samskivert: Novocaine (2)

08 December 2001

A thoroughly wacky movie that is well suited for Steve Martin’s comic style. Things quickly progress from questionably believable to fantasy alternate universe land, which has the beneficial effect of forcibly suspending your disbelief and leaving you to simply enjoy the ride. Unfortunately, the antics don’t quite gel into the level of humor that leaves you with a sore stomach, rather the film seems tied down loosely to the anchor of plausibility. I discovered afterward that the film was written and directed by David Atkins, who did Arizona Dream, an even less scrutable film. I feel that Novocaine is a step in the right direction, but that he hasn’t yet found his groove.

©1999–2022 Michael Bayne