Jack Quaid as “Nate” in ‘Novocaine’ from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
‘Novocaine’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
Opening in theaters on March 14th, ‘Novocaine’ takes the concept of a man who can feel no pain and applies it to ‘John Wick’-style action madness with a healthy dollop of comedy stirred in.
Directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen wrangle the chaos here, while star Jack Quaid brings his customary nerdy charisma to the main character of Nathan Caine.
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Will ‘Novocaine’ have you feeling something?
Jack Quaid as “Nate” in ‘Novocaine’ from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
‘Novocaine’ certainly has the benefit of an appealing lead performance from Jack Quaid, who convinces as a man who has had to live a mostly sheltered, somewhat lonely life because, as he explains, his inability to feel pain or certain other sensations has led to him being in mortal danger –– even from eating a piece of pie, as he could bite his own tongue off.
As a whole, the movie finds an amusing gear, blending the action which, while it never hits the highs of, say, a ‘John Wick’ is definitely fun to watch –– well, “fun” might be a somewhat subjective word when the comic brutality ramps up and hands are being plunged into deep fat fryers or bones are exposed from wrists.
Script and Direction
Jack Quaid as “Nate” in ‘Novocaine’ from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Lars Jacobson wrote the script for the new movie, and his experience in both horror and thrillers comes into play here. He’s crafted a convincing world for the main character and the movie spends time early on properly having us get to know Nathan Caine before the story kicks in.
The screenplay also conjures up a solid character for Amber Midthunder’s Sherry, with the young bank clerk serving as more than just a bland love interest. While the other characters are primarily either cops or robbers, everyone has a little moment to shine, especially lead thief Simon (Ray Nicholson).
If there’s one big issue with the screenplay (and the movie made from it), it’s outstaying its welcome, running longer than the plot really requires or can support and essentially turning one of its characters (not Nathan) into a Michael Myers/Jason Voorhees/Terminator type who can seemingly be seriously injured but keep on getting up.
Directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, meanwhile, find the right tone for the movie, dialing in on character work before the craziness of the plot takes over and it becomes more of a suspenseful chase (albeit with the comedy still intact).
Cast and Performances
Jack Quaid as “Nate” in ‘Novocaine’ from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
‘Novocaine’s casting is certainly on point, and while not all the roles are (or even can be) as satisfying as the lead pair, they have the benefit of a solid ensemble bringing them to life.
Jack Quaid is our hero, and with the actor having shown different sides of a similar coin via ‘The Boys’ and this year’s excellent A.I. thriller ‘Companion,’ he’s on a good run of late. He’s completely convincing as someone whose unique condition has led to him living a quiet life, but who is essentially good in nature and yearns to find the sort of love that his favorite customer at the bank lived.
Quaid (along with the stunt team) also handles the stunts well, bringing his gawky, lanky frame to bear particularly when Nathan has to pretend that a moment of torture is truly hurting him.
(L to R) Amber Midthunder as “Sherry” and Jack Quaid as “Nate” in ‘Novocaine’ from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
As Sherry, ‘Prey’s Amber Midthunder puts in another great performance, bringing all sides of Sherry to the screens and displaying solid chemistry with Quaid. While her role is somewhat sidelined during the bank robbery until slightly later in the film, she makes a meal of every scene she’s in.
Jacob Batalon, probably best known for the recent ‘Spider-Man’ movies, is playing a similar role here as Roscoe, Nathan’s online gaming buddy (they’ve never met in real life, which means Roscoe has told him all sorts of white lies about his height, his hair, his ride etc.) who shows up when Nathan is in dire straits.
Batalon is charming and funny in the role, and while the character isn’t a million miles away from his Spidey work, it’s certainly something the actor knows how to do well.
Playing Simon, the twitchy, violent leader of the bank robbers, Ray Nicholson notches up another fun role in a group that has already seen him playing a grinning ghoul in last year’s ‘Smile 2’ and –– in the same weekend as ‘Novocaine’s release, no less –– an obsessive stalker in ‘Borderline.’
Jack Quaid as “Nate” in ‘Novocaine’ from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Nicholson feeds his intense energy well into Simon, and if he’s sometimes one-note as a character, the actor makes him watchable.
On the robbers’ case are cops Mincy and Coltraine, played by ‘Get Out’s Betty Gabriel and comedy stalwart Matt Walsh (you’ll recall him from a hundred things, but notably TV’s ‘Veep.’)
While the parts are necessarily smaller by design, both the performers make them work, Mincy coming across as committed and tough, Coltraine offering the comic relief side.
Finally, making an impression in just a couple of things is Lou Beatty Jr., who appears as Earl, a friendly customer of Nathan’s at the bank who is recently widowed and worried that he’ll lose his hardware store and house. Earl is the initial beating heart of the film, and Beatty Jr. also gets to have some fun when Nathan shows up injured from his initial encounter with the robbers and goes about some unorthodox and slightly gross surgery.
Final Thoughts
Jack Quaid as “Nate” in ‘Novocaine’ from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
‘Novocaine’ might not have the impact of a ‘John Wick’ or anything directed by David Leitch, but it holds its own with the blend of comedy and stunt work.
It’s definitely not painful to watch.
“Nathan Caine can’t feel pain.”
When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped, everyman Nate turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back. Read the Plot
What’s the plot of ‘Novocaine’?
Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) is a mild-mannered introvert with a rare disorder, congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), who must rescue the girl of his dreams who has been taken hostage in a bank robbery.
Who is in the cast of ‘Novocaine’?
- Jack Quaid as Nathan “Nate” Caine
- Amber Midthunder as Sherry Margrave
- Ray Nicholson as Simon Greenly
- Jacob Batalon as Roscoe Dixon
- Betty Gabriel as Mincy Langston
- Matt Walsh as Coltraine Duffy
- Conrad Kemp as Andre
- Evan Hengst as Ben
- Craig Jackson as Nigel
- Lou Beatty Jr. as Earl
Jack Quaid as “Nate” in ‘Novocaine’ from Paramount Pictures. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
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