Novocaine

Mild-mannered dentist Dr Frank Sangster (Steve Martin) should be content with his lot in life.

He has a successful practice in Illinois, a good home and a loving fiancee (Laura Dern) who works as his hygienist, but Frank is bored and desperate for some excitement.

Frank's routine is thrown into disarray by the sudden appearance of his no-good brother Harlan (Elias Koteas) and friend Susan (Helena Bonham Carter), who needs emergency root canal work.

The young woman flirts with Frank, who is only too glad of the attention, and manipulates him into giving her a prescription for five Demerol pills.

By the time she reaches the pharmacy, the prescription has increased to 50 pills - a dose which could give the Drug Enforcement Agency serious cause for concern.

This is especially so when Frank foolishly tries to cover up his blunder, rather than admitting the truth.

Before you can say 'open wide', Frank finds himself embroiled in drugs, deception and murder, with seemingly no way out.

Novocaine is a quirky black comedy, which is a little long in the tooth, but still has plenty of bite.

Martin's low-key performance is a pleasant surprise, and he shares a potent screen chemistry with always value for money Bonham Carter.

Koteas is suitably repellent, Dern is delightfully quirky and Scott Caan ups the ante as Susan's psychopath brother, Duane, whose appetite for illegal substances knows no bounds.

Look out too for a great cameo from Kevin Bacon, playing an actor who is shadowing the local police force to research his role for a new TV show.

The plot uncoils with effortless precision, culminating in a neat final twist.

For once, visiting the dentist is a relatively painless, and actually quite enjoyable, experience.

There is swearing, sex and violence.

Rating PPP