Novocaine
Novocaine
Starring Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon
Directed by Dan Berk & Robert Olsen
Nate Caine (Jack Quaid) is a mild-mannered bank assistant manager who has a disease known as congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (or CIPA), which means while he gets hurt, he can't feel it. Because of this, he has to live a very safe life - drink everything through a straw as to not accidentally eat his tongue without him knowing, keeping tennis balls on sharp corners to not cut himself, and keep an alarm to regulate his bathroom breaks so as to not let his bladder burst. He's never experienced love, and when he meets flirty bank teller Sherry Margrave (Amber Midthunder), that seems to change. They hit it off and Nate is elated that he might have a girlfriend for the first time - and then the next day a trio of bank robbing Santas rob the bank and take Sherry hostage. Nate goes on the hunt to save Sherry, while the police think Nate was also involved, and he relies on his online friend Roscoe (Jacob Batalon) to track them down, turning him into a reluctant yet oddly effective action hero.
"Novocaine" is a fun action movie that has some fun action sequences with a fun leading man, but like other things you do for fun (such as bowling night, going to the club, or hitting the town), it's not extremely memorable. You won't go "wow I remember 'Novocaine' all those years ago and I really love it, I can't wait to watch it again," but it's still an enjoyable film at the moment. It relies on classic action tropes that blends it into the decades-long action genre, offering nothing new to the plot, and has the stereotypical resolution that comes after an exasperatingly long final act that could've ended three different times.
The main selling point of this film asks the question "what if a mild-mannered man has to turn into an action hero to save the girl he loves?" while also asking, "and what if that person can't feel pain, yet can also get hurt?" It's a fun premise that sells the film, and with a committed performance by Jack Quaid, really pulls it off. Quaid is best known for his starring role in the hit series "The Boys," but he hasn't really held his own in the cinematic world, appearing in "Scream" and the acclaimed "Companion" earlier this year, but this is really his first starring role. He has this natural aloofness that is endearing, and is easily rootable. You want him to succeed, and you enjoy the ride.
The disease he has is a real one that affects one in a million people, known as congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis. It prevents the feeling of painor temperature and prevents a person from sweating, and while Sherry sees it as a superpower, it's actually a terrible weakness. Unlike Deadpool or Wolverine, someone with this disease can die from the wounds they suffer without knowing it, leading them to live very cautious lives. The film might be seen as an insult to someone with this disease if you take it too seriously, because they clearly didn't do their homework in researching it, but if you suspend your disbelief you'll have a good time seeing Nate get stabbed, jabbed, and a flail embedded in his back without him knowing.
The story as a whole is very reminiscent of 80s action with all its issues, and doesn't shy away from them. In a day and age where female action stars dominate the big screen, here the female is seen as the helpless victim that the man must save. It's a big step backward, and while Amber Midthunder does try to step up her action game, she's not given enough to work with to make it work, which is a shame because she's already proven her action prowess with 2022's "Prey." Here, she's relegated to the girlfriend tied to the train tracks relying on her man to rescue her, which is a real shame, even though she's given some surprising story arcs that also don't really work.
The film also leans to the trope that cops are inept at their jobs, with the two lead detectives - played by Betty Gabriel and Matt Walsh - being completely incompetent. Gabriel is no stranger to such roles, as this is a cut-and-copy repeat performance in "Upgrade," where she acts like the smartest person in the room but is clearly the dumbest. She thinks Nate is involved, so she spends most of the time trying to track him down while not really investigating the actual criminals, and more or less stumble to the truth. The villains are your classic action baddies who rob banks for money and think they're bulletproof, and Jacob Batalon also returns to his "man in the chair" role that made him a star thanks to the recent "Spider-Man" movies. All in all, this film is very generic, but still entertaining thanks to Jack Quaid's committed performance and his goofy, caring character.
The Score: B-
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