion and murder follow.

The cast is excellent. Bonham-Carter carries off her waif as a grunge role with charm. Playing her psychotic hoodlum brother, Scott Caan has a menacing, jaunty swaggering charm worthy of his dad, James. The pace is good, even brisk. However, as a comedy noir, there were a few too many episodes that were painful rather than funny (usually connected with teeth.) Only Laura Dern was able to carry the audience in whatever direction she took. Steve Martin seemed more of a pitiable object; you laugh but you feel guilty.

Good, but not memorable.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: How Do You Feel About Dentistry?
Review: This is an important question to ask yourself before settling down with this movie. If, like me, you feel you have to pop a few Valiums before you can even consider an exam, pause. The opening credits depict an x-rayed skull that is laughing, chewing, and swallowing and other everyday functions. It should be interesting, somewhat funny and it least clever. I broke out in a sweat.

Steve Martin is a kindly, but obsessed with his profession type who declares and demonstrates his "perfect" world: a flawless dental practice that runs like a well-oiled machine. Much of this perfection is due to his head assistant/fiancée expertly played by Laura Dern. They look to be the perfect match. Everything about her is perfectly organized, and she is undoubtedly the perfect fiancée. The worm in the apple in the form of Helen Bonham-Carter comes in with a raging toothache and a taste for drugs. Steve is instantly smitten as only he can be. Quickly lies, deceit, suspicion and murder follow.

The cast is excellent. Bonham-Carter carries off her waif as a grunge role with charm. Playing her psychotic hoodlum brother, Scott Caan has a menacing, jaunty swaggering charm worthy of his dad, James. The pace is good, even brisk. However, as a comedy noir, there were a few too many episodes that were painful rather than funny (usually connected with teeth.) Only Laura Dern was able to carry the audience in whatever direction she took. Steve Martin seemed more of a pitiable object; you laugh but you feel guilty.

Good, but not memorable.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: This movie deserves no starts at all.
Review: This movie is perhaps the worst movie I have ever seen. It literally made me sick. As in, vomitting in the lobby. I, of course, did not make it through the whole movie, but I cannot even imagine how it might redeem itself. It was violent and gruesome, had a sickening, depraved story line and was not even a tiny bit funny. I fail to see why it would be billed as a comedy. I would guess that half the audience in the theater I saw it in walked out halfway into the movie. It was that bad. I am mad that I wasted my time and money.

Rating:
Summary: Safe for those allergic to nitrous oxide.
Review: WARNING: May induce Novocaine-like cerebral symptoms.

Known to cause slight post-viewing disappointment or indifference.

Some have been known to experience a few brief moments of humor, but no actual audible laughing has been recorded.

Intercut clips of mastication and ingestion used to supplement affect.

Causes some moments of discomfort due to tooth extraction, but less than knowledge of exposure to whole viewing procedure.

Accompanying sucking noise heard by many viewers identified as time wasting away in void of average cinema.

Some types may enjoy the temporary numbness, while most are likely to wish they had been put under so they would've never experienced the procedure.

Talented actors and comedian used to humor new director. Better luck next time.

Dosage low enough to avoid permanent damage, so use at your own risk.

Procedure not recommended.