Novocaine

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Novocaine

R

2001

1h 34m

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

38%

Tomatometer

106 Reviews

38%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Steve Martin is a prosperous dentist, secure in his neatly ordered existence and happily engaged to his ambitious dental hygienist. But when an alluring new patient 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

Dec 26, 2010

3/5

This dark, stylish tale isn't for kids.

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Neil Smith

BBC.com

Jul 1, 2002

3/5

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.

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Dec 28, 2001

1/4

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

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Film Threat

Dec 6, 2005

3/5

Dragan Antulov

Draxblog Movie Reviews

Mar 18, 2005

6/10

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

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Apollo Guide

Mar 16, 2004

60/100

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Diana V

@DianaEve Jun 1, 2025

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.

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Hawk M

@RT86846140 Mar 19, 2025

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

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nick s

@Nick_S Dec 25, 2024

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.

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Jeffrey P

@vanillavoodoo1 Jan 24, 2022

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.

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camille l

@RT76374992 Apr 3, 2020

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.

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Nov 24, 2019

Very underrated black comedy with a great cast, strong writing and a very clever ending. Would definitely recommend a watch.

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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

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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. But when an alluring new patient 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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