Metacritic reviews

Martin's most adventurous film in many years, may be next best thing to a quick shot of nitrous oxide.

A screwball film noir with a lot of medium laughs and a few great big ones,

Martin is marvelous; through sheer charisma, he takes over certain scenes as if no one else is there.

Novocaine is neither funny enough to be a comedy, nor dark enough to be a true film noir. Like the drug of the title, it just kind of leaves you numb and anxious to taste the good stuff once again.

The absurd meets the violent meets the droll, and we just watch from the outside, never having been drawn in by anything resembling believable feelings or behavior.

The film is weighed down by the decision of director David Atkins to throw too much into the mix. The result is a serious problem of consistency.

Martin seems uncomfortable and oddly waxen (the orange Al Gore makeup doesn't help), injecting Frank with neither restless anger nor wry humor.

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.

The mystery is terribly plotted and the satirical elements are limited and not very funny.

Spins an unconvincing, miscast noir tale.