‘Novocaine’ review: Numb dumb fun

Jack Quaid makes for a strong and charismatic leading man in the otherwise forgettable action film Novocaine.

Jack Quaid has his brand down to a T. He has perfected the roles of the nice guy and the Nice Guy (in series such as The Boys and films ranging from Scream to Plus One), which leaves us both charmed and repulsed. In the last two months, he has played these parts back-to-back, first with Companion and now with Novocaine, which allows him to blend his adorably awkward shtick into an action role.

Quaid stars as Nathan Kaine, an average-looking Joe who works as an assistant manager at a bank. He keeps to himself and only plays video games with Roscoe (Jacob Batalon), his online friend who he never meets in person.

He has the hots for his co-worker, Sherry (Amber Midthunder), who is basically his manic pixie dream girl with her alternative fashion sense and “f*** the world” attitude. When she accidentally spills hot coffee on Nate and realizes that the scalding burns don’t affect him, she learns an interesting fact about him: he can’t feel any pain. On the surface, this may seem extraordinary. However, in reality, it means that Nate has to take extra precautions to avoid injuring himself, like drinking a liquid-only diet so he doesn’t accidentally bite off his tongue or setting a reminder to use the bathroom every 3 hours so his bladder doesn’t burst.

When Sherry is taken hostage in a bank robbery, Nate uses his condition to his advantage to save his crush from danger.

Novocaine needed to push the violence and action farther.

Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Villains, Significant Other), Novocaine is a perfectly fine movie that does exactly what it sets out to do. It has violence, romance, and quips that may or may not make you chuckle. The problem is that it could have — should have — gone harder. The pain that Nate is subjected to is relatively tame in a movie about someone who is unable to feel hurt. Most of the best scenes were already in the trailer. And those that are new to viewers lack creativity (barring one awesome kill involving one of Nate’s fractured bones.)

If you’ve watched The Boys, you know what you’re getting into, and Quaid delivers no surprises here. He is in his element as the regular guy who doesn’t know he’s about to get into a fight with someone twice his size. He easily holds his own as the star here, which is good because his co-leads are reduced to white noise. Batalon is an afterthought, with most of his scenes already seen in the trailer.

And while Midthunder and Quaid have sizzling chemistry when they share a scene, they’re barely together to have a convincing romance. It’s also disappointing because Sherry had the opportunity to be an interesting character. Still, her choices and dialogue make her unlikeable, thus making it hard to cheer for her and Nate’s relationship.

The bottom line.

If you’re looking for something fun to stream in the background while doing something else, Novocaine will be your bag. It’s far from perfect, but Quaid’s infectious personality makes for a fun enough time.

Novocaine is now playing in theaters everywhere. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Paramount Pictures. Read more articles by Yasmin Kleinbart here.

Yasmin Kleinbart