Novocaine

Let's get something clear real quick - this is NOT a comedy. Don't try to watch it as a comedy, don't try to laugh at things that are not supposed to be funny, and don't complain if you didn't laugh a lot.

Now, I like to see an actor take a chance and do something out of his/her comfort zone. I like to see an actor expand his/her range, explore other genres, flex their actual acting muscles once in a while. And, I like to see an actor want to do a script that might not score them points either in the box office or with critics, so long as they feel they can bring something to a role. (Tom Hanks is the best example of this; Michael Keaton is close behind, and even Bruce Willis falls into this category, in my humble opinion).

That said, this film is fairly good. A pretty tame dentist is drawn into a downward-spiralling vortex of sex, drugs and murder. He is clearly over his head as his world crumbles down around him, and he doesn't suddenly become an action hero at all.

This movie has some classic femme fatale elements but does not pursue that vehicle to the common extreme. However, it also captures some film noir ideas - the first-person narrative, the slippery-slope downwards, the protagonist who just can't stop himself from falling under the spell of the vamp who's bad news from the word "go"...

It's not Double Indemnity or Sunset Blvd, but hey, for what it is, it was somewhat engaging.

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.

This has been a quite entertaining movie. Not really a top notch movie, not really working as a comedy, but still pretty entertaining. It started out veeery slow and boooring - it took a little too long for it to evolve. But when it started to it got better and better. There's that very freaky story and a wrecked Bonham-Carter (she's good playin such characters ;-) adding most to this film. However the ending was a little too fantastic since it shouldn't be a problem for the forensics to ... no, I won't spoil hehe.

My favourite scene was Martin's call where he spoke to that guy who answered the phone with "barbie's bakery. it's mr. muffin man speakin." LOL

My overall rating is: 6.5/10 - if you're not sure what to watch, try this one. It works pretty well as entertainment.

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".

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.