Novocaine (2001) * * *

Directed by:  David Atkins

Starring:  Steve Martin, Helena Bonham-Carter, Laura Dern, Elias Koteas, Lynne Thigpen, Scott Caan, Kevin Bacon

Novocaine is a suspenseful thriller treated with a light comic touch.    It winds its way through its plot meticulously, throwing in plenty of twists and turns so the outcome doesn't resemble anything close to the beginning.     We think we know where it's headed, but the more we think we know the less we actually do.     We find ourselves sympathizing with the hero, an affluent dentist named Frank Sangster (Martin) who finds himself sinking deeper and deeper into trouble he really could've avoided in the first place.    Or could he have?   

Martin also narrates the film, using tooth decay as an example of how his seemingly perfect life rotted from the inside out after he encounters a goofy patient named Susan (Bonham-Carter).    He is drawn to her, even though he is engaged to his ever-doting assistant Jean (Dern).   She needs a root canal and asks for Demerol for the pain.   Despite his suspicions that Susan is just after drugs,  Sangster prescribes five pills, which by the time she fills the prescription has ballooned to fifty.    Even though he knows he's been had, he can't control his lust for her when she shows up very, very late for her appointment the next day.     Why is he attracted to Susan when Jean seems perfect?   Maybe that's the answer. 

Further complicating matters are Dr. Frank's ne'er do well brother Harland (Koteas), who gets stoned and paints Frank's kitchen red; as well as Susan's brother Dwayne (Caan), a violent hothead drug addict whose relationship with his sister may be more complicated than it at first seems.    For Frank, though, all of this business with drugs, double-crossing, and violence is tough to handle, but it also provides a dose of much-needed excitement to his pristine world.     Of course, if you want to call becoming an eventual murder suspect excitement.

Novocaine is a dark comedy and film noir all wrapped up in one package.     Characters who seem like victims in an insane plot turn out to have much more involvement than at first expected.     People like Susan, who at first seems to be the catalyst for all of the trouble that follows, may actually be a victim herself of a complex plan.     The film is fun despite its darker view of human nature.    Perhaps casting Martin as the lead adds to that.    We know Steve Martin from his years of standup and screen work, which means things will somehow turn out all right.     We also hope that it does.  

Bonham-Carter also creates a character that we think we know and judge her accordingly, but reveals depths and tenderness we didn't expect.     Laura Dern is tall, blonde, has a perfect smile, and is anal-retentive, but perhaps too safe for Dr. Frank.    Or is she?   

Novocaine enjoys setting things up to a point where we think we know what will happen and then pulls the rug from under us.    Not all at once, but little by little, to the point where we can't trust our footing.     That's the fun part.