Messy action-comedy Novocaine powers through on dumb charm alone
Courtesy Paramount
Post-John Wick, there’s been a rise in action comedies featuring the “everyman,” seemingly mild-mannered dudes thrown into extraordinarily violent circumstances. Most of these (Love Hurts, Nobody) are about someone with insane fighting skills pretending to be an everyman. Novocaine, out this Friday, is unique in this regard: It’s about an actual average joe who transforms into a battered, bloody hero.
Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) seems like one of the blandest people alive. He fills his coffee cup to the brim with ice before pouring in the coffee. He even keeps two car lengths of space in front of him in bumper-to-bumper traffic. This might seem like a compulsion, but for Nate, it’s safety. He has a condition that prevents him from feeling pain (and earned him the nickname “Novocaine” in Middle School). The twist is that this lack of sensation also means he can’t gauge temperature extremes or the risk of biting his tongue off. Consequently, he lives like a bubble boy, but without the actual bubble.
The problem with his overly cautious lifestyle is that Nate hates taking risks—or he did until getting close to his co-worker Sherry (Amber Midthunder). Nate fears he’s ruined their date when he tells Sherry about his condition, but instead, Sherry sees a kindred spirit—someone she can open up to. Their connection is tested when Sherry is taken hostage in a robbery at the bank where they work. Concerned for her safety and emboldened by his new lease on life, Nate takes matters into his own hands to save the day.
Novocaine has an abundant sense of dumb fun, weilding action in one hand and comedy in the other. You probably see where this is going; Nate’s inability to feel pain means anything is on the table in terms of bodily harm. During the first major showdown in a cramped downtown kitchen, robber Ben (Evan Hengst) throws everything at the resourceful hero, but Nate keeps bouncing back. Hot cast iron skillets, fryer oil and cutting boards are all part of the escalating chaos, yet Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Villains, Significant Other) maintain a lighthearted tone throughout.
Quaid’s performance makes all that chaos work, with an innate charisma that makes it hard not to root for him. He’s also surrounded by a game ensemble. Matt Walsh plays a weary police detective, delivering tired quips befitting an Upright Citizens Brigade co-founder. Jacob Batalon, playing Nate’s online friend Roscoe, injects energy into the film when he arrives more than halfway through. The ace in the hole is Ray Nicholson (son of Jack), as Simon, the leader of the bank robbers, who has an uncanny ability to switch from snarky to psychopath on a dime.
The most significant challenge Novocaine faces is its bloated runtime. Nate only confronts a total of four adversaries throughout a nearly two-hour film, meaning there’s a lot of padding as we wait to get to the next setpiece. Moreover, it’s a movie relying on a single joke, and after that punchline starts to wane, the inconsistencies in logic and character motivation become glaringly obvious.
Novocaine is a perfectly serviceable film, which may sound like a backhanded compliment, but it’s not. In an era filled with uninspired blockbusters, originality counts for a lot. It’s unfortunate that the bar has sunk as low as it has, but fortunately, Novocaine clears it with ease. It may not be the most consistent thing out right now, but it ekes by on charm and commitment to the bit.
