‘Novocaine’: Jack Quaid Becomes an Oddball Hero in Briefly Entertaining Action Romp

Alci Rengifo

We have been here before. “Novocaine” is another action romp about a regular guy who somehow gets pulled into a violent set of challenges, revealing the inner strength he did not know he possessed. Recycled premises are a tricky affair, since you can either reveal something original or the tires run out of air. For most of its first half, this throwaway entertainment manages to stay absurdly funny with a pitiful Jack Quaid. Pitiful in a good sense, since he embodies so well an everyday man having to learn fast the ways of throwing punches, handling weapons and high-speed chases. The opening gimmick is that his character cannot feel pain, meaning the movie can throw almost anything at him.

Nathan (Quaid) is the junior manager of a San Diego bank secretly crushing on coworker Sherry (Amber Midthunder). He’s a reserved type because he was born with anhidrosis (or CIPA), a congenital insensitivity to pain. This means Nathan has to live an extremely cautious life, since his body can’t give away the sort of signals that keep us safe or make us go to the bathroom (his watch has a timer for toilet breaks). When Sherry asks Nathan out for lunch, he puts fear aside and goes for it. The two click, she even makes him taste the joys of pie for the first time in his life (Nathan avoids solids of fear of biting his tongue). After spending the night together, all seems blissful until a group of bank robbers storm in and kidnap Sherry. Naturally, Nathan decides to go save her with his CIPA allowing him to endure stabbings, bullet wounds and deep frier burns.

Directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen thankfully avoid a few other clichés in this genre. Nathan isn’t another one of those average Joes who happened to be an assassin in a past life. “Novocaine” early on has fun with teasing our hero as a sheltered semi-loser who spends his time indoors, playing videogames with a seemingly best friend he’s never met except through headphones. The screenplay by Lars Jacobson finds a quirky gimmick in the CIPA angle, which can work as a convincing enough reason for Nathan’s frightened personality. The title of the movie is a funny enough reference to a conversation where Nathan reveals to Sherry that the kids at school used to call him “Novocaine” due to his condition. Quaid is well fit for the role, which borrows from his persona in “The Boys,” a sharper, violent superhero satire that utilizes his natural underdog veneer.

There are many possible, unexplored story angles involving Nathan’s condition, not least how it affects his sex life. The filmmakers are however committed to making a popcorn distraction. Nathan sets out to rescue Sherry and the movie goes into full autopilot mode. One action scene follows another with dialogue thrown in just to give the people on screen something to say. “Novocaine” is like a joke that eventually wears out. The first action sequences are funny ultra-violence dependent on the gimmick taking away the cringe factor. Since Nathan can’t feel anything, we’re meant to gasp and laugh when his hand gets burned in fry grease or a knife goes through a bodily extension. He can take punches like there’s no tomorrow while clumsily knocking out an attacker. Yes, his bones can get broken. Berk and Olsen would also never toss away the opportunity to use the old action trope of a hero digging out a bullet from his own wound, except Nathan can do it without flinching.

Simon (Ray Nicholson) is the required villain, who has no real motivation beyond being an obnoxious villain taunting Sherry, maybe out of envy because he’s not the world’s most original bank robber. You already know there’s going to be a showdown with Nathan. No screenwriter should be surprised, dear reader, if you can guess the movie’s ending. Betty Gabriel and Matt Walsh join in as the token cops who wrongfully suspect Nathan of being part of the heist. The soundtrack has a few good laughs of its own, like using R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts” for the opening credits. “Novocaine” eventually gets in its best punches in the first half before dissipating into another weekend escape that will meet a painless destiny in streaming.

“Novocaine” releases March 14 in theaters nationwide.