Numb numb numb: Action comedy fans will eat up 'Novocaine'
Jack Quaid excels as a nice guy who can't feel pain.
Could a movie be considered “body horror” if the owner of the body isn’t the least bit horrified about it? In “Novocaine,” Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) is shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, burned and far worse (no spoilers).
But because Nathan has a genetic condition that prevents him from feeling pain, he treats every mortal wound as at worst a minor inconvenience. A harpoon through the leg to him is like a paper cut to us.
It seems like the ideal situation for an action hero to be in, but the charm of “Novocaine” is that Quaid doesn’t play Nathan as a Jason Statham-like badass. Instead, he’s a gangly, nice-guy Everyman who will gamely put up with being the world’s punching bag (or stabbing bag) if it means finding a little love. We’re more worried that Nathan will get his heart broken than his legs.
In “Novocaine,” filmmakers Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (working off a screenplay by Lars Jacobson) very effectively devote the first act to character rather than jumping right into the action. Nathan is a shy assistant bank manager who avoids risk for fear of an inadvertent injury – he won’t even eat solid foods for fear of biting his tongue without knowing it.
He goes on a date with a fellow bank employee Sherry (Amber Midthunder of “Prey”), and the chemistry between the two is genuine. Quaid is really good at playing both the absurdity and the pathos of Nathan’s strange circumstances, and Midthunder proves an engaging scene partner as Sherry draws Nathan out of his comfort zone.
It’s that romance that keeps us hooked when the R-rated action kicks in. The bank is robbed by three men in Santa costumes, led by the sadistic Simon (Ray Nicholson). As the bank robbers flee, they take Sherry hostage, and Nathan decides to go after them and rescue her.
What follows is a series of entertainingly violent set pieces as Nathan, with zero fighting skills and an endless capacity for punishment, tracks down the bad guys one by one. The well-choreographed fight scenes prize comedy and surprises over thrills, packed with funny bits, like when Nathan jots down an address on his palm using a tattoo artist’s needle.
Jacob Batalon of the “Spider-Man” movies provides another solid sidekick role as an online gamer buddy of Nathan’s who helps out – the movie takes the time to make even their relationship a little poignant.
As Nathan’s fighting abilities begin to level up, “Novocaine” drifts away from its comedic premise and becomes more of a straight-up action movie. Which is less interesting, especially in a bloody and overlong climax where it seems like every character has a limitless capacity for pain, not just Nathan.
But in an action genre where every movie just seems to be a slight variation on all the others, “Novocaine” has a fresh premise and a good-natured sense of humor that make it a pretty painless viewing experience.
“Novocaine” opens Friday in theaters. In Madison, it will play at Marcus Point, Marcus Palace, AMC Fitchburg 18 and Flix Brewhouse Madison.