Trips to the dentist will never be the same again

Novocaine is a strange little film.

When you see Steve Martin on the bill you automatically expect a fair few laughs liberally mixed with some zany antics.

Despite the impression the trailers might give, Novocaine is about as funny as a trip to the dentist, with a little death, dismemberment, drug use and illicit sex thrown in for good measure.

Dr Frank Sangster (Steve Martin) is an ordinary dentist, leading an ordinary life, in an ordinary town, with the help of his fiancee (Laura Dern).

All of this changes when Susan Ivy (Helena Bonham Carter) appears in need of a root canal. She’s a charming, attractive and Frank can’t resist when she wants to show him some new positions on the dentist’s chair.

Frank realises that his young patient isn’t all that she seems, his drugs fridge is empty and he is being investigated by the DEA after a teenager dies with some narcotics labelled by his office in his pocket.

Despite the fact that his world is falling around his ears, Frank can’t think of anything else other than his next encounter with Susan.

It may be little hard to believe that a man would be willing to risk everything after just one night of passion with someone who is obviously trouble, but this is exactly what Frank does.

Maybe he’s bored, maybe he’s just fed up of poking around in peoples’ mouths all day, but Frank digs himself deeper and deeper into the you-know-what.

At times the plot seems a little far-fetched, but there are enough twists and turns along the way to keep you interested, - this film is certainly anything but predictable - culminating in a clever, if gruesome ending.

If the thought of sitting in a dentist’s chair sends a cold shiver down your back, then you might want to give this one a miss.

If, on the other hand, you like the idea of watching a dentist on the receiving end for a change, Novocaine will leave you with a smile on your face.