Novocaine

Jack Quaid stars as Nathan “Nate” Caine, an assistant manager for a local bank. And he can feel no pain–I mean, literally. See, he suffers from a real-life condition known as CIPA (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis). His peers from school nicknamed him “Novocaine”, which he does not appreciate. When the film opens, we see him go about his daily routines while we are shown the extreme precautions that he has taken to safety-proof everything. For instance, Nate doesn’t run the hot water because it could burn his hands and he wouldn’t even know. He doesn’t eat solid food because he might bite his tongue off. We even learn that once he stepped on a nail and didn’t realize it until he saw that his shoe was filled with blood.

Things change when he meets Sherry (Amber Midthunder), a cute employee working at the bank, and they make a lunch date. They open up to each another: she tells him about her abusive home life that never changed even after she moved to foster care. When Nate reveals his condition, she encourages him to share a piece of pie with her, despite his fears. After this date, he spends an evening with her at a local mixer and she comes to his place for the night. But the next day, when three men dressed in Santa costumes rob the bank and kidnap Sherry, he becomes the unlikely hero and goes to her rescue.

He turns his condition into essentially a superpower. It works in his favor, too–especially when he winds up fighting someone on more than one occasion. Speaking of which, the action sequences are inventive, bloody, and even have their fair share of wince-worthy, gnarly moments. If you enjoy this particular genre, you should be entertained by this film. Dark comedy is even mined from this concept at multiple junctures. For instance, when Nate is being sadistically tortured, he must pretend like he’s in excruciating pain. If you are squeamish, stay far away from this one.

Directing duo Dan Berk and Robert Olsen craft an effectively entertaining action comedy. Quaid has risen to fame (he starred in Companion earlier this year), and he works surprisingly well as the nice guy who becomes a terrific action star, with plenty of charm and charisma. Midthunder (known for her role in Prey) provides a good romantic interest here as well. Jacob Batalon brings some much-needed humor, essentially reprising his role as the comic relief sidekick in the Tom Holland Spider-Man outings. The film coasts along on the gimmick of using his condition to his advantage, constantly forcing Nate to improvise during the action scenes.

If Novocaine has a flaw, it is in the plot holes and conveniences. While I will reveal nothing here, a Big Twist at the midway point falls flat, and I called it a mile away. On that note, avoid the trailers for this because they show far too much, including spoiling this reveal. Also, I would love it if the writers were able to justify a detour that our hero takes so that he can tattoo important information on his hand. Even at just under two hours, the filmmakers could have shaved off fifteen to twenty minutes and had a tighter pace. The biggest weakness is the disappointingly bland villain (Ray Nicholson), who severely lacks the intensity and menace that his father Jack would have brought to the role. This actioner definitely deserves better in the antagonist department. While this last point is not an aesthetic flaw, I can’t help but wonder how people who actually struggle with CIPA will respond to seeing such a serious condition utilized this way.

Still, if you enjoy action films but are weary of stars like Keanu Reeves, Jason Statham, or Liam Neeson returning to the same role for the umpteenth time, you should have fun with this. Much like Bob Odenkirk proving his ability as a star in this genre, Quaid is up to the challenge as well. Despite its flaws, Novocaine is a good time. If it had taken a cue from Nate and seized its full potential, it could have been truly great.

Rated R

1 hour, 50 minutes