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A film that will world premiere with a choice slot at the Toronto Film Festival, Novocaine is an edgy, unconventional, dark comedy co-written and directed by first-time helmer David Atkins.

Steve Martin plays a dentist for the second time in his career (the first being Little Shop of Horror’s sadistic Orin Scrivello, D.D.S.), but in this case, he’s a mild-mannered guy who is happily engaged to a doting, obsessive-compulsive dental hygienist (Laura Dern). After a sexy, mysterious patient (Helena Bonham Carter) seduces him into prescribing painkillers for her, he gets mixed up in a mess involving drugs, sex and a bizarre murder.

Kevin Bacon and Scott Caan (of the WB’s Felicity) also star in Novocaine, which is currently set for a limited release. Based on the talent featured in the film, it’s possible that it could expand wider if it can pull decent per screen averages. Based on the roles he has selected in the past, it’s clear that Martin finds his greatest success with broad comedies such as the Father of the Bride films, but his overall track record at the box office is spotty. Nonetheless, the cleverly-written Bowfinger had a strong opening. Once the critics speak, the long-term box office prospects will be clearer. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Vital statistics for Novocaine Main Cast Chelcie Ross, Steve Martin, Laura Dern Supporting Cast Lynne Thigpen, Polly Noonan, Helena Bonham Carter Director David Atkins Screenwriter David Atkins Distributor Artisan Entertainment Trailer Click Here for Trailer Rating R Running Time 95 minutes Screen Count 105 Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for Novocaine
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Bowfinger	8/13/99	18.06	21.52	2706	6674.00	7619.9	66.37	79.09	3.67
Father of the Bride 2	12/8/95	11.13	15.42	1949	5711.00	7614.7	76.59	106.16	6.88
Parenthood	8/4/89	10.51	15.88	1262	8328.00	12105.9	95.57	144.43	9.09
House Sitter	6/12/92	9.11	13.23	1671	5452.00	7619.7	58.50	85.00	6.42
Sgt. Bilko	3/29/96	8.11	11.06	2304	3520.00	4619.0	30.17	41.16	3.72
Father of the Bride	12/20/91	7.03	10.06	1561	4504.00	6205.0	89.10	127.61	12.67
Grand Canyon *	1/17/92	6.00	8.71	803	7472.00	10442.8	32.35	47.00	4.58
Simple Plan, A	1/22/99	3.42	4.07	660	5182.00	5916.5	16.31	19.43	3.70
Leap of Faith	12/18/92	3.22	4.67	1554	2072.00	2895.8	22.29	32.38	6.92
Fargo	4/5/96	2.54	3.46	716	3547.00	4654.4	24.57	33.52	5.89
Mixed Nuts *	12/23/94	2.31	3.41	1312	1761.00	2503.4	6.67	9.85	2.54