Last year, Hollywood paid a visit to Cedarburg. The new Steve
Martin film, "Novocaine," filmed there for a brief time. Residents
may be able to spot a familiar place or face up on the big screen.
"Novocaine" is not the type of movie you'd expect to find Martin in. But that's part of what makes it work. Unconventional casting doesn't always pay off, but this time it does.
Martin plays Frank Sangster, a successful dentist with his own practice. He appears to have everything a man could want. His prosperous profession has afforded him a beautiful home, and he also has a gorgeous, devoted fiancée, Jean (Laura Dern), his ambitious dental hygienist. Frank is a happy, lucky man.
The bliss doesn't last. A new patient named Susan Ivey (Helena Bonham Carter) is trouble from the start. In minutes she slyly seduces Frank and gets him to fork over strong painkillers. They also end up doing dirty things in his dentist chair.
One mistake leads to another. Right when a DEA agent comes on a routine check to look at his drug supply, Frank finds that his entire supply is missing. It doesn't take long for him to figure out that he was conned.
Susan has an operation with her psychotic brother Duane (Scott Caan). They hit a small town, find a dentist because they aren't as smart as doctors, she seduces him and makes off with his drugs, and then they can sell them or use them or both.
Before long, Frank's life has become a living hell. He's got the DEA after him and, after someone ends up dead in his house, the cops, too. His relationship with Jean is all but ruined and he's extremely close to ending up in jail for murder. What's a dentist to do?
For the most part, "Novocaine" is a successful, stylish crime thriller with healthy doses of black comedy. It does a solid job of setting up Frank's great life before joyously taking it all away from him.
Martin is excellent, lending the film a strong center and creating a believable main character. You're drawn into his world from the start and, since you like the guy, you'll want to see how it all ends up for him.
To spice things up in the middle, there's a hilarious cameo from an instantly recognizable actor. He clearly is having a blast playing an actor researching a role as a detective.
When the twists and turns start, "Novocaine" falls apart a little bit. It becomes somewhat predictable and conventional. Part of the fun was watching this guy's life unravel in ways that he and the viewer never saw coming. But when he tries to put his life back together, it's too easy to see what's ahead.
It's too bad that writer/director David Atkins runs out of fresh ideas. But overall, "Novocaine" is a nifty and often nasty film with a good cast. It's definitely more fun than a trip to the dentist.
"Novocaine" opens Fri., Nov. 16 at Landmark's Downer Theatre. Click here for showtimes.
