Novocaine

Novocaine
by David Atkins (III)

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DVD details

Actor: Chelcie Ross, Laura Dern, Lynne Thigpen, Polly Noonan, Steve Martin
Director: David Atkins (III)
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-04-23
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate

DVD Reviews of Novocaine

DVD Review: A COMEDY, QUICK AND FUN
Summary: 4 Stars

If you like Steve Martin, then you'll probably like this movie. I give it four stars because it earns its weight in laughs and entertaining scenes. The Amazon review misleads. It's true, it doesn't completely 'find its footing', and by all means it's not a "perfect" film or comedy - but for sheer easy going fun, with a black humour edge, you could do a whole lot worse than this film. I didn't regret watching it. It certainly ends with a bit of a stretch that's a little too convenient (but of course the whole movie is highly implausable!). Still, I found that in this 95 minute film, the interest level is pretty high for at least 75 of those minutes. And it was better than 3 stars too which I'd reserve for films like "Protocal" which I saw recently with Goldie Hawn, who I really love in her better moments - that film was too predictable and the laughs were far and few between. This one gave me more than a few chuckles - loved Kevin Bacon's performance. Beleivable? Heck no. But in the comedy department, it scored 4 of 5 in laughs (or at least chuckles). If you're not too demanding, or expecting Stanley Kubricks' next masterpiece, you'll have fun with Steve in this over-the-top movie with understated humor.

DVD Review: Horrible
Summary: 1 Stars

Horrible. Uneven. Music matched one of the movies recurring themes -- dentistry --- driiiiiiiilllllllll and ooooooooooouch. Bonham-Carter's accent -- another off-kilter element. Martin -- too old for role. Blood -- too red. Attic and rooftop -- too clean. Dern -- to blonde. Caan -- too short. Bizarre without being bizarre enough.

DVD Review: I really enjoyed this.
Summary: 4 Stars

I hadn't seen this movie before a few weeks ago and I ordered the DVD. I love Steve Martin and I especially enjoy him in different roles (other than comedy). I loved Shopgirl, in this regard, and this movie was a different challenge for Mr. Martin as well.

Laura Dern was excellently cast, as well as Helena Bonham-Carter.

I love small-ensemble films and this was one. I'd recommend you see it if you haven't and you really like Steve Martin.

DVD Review: fairly entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars

I wanted to see this movie to see if they were accurate in portraying a real dental office. It was a disturbing and interesting movie. They didn't have a whole lot of real dental scenes, but it was entertaining. A lot of parts were funny to me. I love Steve Martin, and I like how the story ended. The story took a lot of strange twists that I never would have expected. I would recommend this movie to others who work in a dental office and who are not easily offended.

DVD Review: As numbing as the title
Summary: 2 Stars

Being a modest Steve Martin fan, I fairly liked the beginning of the movie, and the concept was not without possibility. However, everything derailed early on and became one head-scratcher after another. The biggest failure is that the character motivations don't make any sense, and Martin's character, supposedly a sharp dentist, makes asisine judgements one after the other. The writing is poor, and Martin's narrations sound scripted and hackneyed. The plot moves along fast, but in a mechanical and unbelievable way, with several placed concidences and bewildering logic. Spoiler warning: It becomes obvious far too early that his fiancee is in on it, as her reactions to his problems are laughable. The ending coup d'etat is not only sickening, but also moronic, as in the fairy tale ending between two mismatched people. This movie has more holes than swiss cheese, and lacks common sense and feeling as it races blindly ahead. Dern and Carter had little chance for a fine performance as the psychology underlying their characters was ill-defined and basically nonsensical. Steve was handcuffed by the script as well, but even so gave a
far less nuanced and steady performance as his fine dramatic
work in the excellent Spanish Prisoner. Unfortunately, this
movie is seriously disappointing. Oh, by the way, this movie
is in no sense a comedy either, as some hype has portrayed it.

Description of Novocaine

A screwball noir comedy that marks a promising directorial debut by first-timer David Atkins, Novocaine has a knack for the offbeat, beginning with the casting of Steve Martin as Frank, a dentist who traps himself in an escalating series of secrets and lies. Frank likens his dilemma to the insidious rot of tooth decay, personified by quirky drug addict Susan (Helena Bonham Carter), who enters his office, steals his narcotics, and draws him into an unexpected flirtation with disaster. Frank's brother (Elias Koteas) complicates matters almost as much as Susan's psycho brother (Scott Caan), but it's Frank's fianc?e and hygienist (Laura Dern) who shotguns the movie to its outrageous and gruesomely off-putting conclusion. Erratic in tone and briefly amusing, Novocaine offers a few surprises (including an unbilled appearance by Kevin Bacon), but the movie never really finds its groove, and its curiously numbing effect makes the title just a bit too apropos. --Jeff Shannon

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