A brilliantly sustained exercise in fusing film noir with comedy, starring Steve Martin: that'd be 1982's Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid. Novocaine, on the other hand, is a hybrid that doesn't succeed at either genre.
First-time writer/director David Atkins fails to extract enough excitement from a story that centres on dentist Frank Sangster (Martin) who lands in hot water after a fling with Helena Bonham Carter's grungy seductress. The supporting cast's impressive, but Martin's second outing as a dentist isn't half as filling as his loopy teeth-terroriser in Little Shop Of Horrors.
DVD Extras:
Production notes, trailers.
