Novocaine: Critic Reviews

MovieWeb: 0 reviews

38%

RottenTomatoes: 50 reviews

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Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly (Top Critic)

34

There are many things wrong with Novocaine, but the film's most gnawing pain is its clodhopper farfetchedness.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Claudia Puig USA Today (Top Critic)

50

With Bonham Carter's been-there, done-that performance and a plot that spins out of control, we end up with a movie that you can't quite sink your teeth into.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Stephen Hunter Washington Post (Top Critic)

20

A coarse, witless and stunningly violent black comedy.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Jay Carr Boston Globe (Top Critic)

88

[Atkins] brings to his direction of Martin a finesse shared by only a few of the directors who have worked with the comedian-actor.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Chris Vognar Dallas Morning News (Top Critic)

The action takes on the two-dimensional quality of a clever joke and does a disservice to the actual suspense.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times (Top Critic)

75

A screwball film noir with a lot of medium laughs and a few great big ones.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer (Top Critic)

63

Fun but wobbly stuff.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Lou Lumenick New York Post (Top Critic)

75

Martin breaks loose from a string of bland studio comedies with Novocaine, a snarkily amusing indie.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel (Top Critic)

Plays like the sort of silly shared fantasy that a group of dental students might come up with late one night, after too much coffee and cramming for finals.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Peter Howell Toronto Star (Top Critic)

About two rewrites shy of a real story.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Liam Lacey Globe and Mail (Top Critic)

63

The laughs aren't warm enough, or the crimes cold enough, to move anyone to shake or shiver.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Stephanie Zacharek Salon.com (Top Critic)

Atkins never finds the right tone for Novocaine. It's not dark enough to be either viciously funny or unsettling.
Full Review » 11 years ago
Nell Minow Common Sense Media

60

This dark, stylish tale isn't for kids.
Full Review » 1 year ago
Dragan Antulov Draxblog Movie Reviews

60

It is entertaining enough to arouse imagination of post-Tarantino audience.
Full Review » 7 years ago
Pablo Villaca Cinema em Cena

60

Prejudicado por um roteiro previsivel e que jamais opta por um genero claro, o filme traz uma otima atuacao de Steve Martin, que deveria fazer mais filmes "serios".
Full Review » 9 years ago
Ellen Marshall Film Threat

60

The film and site offer an offbeat trip, but this is certainly not recommended for anyone who's currently thinking about major dental work.
Full Review » 9 years ago
Jean Lowerison San Diego Metropolitan

To say this is black comedy is to understate the case, but the fun parts really are a hoot.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Margaret A. McGurk Cincinnati Enquirer

63

While the plot does work in mechanical terms, its multiple ins and outs never achieve more than plodding motion.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Forrest Hartman Reno Gazette-Journal

88

In a world filled with technically beautiful dogs, every once in awhile it's nice to see a film that bets the bank on great storytelling and a whole lot of soul.
Full Review » 10 years ago
David Noh Film Journal International

Filled with dark, edgy details and atmosphere, but ultimately becomes a very cold enterprise because you simply don't care about any of the characters.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Brent Simon Entertainment Today

25

Intriguingly straddles genres a bit, but a faint sliver of the film it could have been... [with a] lame, roundly unsatisfying motivation and ending.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

42

One senses a gradual erosion of confidence behind the camera, and it may be that the thing wraps up just before [it] comes apart in a Tarantino-esque panic
Full Review » 10 years ago
Paul Salfen Supercala.com

...one of the funniest dark comedies in recent years.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Neil Smith BBC

60

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.
Full Review » 10 years ago
Michael W. Phillips, Jr. Goatdog's Movies

50

An odd, unsettling film, an uneasy blend of comedy and sadism that never seems to mesh into a coherent or particularly enjoyable whole.
Full Review » 10 years ago