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Plot Summary
Dr. Frank Sangster (Steve Martin) is a straight-laced dentist who, because of one innocent lie, finds his tidy, prosperous life transformed into a sticky situation of illicit sex, illegal drugs and inexplicable murder in this brilliantly offbeat, bitingly comedic gem.
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Director
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Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
38%- Reviews Counted: 107
- Fresh: 41
- Rotten: 66
- Average Rating: 4.7/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Rotten: With Bonham Carter's been-there, done-that performance and a plot that spins out of control, we end up with a movie that you can't quite sink your teeth into.
Rotten: Atkins never finds the right tone for Novocaine. It's not dark enough to be either viciously funny or unsettling.
Rotten: The casting is peculiar, the tone is off, the plot is uninteresting and the ending is sorry.
Fresh: An impressive directorial debut, but you wish Atkins had not made his movie's gradual descent seem as inevitable as Frank's.
Customer Reviews
Dark Comedy for the Light Hearted
Great movie for people torn on dark comedies. I don't like the really dark ones but this is just right. Steve Martin wins in this. Helena Bonham Carter is what you'd expect but that's a good thing for this role. This was a surprisingly winning combonation.
Dark Comedy
If you expect this to be Steve Martin's usual knee slapping comedic fare, you will be disappointed. This is a dark comedy and as such does a great job. I am always up for a good dark comedy (i.e. War of the Roses ). Many try and fail; but this one hits the right spot. I thought the writing was good and the performances credible. Good stuff.
Great film!
Excellent story and script. Great performances and a great twist. I can't believe more people don't know about this film.
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- $9.99
- Genre: Comedy
- Released: 2002
- © 2001 Artisan Film Investors Trust. All Rights Reserved.