Novocaine

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Reel Movie Critic.com</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reel Movie Critic.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id1925.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="My First Mister"><U>My First Mister</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1926.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Nine Days in One Year"><U>Nine Days in One Year</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1928.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="No Mans Land"><U>No Man's Land</U></A>   |   <B>Novocaine</B>   |   <A HREF="id1927.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dignity"><U>Dignity</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041d2c00dvldtc.png"> <bR> <div> <B>Home Pages for</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm"><U><B><U>Movies</U></B></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/index.htm"><U> </U></A></FONT></div> <div> <B><U>      </U></B><A HREF="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.newbookdiscounts.com/"><U><B><U>Books</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <B><U>           </U></B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B><U>Travel</U></B></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U> </U></A></FONT></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B><U>Great Web Sites</U></B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Novocaine</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="491" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 291 WIDTH="485"><div> <IMG SRC="a3090d40.png" border=0 width="144" height="212" ALT="Bitmap Image" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><B>   <IMG SRC="a35648c0.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="140" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>DVD  <script language="JavaScript"> function popUp(URL,NAME) { amznwin=window.open(URL,NAME,'location=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,width=380,height=450,screenX=10,screenY=10,top=10,left=10'); amznwin.focus();} document.open(); document.write("<a href=javascript:popUp('http://buybox.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=reelmoviecriticc&link_code=xsc&creative=23424&camp=2025&path=/dt/assoc/tg/aa/xml/assoc/-/B000062WWZ/reelmoviecriticc/ref=ac_bb1_,_amazon')><img src=http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/remote-buy-box/buy1.gif border=0 alt='Buy from Amazon.com' ></a>"); document.close(); </script> <noscript> <form method="POST" action="http://buybox.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=B000062WWZ"> <input type="hidden" name="asin.B000062WWZ" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="tag-value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="image" name="submit.add-to-cart" value="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" alt="Buy from Amazon.com" src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/add-to-cart.gif"> </form> </noscript>  </B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Novocaine </B>***1/2 ( R )</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By George O. Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 24 WIDTH="545"><div> Where <I>are</I> you?</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Frank Sangster: Steve Martin</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Susan: Helen Bonham Carter</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Jean: Laura Dern</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Harlan: Elias Koteas</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Duane: Scott Caan</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Pat: Lynne Thigpen</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Detective Lunt: Keith David</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><div> Lance: Kevin Bacon</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="269"><div> Director: David Atkins</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="304" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: A dentist has a perfect life-other than some unfulfilled sexual fantasies. When fate tempts him, he learns that there is no shallow end to the pool he's now in.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> To understand the story, it helps to know that this is a dark comedy with film noir flair, along the lines of <I><B>Shock to the System</B></I> (Michael Caine). In Caine's film, he was a frustrated husband at home and was constantly passed over for promotions at work. He managed to arrange "accidents" for his competitors at the office as well as <I>literally</I> a fatal shock to his wife in their home while he was on a business trip 3,000 miles away. In <I><B>Novocaine</B></I> Frank Sangster (Steve Martin) is a dentist who gets suckered by a woman working a scam who gives him the sex that he dreams of. Using <I>Colombo</I> (TV) style humor, Frank becomes a fugitive of the law, all because he thinks that taking a walk on the wild side won't be addicting.</div> <bR> <div> Frank has an ideal medical practice (much like Richard Gere had in <I><B>Dr. T and the Women</B></I>) that he runs with his fiancé Jean Noble (Laura Dern). She is the too perfect dental hygienist and a wonderful lover; with the exception that Frank would like to get it on in his dental chair and Jean will have no part of that hanky panky. Frank's stern office manager Pat (Lynne Thigpen) is the efficient and loyal person that every Fortune 500 CEO has, as she knows how to be a gatekeeper and retains secrets. When the time comes to stop a DEA agent from making an inspection that will result in Frank losing his license, she sends him away. As she pulls some red panties from Frank's white smock, she looks at him but makes no comment-to him or anyone else. By this time, Frank is in deep doo doo.</div> <bR> <div> Doing a little flashback from Pat's discovery of the panties, Frank envisions new patient Susan Ivy (Helen Bonham Carter), who needs a root canal. She's a rough looking sort that we know is all trouble, yet Frank gets a sexual spark from her which causes him to feel funny inside, although he looks sort of OK on the outside. Bonham-Carter displays a raw sexuality that we did not see with her sophisticated role in <I>Wings of the Dove </I>or her turn in <I><B>Planet of the Apes.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Susan tells Frank she is afraid of pain and he promises that she will not suffer as his patient. When he wants to prescribe a mild medication to hold her over until her appointment at 7:30 a.m. the next day, she asks for Demerol to which he replies, "I'm not that kind of dentist." Not wanting to break his promise of "no pain," he relents and prescribes a dose of five pills. A little later Frank gets a call from a pharmacy as Susan is walking out of the door. The pharmacist tells him that 50 tablets is a little much as a norm and now Frank knows that <I>something</I> is going on. </div> <bR> <div> Susan misses her appointment the next morning and Frank is disappointed until she shows up at 7:30 p.m., as he is about to leave. She has some liquor with her and before you know it, Frank is giving Susan the sexual root canal that fiancé Jean said no to. The next day when a DEA agent pays Frank a visit because of an accident, in which controlled substances from his office were found, he knows that Susan ripped off his drug cabinet big time. Hoping to get the empty bottle back, he searches out Susan only to find that she works a scam on dentists with her psychopathic brother Duane (Scott Caan)</div> <bR> <div> At the same time these events are occurring, Frank's recovering substance abuser brother Harlan (Elias Koteas) lands once again on his doorstep, much to the dismay of Jean. When the drugs are missing, Jean suspects Harlan will again cause big trouble in the family.</div> <bR> <div> A murder occurs in Frank's house and he eventually becomes the prime suspect of Detective Lunt (Keith David). </div> <bR> <div> Frank tells us that the worse thing that can happen to a man is not to lose his soul or his life, but his teeth. As we learn later, there can be an exception to that rule.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: <I>Novocaine</I> is a very funny movie that becomes more enjoyable with each passing minute as the double crosses start occurring, which is typical in film noir. Sometimes people will do anything to not get caught in a lie. The comedian Lenny Bruce once used words, which I'm paraphrasing, "if you get caught in bed with another woman, by your woman, don't admit it." For sure, after Frank bangs Susan in her hotel room early one evening and later is doing the same thing with Jean at her house, his mind is on Susan while he is <I>in</I> Jean. She knows that although he has it up and in, he is not there. Her question to him is "Where <I>are</I> you?"</div> <bR> <div> Many films give us red herrings or foreshadowing that provide little if any real payoff. In <I>Novocaine</I>, the foreshadowing makes for an ingenious, wonderfully funny ending. I really like this film because it captures a bit of dark humor that we all have in us. Keeping it real is Lance (Kevin Bacon) who is following Detective Lunt so he can learn more about a role he is looking at doing for a movie. He wants to effectively "get into character." While Lunt is no dummy, Lance asks all the correct questions, which are hilarious, right out of the chute. The laughs in this film are more deep chuckles rather than the laugh out loud quips in a silly comedy. </div> <bR> <div> I admire actors who let their hair down and Helen Bonham Carter is a stand out in <I>Novocaine</I>. She's sexy but not pretty. She's the type of woman that one might desire if she was a sales rep with nice clothes, make up and manners. Here she's all of that gone bad-a junkie who'll screw anyone for drugs. Like the film <I><B>The Whole Nine Yards</B></I>, this dark comedy has the right people have bad things happen to them and the good folks, some of whom you don't know right away, sail slowly into the sunset. I see some very good movies that I don't have time to see again, but for this one, I just may make the time.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Rated R for violence, sexuality, language and drug content</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> George O. Singleton © 2001</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 ><NOBR><div> Steve Martin: The Spanish Prisoner</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Helen Bonham Carter: <I><B>Planet of the Apes</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> Laura Dern: <I><B>Focus</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Elias Koteas: <I><B>Collateral Damage</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Scott Caan: <I><B>Ocean's Eleven</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Lynne Thigpen: <I><B>Shaft</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Keith David: <I><B>Requiem for a Dream</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Kevin Bacon: <I><B>Hollow Man</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> David Atkins: Debut</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="286" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>