Novocaine, the new action comedy starring Jack Quaid, has a very peculiar central character, and it sort of starts off in that gentle manner similar to something like Baby Driver. The hero’s condition, the placement of empathy in the romantic relationship, etc., would really make you interested in the story. But after the main event in the story unfolds, the film sort of goes after certain generic stuff, and it starts to depend on the humor and set pieces overtly to cover up for the usualness of the plot. With the comedy working in favor of the film in most parts, Novocaine eventually becomes that non-boring popcorn entertainer.
Nathan Caine, a banking professional who has a very lonely, organized life, is our central character. He has a medical condition where he won’t feel pain. While it does feel like a superhero scenario, it has other practical problems. For instance, Caine has to set alarms to pee because he won’t feel bladder pain. So into Nathan’s mundane life comes Cherry, one of his co-workers, and Nathan feels a connection with her. Just when this love story could develop into something, a bank robbery happens out of the blue, and what we see here are the repercussions of that incident.
The introverted nature of the central character, finding a connection with someone, and how that person makes him feel accepted are all done pretty smoothly in this film by directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. The bank robbery and the bloodshed that follows are the core areas of the movie. While the midway twist in the tale looks pretty convincing on paper, a sense of hastiness in approaching tense moments is making the movie uneven. For instance, just when you think the film will shift gears, you have this banter between two detectives, which felt like a forcefully added humor bit. And the bad guys in the movie feel way too animated.
The strong points are actually the setpieces, which use the condition of the hero very smartly to design them. By the time the film ends, our hero is shot, fractured, burned, and whatnot. The set piece that has him in a house full of boobytraps is a hilarious one, especially the part where he acts like he can feel pain. It was a weird situation because I wasn’t flinching seeing brutality on screen. The graph of the movie once the action begins is not consistent. The car chase feels generic, while the kitchen fight is interesting. The interventions of the cops and the inner tussle among the bad guys were cliches, while the long set piece in the house was super fun. And towards the end, when the movie is pushed to a major showdown, that also felt like a forced stretch rather than an organic development of the situation.
Boys fame Jack Quaid plays the smart yet introverted character pretty neatly on the screen. In fact, if you look at the characteristics of Caine, he has certain similarities with Hughie. So, in a way, Quaid is playing a fearless yet introverted version of his Boys character. Amber Midthunder is the one who plays the part of his love interest, Cherry, in the movie. Even though it isn’t an extensive character, in the early romantic bits, the duo really shares a good chemistry. Jack Nicholson’s son, Ray Nicholson, was a bit too loud as the main antagonist, and the writing really has not invested in giving a good foundation to the bad guys. Jacob Batalon makes a brief comical appearance as Nathan’s virtual world friend.
Novocaine, in its totality, is a fun film that doesn’t have any dull patches. While a good chunk of it is filled with the usual twists and turns you would anticipate in a Hollywood action flick, there are these well-designed action blocks that sort of give the film an adrenaline booster shot, similar to what the hero gets in the movie. With a runtime of 110 minutes and not a dull moment, this one is that harmless, passable popcorn entertainer.
With a runtime of 110 minutes and not a dull moment, this one is that harmless, passable popcorn entertainer.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
