Eversmile New Jersey (1989) User Reviews

Fans of Daniel Day Lewis won't be disappointed with Eversmile, New Jersey

[fergusg · 4/10 · 22 October 2005]

This quirky and watchable film is the story of a deluded dentist who starts out on his mission or crusade to fight tooth decay in the back and beyonds of Patagonia. Hailing from Northern Ireland, via New Jersey, the main character, Fergus, sees his crusade as a mission of mass importance and approaches it with all the enthusiasm, vitality, discipline and attention to detail one would expect from a trained dentist. Which adds to the hilarity, as his grand plans unravel and gradually fall to pieces as he goes from disaster to debacle in the Patagonian outback on the back of a customised motor bike or his, er, mobile dental unit. We never get to meet his wife, nor the rich philanthropist who is sponsoring the ill-fated mission, but, we do get a solid display from Lewis. Fans of his work will not be disappointed with his very believable performance as the deluded dentist who is gallantly adored by the, innocent but sexy, 18 year old female lead who tags along on for the *ahem* ride.

This film is not for everyone and I can understand why it wasn't pushed by the suits. It's a low budget, sometimes charming, always disarming, mildly amusing and instantly forgettable film that sets out with low expectations and almost succeeds.

A bizarre movie

[Jeremy_Urquhart · 5/10 · 2 August 2023]

So there's probably no chance at all anyone would know about this movie if it hadn't starred Daniel Day-Lewis. Even with Day-Lewis in the lead role, it's still super obscure, and it honestly doesn't surprise me that this isn't well-known. That being said, it's so odd that I think it almost qualifies as something that deserves cult status... but I do have to emphasize the "almost" there, because it's pretty boring in parts, and definitely not a riot from start to finish.

But it is odd in a compelling way, and though I think it was supposed to be a comedy, I'm not sure it was always funny for the reasons it wanted to be. Plot-wise, it concerns a very "passionate" dentist riding across Argentina on a motorcycle, generally yelling at people who don't look after their teeth while ranting about cavities. Day-Lewis commits as he always does, and when his performance is coupled with the odd screenplay, the results are uncomfortable, confusing, and sometimes hilarious.

The dialogue needs to be heard to be believed, but some highlights include Day-Lewis saying things like:

• "Ignorance is not the enemy. Tooth decay is the enemy."
• "I had a wonderful dream... Everybody had their teeth removed."
• "The lord made tooth decay, but he also made dentists like me."
• "The world is collapsing outside, and I have an erection."

The whole thing is kind of unhinged, and though there are some really slow moments, it might be almost worth slogging through to uncover some of the particularly funny (and strange) moments. Eversmile New Jersey is probably Day-Lewis's weirdest film, and I'm sure he's happy that it's also probably his most obscure (but here I am, doing my part to unearth it and the bizarre stuff it contains within).

Worst work ever of Daniel Day Lewis

[arielgrv · 4/10 · 25 March 2004]

This is the worst work ever of Daniel Day Lewis..... I can not believe that in the same year he made this awful movie and My left foot..... Please stay away from this movie....this is a movie only for Argentine people as a curiosity... The plot is impossible to understand...... The writer thinks that in Argentine all the people speaks in english... Of course the Patagonia bring a very good frame for the photo shooting of the film, but that is not enough reason to see this movie.... I repeat , only if you are very fan of Daniel Day Lewis, or if you want to see the south of Argentine, part of the Patagonia, and you do not have enough money to travel yourself.......

One of the strangest films I have ever seen..

[bratmikey · 8 November 2001]

I am in a very peculiar mood right now having just seen this movie. It is, to me at least, so bizarre my head is spinning. Not bizarre in an obvious, flashy way, but because the film takes itself so seriously in creating a protagonist the viewer relates to and empathize with, yet the character is utterly ridiculous. It leaves one to think, perhaps he's not ridiculous at all, but maybe this is what we are all like. As I have just minutes ago seen the film it's probable my opinion will change, but at this moment, what I got from this film was a very subtle but nonetheless effective message that life, films, people, teeth, war, and whatever else are completely meaningless. In one scene the dentist is explaining how silly the fighting in Northern Ireland is, if they could only realize their teeth are decaying. This film to me says, 'meaningless', and I appreciated it. I would be very curious to learn about the development of this film and what everyone involved was thinking. All in all, a film certainly worth seeing, and I must add that Daniel Day-Lewis was the reason I rented the film and I wasn't disappointed. The best actor of our generation. Unbelievable. Can't wait for Gangs of New York.

A confusing mess of a film....and probably Day-Lewis' worst film.

[planktonrules · 3/10 · 15 August 2021]

Have you ever watched a film and wondered WHAT the film makers were trying to say with this picture? Well, this is exactly how I felt as I watched "Eversmile New Jersey"...a film that just seemed confusing and with no apparent purpose. I am not sure if it's because it was a bad script, or the director or producer had some strange vision I just couldn't understand OR Daniel Day-Lewis was just having a very off performance. I think it's likely a combination of all these factors.

In this story, Fergus (Day-Lewis) is a traveling dental missionary in South America. There is no religious angle, but his zeal and intensity seem religious. He teaches kids the importance of good brushing and hygiene and he also does some free dental work along the way. For some indiscernible reason, Estella insists on traveling with him and together they have some adventures....which are mostly very boring.

While creating a story around such an odd character would be difficult, it might just be possible. But in this case, it just didn't work for many reasons. Fergus seemed almost crazy or autistic, as he seemed to have little ability to relating to people...which is odd considering his job is mostly public relations. He often gets angry or behaves in ways that simply are incomprehensible. The same can also be said of Estella. Their motivations and thoughts are just indiscernible.

Overall, this is a very confusing and not particularly enjoyable film...one that left me cold and baffled as to why they made the story in the first place. I was also baffled because nearly everyone in the Argentine apparently understands and speaks English. A truly bizarre viewing experience...one that really is hard to even describe.

The story behind the story?

[Bowserb46 · 7/10 · 16 July 2007]

I don't know if this qualifies as *spoiler*, but ...

Am I the only one who saw these two leading characters as Jesus Christ and Mary Magdelene? In that context, the whole movie starts to make sense, in a metaphorical way, that is.

Just get out your New Testament and start tracking the scenes in this movie. This is the last years of the life of Christ. And the final scene is clearly the resurrection, isn't it? I didn't recognize it until about halfway through the first time it aired on HBO (or Showtime, or TMC, etc.) when it suddenly hit me. Temptation, the merchants at the Temple, and so on.

Unbelievable

[beglenrice · 7/10 · 9 August 2002]

I rented this because of Daniel-Day Lewis, who stars as a traveling dentist. All I can say is that it is so bizarre you should not watch it alone. You might find yourself going insane. It's not that the movie has any strange or bizarre effects, it's completely straightforward. To find out what I'm talking about you'll have to see for yourself. I'll also add the Day-Lewis was incredible, and he is the best actor I have ever seen.

Some kind of perfect

[com-imdb-6 · 10/10 · 28 September 2007]

This movie is an astounding achievement. Light-hearted, ironic, farcical, profound. 15 years after first watching it, I still love this film. Daniel Day Lewis' performance is mesmerizing. Mirjana Jokovic keeps up with him all the way. If only more movies could be so well cast. Fergus O'Connell (Lewis) fights a religious war against dental disease, reveres the great traveling dentists of the past, dedicates himself, mind, body, and soul, at every turn, to bringing his good news to everyone. But the world is filled with evil, misunderstanding, and corruption. His ideas threaten the dentist-sun theory of another practitioner. He is harassed and then seduced by evildoers. On a bad day, his lofty ideals fail him as he reacts with irrational fury to the mockery of the ignorant masses. Priests and thugs are equally blessed as he walks among them, bringing them all to dental salvation. In the end he comes up with a bizarre remarkable answer to the world's problems.

This movie is low-budget, art-house, and deceptively straight-laced. It is all things which it isn't.

One of the funniest movies ever made.

[metatron-9 · 31 May 2004]

Played with a deadpan sincerity, this charming, gentle, dreamlike film may not strike the casual viewer as anything special at first. But Fergus O'Connell stands in the great picaresque tradition of Don Quijote: a man intensely focussed on doing good in a world that urgently needs it, baffled by that world's failure to acknowledge the need, and so devoted to his cause that he ignores that world's reality in favor of the surreal world that we see here through his idealistic eyes. Witty, sophisticated in its understanding of its literary roots, and brilliantly played by a perfect cast, this is one that you shouldn't miss. Unfortunate problems with the sound--from the endless winds in Patagonia--and other troubles kept it from theatrical release in the U.S. But Day-Lewis, as always, deserves an Oscar for this characterization. At least.

Not even your normal traveling-dentist movie

[RNMorton · 10/10 · 12 October 1999]

I'm not sure how many other mobile-dentist-in-Argentina movies have been made, but this must be the best of the bunch. Daniel Day-Lewis is absolutely possessed, as a man determined to rid rural South America of tooth decay. Maltin's low rating is unjustified (1 1/2*), this fits rather in the hidden treasure category. Mirjana Jokovic, a girl Daniel meets along the way, gives a haunting innocent-but-sexy performance.

Brilliant deadpan surreal comedy

[rocek · 10/10 · 2 March 2011]

When I rented this, I had no idea what to expect. In my opinion, it is a brilliant deadpan surreal comedy. Daniel Day Lewis's fierce quest to spread dental hygiene consciousness in Patagonia is utterly absurd but told as if it is the most natural and ordinary thing in the world. From his confrontation with a bandit who comes to him to have a tooth pulled to his theological debate with an elderly monk who refuses treatment, every inane adventure is told with complete conviction. After he learns that pandas have trumped dentistry, he must face despair, self-doubt, and self-loathing.

Daniel Day Lewis is an astonishing actor--he is a complete chameleon who becomes whoever he acts. He is always different; consider My Beautiful Laundrette, a Room with a View, My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, The Unbearable Lightness of Being--each role is utterly unlike the other. In Eversmile, New Jersey, you can see what Daniel Day Lewis might have been like in a Monty Python movie.

Finally, the footage of Patagonia is bleak and stunning. That alone would be enough to make the movie worth seeing.

Very Odd and Unknown Masterpiece

[para_fernandoborges · 10/10 · 23 January 2019]

This Film is very original, with a highly unique character: a travelling dentist, played perfectly by Daniel Day-Lewis in One of His best roles, and yet not talked about much. The kind of humor we have here is not everyone's cup of tea, but if you enjoy nonsensical, surrealistic stories depicted with lots of passion and an underlying philosophical message, this might Just be your dish.

Directed by the great Carlos Sorin, this is an unforgettable cinematic experience. Save it for a day when you crave for something different. But be opened for the surprise, this is not a conventional Story by any means. This is a masterfully accomplished work of art that sustains itself Pretty much on it's own universe. Certainly, One the strangest road movies ever made. And an absolute must-see for Day-Lewis fans. 10/10.

Smart comedy or stupid drama?

[blaackbird · 30 December 2001]

Well, it is indeed about a traveling dentist, and it is played totally straight in spite of its amazing plot. So I found myself at the end of the film asking whether the film-makers and cast could possibly be serious or if it was a clever dry comedy. Was it a spoof of other too serious films about a man with a mission who falls into depression when others fail to see his vision, or was it honestly trying to be one of those serious films? Well, I have no answer to these questions, so my review divides here. Comedy - cute spoof of some the sort of movies Day-Lewis might well be in from time to time. Drama - stupid movie about a traveling dentist in Patagonia.

This Movie Is A Ghost.

[analognebraska · 10/10 · 19 December 2019]

Everyone's been haunted by this movie who's seen it. Which isn't many. It's gotten into us all and vanished like a ghost. There's a "vibe" there. Only other movie that feels this way to me is "Hotel New Hampshire". I feel like I have the flu when I watch these two movies. Please somebody explain. Mental Illness? Lol.

A non mainstream topic

[Gordon-11 · 8 September 2020]

The film is very slow, and the main character seems to make more enemies than friends. He may be a good dentist but he doesn't seem to be a people person. I admire a film about such a non mainstream topic, but it doesn't evoke much interest or empathy from me.