Novocaine

In this offbeat comedy, Frank (Steve Martin) is an ordinary dentist living a mundane life until Susan Ivey (Helena Bonham Carter), a stunning and alluring new patient, disrupts the status quo. Her arrival sparks a chain of events that unravels Frank's previously uneventful existence, as she seeks relief from her chronic pain with a root canal and prescription medication.

At their initial meeting, Frank obligingly schedules Susan for the procedure the very next day and offers her Ibuprofen to manage her discomfort in the meantime. However, things take an unexpected turn when Susan reveals an alleged allergy to the medication and instead requests a prescription for Demerol, a potent painkiller. Despite his reservations, Frank complies, only to find that she has manipulated the dosage from five tablets to fifty.

Susan's tardiness is just the beginning of her unpredictable behavior. She seduces Frank into getting drunk and having sex with her, then pilfers all of his narcotics during their tryst. The next day, a DEA agent appears at Frank's office, seeking his narcotics supply after an 18-year-old crashes under the influence of cocaine hydrochloride from a bottle registered to the dentist. Frank tries to stall, claiming he has already dispensed all the medication to patients, but the agent warns him that if he can't produce empty containers within two days, he'll face arrest.

That night, Frank confronts Susan at her hotel room, demanding the empty containers and threatening to call the authorities if she doesn't comply. However, Susan once again uses her charms to deflect his demands, leading to another night of reckless abandon.

The following day, Frank's office is visited by Susan's volatile brother, Duane Ivey (Scott Caan), who berates him with a series of violent outbursts: "Stay the hell away from my sister," "I don't appreciate your threats," and "I'm going to hurt you if I ever see you again." Frank's world has descended into chaos, leaving him struggling to maintain control amidst the unpredictable whims of the enigmatic Susan.

That fateful evening, Frank finds himself standing before Susan's hotel room door, his mind still reeling from their earlier encounter. Assuming the bed is occupied by the form he sees under the blankets, he begins to converse with her, unaware that it's actually Susan's brother Duane beneath the covers. The sudden emergence of Duane, a look of fury on his face, prompts Frank to grab scissors from a nearby desk and defend himself against the would-be attacker. In the ensuing scuffle, Frank impales Duane's hand, embedding the scissors deep into his flesh. As he flees the scene, Frank stops at a local bar to gather his wits before returning home.

However, his peaceful evening is short-lived, as Jean (his wife) arrives at their doorstep, her suspicions about Frank's fidelity reaching a boiling point. Little does she know, the truth lies elsewhere. Upon entering their home, Frank discovers Duane's lifeless body on the floor, a grim reminder of the events that have transpired.

The authorities soon arrive to take statements from Frank, only to be interrupted by Lance Phelps (Kevin Bacon), a method actor researching a role and granted permission by the police to probe Frank with aggressive queries. As the evening wears on, Frank's distress and anxiety escalate, further complicated by the revelation of Duane's murder.

In the days that follow, Frank's world begins to unravel as he becomes embroiled in a web of deceit and betrayal. It becomes clear that Jean has been leading a double life, and her illicit affair with Duane has taken a deadly turn. The authorities, convinced of Frank's guilt, imprison him for Duane's murder, citing the presence of his teeth marks on the victim's body.

But Frank is innocent, and it's Jean who stands behind the gruesome crime. After discovering that Harlan (his brother) knows about her infidelity and threatens to expose her secrets, Jean takes drastic action, ending Harlan's life as well. Confronted with the reality of his circumstances, Frank decides he must start anew.

With a newfound sense of determination, Frank uses his dental expertise to swap his teeth for those of his deceased brother, then sets fire to their office, leaving Harlan's corpse, replete with new teeth, behind. Frank and Susan, now lovers, flee to the French countryside, where they find solace in a quaint little cottage, free from the shackles of their troubled pasts.

As the investigation unfolds, a crucial discovery is made in the charred remains of Frank's office: a fragment of his teeth, eerily intact despite the inferno that consumed the space. This tantalizing clue is seized upon as conclusive evidence that Frank himself met his maker amidst the flames, and subsequently, the notion takes hold that Jean is the culprit behind his untimely demise.

Further corroborating this theory is the retrieval of a fire-resistant security camera from the ashes of Frank's office, its tape still intact and bearing witness to a chilling scene. The footage shows Jean standing over the lifeless body of a man (presumed by forensic experts to be Frank, rather than Harlan, based on dental analysis) slumped in his dentist's chair. This damning visual evidence seals Jean's fate, as he is convicted of Frank's murder and subsequently incarcerated for his crime.