Novocaine

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Novocaine

R

Released Nov 16, 2001

1h 34m

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

38%

Tomatometer

106 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Steve Martin is a prosperous dentist, secure in his neatly ordered existence and happily engaged to his ambitious dental hygienist (Laura Dern). But when an alluring new patient (Helena Bonham Carter) steps into his life, this ordinary man discovers how little control he has over his world as he is drawn into a maelstrom of sex, drugs and murder. Edgy and unpredictable, "Novocaine" also stars Kevin Bacon and Scott Caan and marks the feature directorial debut of writer David Atkins.

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Critics Consensus

The quirky Novocaine flirts with both dark comedy and noir suspense, but the result is a jarring mix of tones which never quite mesh.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

This dark, stylish tale isn't for kids.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 26, 2010

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Neil Smith

BBC.com

This Hitchcockian yarn compensates for its leading man's rather anonymous performance with some well-placed shocks, a morbid sense of humour, and a climax that will literally put your teeth on edge.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 1, 2002

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

The casting is peculiar, the tone is off, the plot is uninteresting and the ending is sorry.

Rated: 1/4

Dec 28, 2001

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Film Threat

Rated: 3/5

Dec 6, 2005

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Dragan Antulov

Draxblog Movie Reviews

It is entertaining enough to arouse imagination of post-Tarantino audience.

Rated: 6/10

Mar 18, 2005

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Apollo Guide

Rated: 60/100

Mar 16, 2004

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Diana V

I think it was a very good movie. I really enjoyed it. It had good acting, some Romance and some comedy. It had alot of actions some gross bloody scens, but over all it was a pretty good movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/01/25

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Hawk M

Simply awful. Bad, uninspired writing, bad acting. Save your time.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/19/25

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nick s

Some slick editing, but I just didn't get invested in the characters. Steve Martin's character seemed to be all over the place, his infatuation with the drug scammer feeling particularly forced and unlikely. The story dragged to the point where I gave up on it and turned it off.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/25/24

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CJ S

Tries to be a quirky comedy, tense thriller, and a mystery who dunnit all at the same time, but the writing is terrible and so it fails to find that balance. The voice over literally narrating what is happening on screen drove me mad. Not a good film.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/21/23

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Audience Member

Lite dental humor with a bit of murder mystery mixed in. Somewhat routine and predictable but better than a lot of higher reviewed films of the same time and type.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

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camille l

Novocaine se veut être un mélange de comédie burlesque et de film noir à l'ancienne, le tout avec un Steve Martin qui devrait marier les deux genres, tout droit sorti de la Prisonnière Espagnole. Force est de constater que David Atkins a quasiment réussi son pari. En évitant la formule premier acte comique et deuxième acte thriller mais en mélangeant efficacement les deux, le film est plutôt agréable à suivre, grâce à de très bonnes performances (Scott Caan et Helena Bonham Carter sont particulièrement bons, mais Kevin Bacon brille de mille feux dans ses deux apparitions) et à un rythme plutôt soutenu. Novocaine est parfois un peu trop étrange pour son propre bien, mais en l'état, c'est un film plutôt réussi.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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David Atkins

Director

Steve Martin

Frank Sangster

Helena Bonham Carter

Susan

Laura Dern

Jean Noble

Elias Koteas

Harlan Sangster

Scott Caan

Duane

Novocaine: Official Clip - Brother Harlan

2:15

Novocaine: Official Clip - This Is Not a Movie

2:46

Novocaine: Official Clip - Who's the Idiot!

2:21

Novocaine: Official Clip - A Biter

1:46

Novocaine: Official Clip - Teeth

2:08

Novocaine: Official Clip - Actor Lance Phelps

2:01

Novocaine: Official Clip - X-Ray Seduction

3:03

Novocaine: Official Clip - Feels Like Novocaine

2:34

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Synopsis

Steve Martin is a prosperous dentist, secure in his neatly ordered existence and happily engaged to his ambitious dental hygienist (Laura Dern). But when an alluring new patient (Helena Bonham Carter) steps into his life, this ordinary man discovers how little control he has over his world as he is drawn into a maelstrom of sex, drugs and murder. Edgy and unpredictable, "Novocaine" also stars Kevin Bacon and Scott Caan and marks the feature directorial debut of writer David Atkins.

Director: David Atkins
Producer: Paul Mones, Daniel M. Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Paul Felopulos, David Atkins, David Atkins
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
Production Co: Artisan Entertainment, Numb Gums Productions Inc.
Rating: R (Language|Drug Content|Sexuality|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 16, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 3, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.0M
Runtime: 1h 34m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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