Jack Quaid has made a name for himself playing mild-mannered, slightly geeky characters in a number of texts (The Boys, 2022’s Scream and even this year’s Companion), so it should come as no surprise that he handily anchors action movie Novocaine playing…a mild-mannered, slightly geeky assistant bank manager.
The premise of Quaid’s latest venture, Novocaine, is simple: Nathan Caine (Quaid) has a rare disorder – congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) – that makes him impervious to pain. It also means that he hasn’t really lived (we’re told that the average life expectancy for folks with the condition is 25). Nathan doesn’t eat solid food for fear of biting off his own tongue; all of the surfaces in his home and office are baby-proofed to minimize injuries he won’t notice; and he’s afraid to make a move on his dream girl, Cherry (Amber Midthunder) who works the front desk at the bank.
That all changes when he and Cherry have one magical date (plus sex!) before Nathan’s life immediately goes to shit. His bank is robbed by a group of criminals in Santa suits (yes, this is a Christmas movie), he’s briefly knocked out by gang leader Simon (Ray Nicholson), and Cherry is taken hostage.
With the police incapacitated, it falls on Nathan to pursue the criminals and save the girl of his dreams. And just like that, we’re off to the (action) races!
The screenplay, written by Lars Jacobson, wisely understands that films of this kind don’t require a great deal of exposition or believability. There are a number of hurdles that prevent Nathan from getting to Cherry, which naturally all become action sequences that feature wince-inducing wounds and amusing sight gags, as Nathan barrels through situations that would debilitate any other human.
Co-directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (who helmed Maika Monroe’s “better than it should be” Significant Other) employ a few visual flourishes, but for the most part they film the action sequences with equal emphasis on the “ouch/LOL” factor. This is best embodied by the sequence where Nathan enters a booby-trapped house and promptly sets off a number of ridiculous devices, including a crossbow through the leg, a mace in the back, and a net that leaves him suspended upside down in the air.
Even though the film doesn’t aim to break the mould in terms of spectacle or scenario, Quaid’s inherent likability carries Novocaine through its clunkier moments. It doesn’t hurt that Jacobson dedicates nearly the entire first act to Nathan and Cherry’s burgeoning romance, which ensures audiences are sold on Nathan’s utterly ridiculous decision to become a vigilante. The chemistry between Quaid and Midthunder is solid (they’re very cute), so even though the lovers barely interact in the middle to back half of the film, their time together fuels Nathan’s increasingly dangerous, and deadly, pursuit.
And violent it is! A set-piece in a restaurant kitchen features no shortage of tosses over stainless steel tables and one incredibly painful-looking moment involving a deep fryer (spoiled in the trailers). A beat down at a tattoo shop had my audience groaning over a moment involving broken glass. And then there’s the aforementioned booby-trapped house, which is arguably the film’s best sequence, largely because it’s sustained, features a variety of wild developments, and introduces Roscoe (Jacob Batalon), Nathan’s sole friend, in the flesh.
Even if the climax is too protracted and features too many characters getting shot in conveniently non-life threatening places, the final battle between Nathan, Cherry, and Simon* comes to such a disgusting and unexpected conclusion that it’s hard to suppress a cheer.
*It should be noted that Nicholson gets a decent chunk of material to play and the burgeoning star proves that he’s far more than an insidious smile or the nepo baby of his famous father, Jack. The role could have easily been a caricature, but in Nicholson’s hands, Simon becomes something more interesting and engaging. Between this and Borderline, Nicholson proves that he can elevate sub-par to average material. He’s definitely one to watch.
Even the supporting characters, such as Langstan (Betty Gabriel) and Duffy (Matt Walsh), the detectives who are always two-steps behind Nathan and spend 75% of the film’s 1 hour 50 minute run time mistakenly believing he’s an accomplice of the robbers, manage to feel moderately fleshed out. It doesn’t hurt that Walsh is an expert at delivering quips and genre staple Gabriel brings both warmth and charm to the film’s most stereotypical character.
At the end of the day, though, this is Quaid’s film. The star is definitely playing in a familiar sand box, but he’s also doing exactly what the film needs him to do. The action is solid, the laughs are plentiful, and the cast has good chemistry. Novocaine isn’t revolutionary, but audiences looking for a safe bet will find that the action comedy is a good time at the movies. 3.5/5
Novocaine is in theatres March 14