Novocaine

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.

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.

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".

Steve Martin has either grown more talented and brilliant with age or we are now having more opportunities to witness this. His subtleness and incredible face are alluring. The entire cast deserves kudos for a great ensemble. On the other hand, the writing and directing do not.

Unlike the cast members who were top rate, the direction was simplistic, not in a minimalist fashion, but in a puerile attempt: first this happens, then that, now everyone act vaudevillian. The direction appeared to be confused between stage and film. The writing was weak with annoying one liners and non-clever phrases. Not enough credit was given to the intellect of the audience and too much was spelled out for us. None the less, I managed to finish the film and was rewarded with a unique and sweet ending.

This was a good movie, but there were several plot holes you could drive a truck through. I found myself saying "No one would really do that" over and over again. It seemed as though the director wanted to do a straight suspense film, and Steve Martin wanted to do a screwball comedy, and in the end, it's neither one. The characters are well played, and Helena Bonham Carter did an especially good job with a big departure from her previous roles as refined British noble women. At times, the actors got very close to being caricatures instead of characters. All in all, an enjoyable film if you aren't expecting the quality of "The Spanish Prisoner", which I think is still Steve Martin's best film ever.