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Novocaine (2001)


Did I watch this last night, or was it a fever dream?

I guess I've discovered I want to know what kind of story I'm watching. I expected this one to be something of a comedy. Sometimes I will cheat a little and scroll through Letterboxd reviews or critic reviews. If they write stuff like "dark comedy," then I will expect some sort of comedy element. 

I wasn't really seeing that as I watched. I mean, sure, I get that some of it is "dark" and perhaps somewhat absurd/comedic, but I was trying to fit this movie into neo-noir. Ultimately, that's what I think it is. You have Frank (Steve Martin), a dentist with a successful practice, fall for a Susan (Helena Bonham Carter), a drug addict. Is this plausible? Is she really that much more seductive and attractive than Jean (Laura Dern), fiancée and a dental associate that works in his clinic? Does Susan fulfill some sort of fantasy? Does Frank really fall for her just because she will have sex with him in the dental chair and Jean won't?

Anyway, in this film, not all is as it seems. Jean's scum of a brother ends up getting murdered, and Frank is the main suspect. Restricted drugs are also missing from his clinic, and the Law is after him for those combined reasons. 

In previous reviews, I've been mentioning known actors who take on minor roles in movies. For Novocaine, the example is Kevin Bacon (playing the uncredited role of Frank). Bacon has a small part, but he's in multiple scenes. His character is an actor shadowing with a police detective in preparation for an upcoming acting role.  I like Bacon's part here, small as it is, and wonder why it went uncredited. Was he simply available, so they found a way to add him to the film? Was the character of Frank not included in the actual script? 

Overall, the film bombed at the box office and received mixed-to-poor reviews. Roger Ebert actually liked it, giving it a 3 out 4 stars "thumbs up." Basically, he liked Martin's performance in the role -- and I agree. He did a good job. -- And he liked the noir elements. 

I feel like the movie had some positive aspects, too, although I felt like the villain and the villain's reasons were a little unplausible, as were the chain of events that had to happen for the villain to prevail. 

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

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