Film and literary history are rich with examples of the wild things people would do for love.Romeo and Julietsees cursed young lovers choose death instead of being separated.Troyhas nations go to war over Helen (Diane Kruger). TheJohn Wickfranchise followsKeanu Reeves’s assassin as he massacres essentially everyone for the love of a woman and a dog. Chris (Robin Williams) broke into Hell for Annie (Annabella Sciorra) inWhat Dreams May Come. InNovocaine, an action comedy fromSignificant OtherdirectorsDan BerkandRobert Olsen,love causes a man to risk his whole life for love, with one catch: thanks to a useful but dangerous medical condition, he can’t feel pain.It’s a gory, bonkersaction-comedypremise anchored by a set of strong performances and asurprisingly poignant meet-cute, making for a wildly memorable action outing.
What Is ‘Novocaine’ About?
Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid)is an assistant bank manager at a local credit union living a humdrum life. His medical condition keeps him from feeling pain, so Caine is exceedingly cautious, lest he dangerously and unknowingly injure himself. His office crush on Sherry (Amber Midthunder) seems to be unrequited, until one day when she takes him out to a lunch that becomes so much more. It spirals into a life-changing romantic interlude.He’s on cloud nine the next day, at least until a bank robbery leaves his boss dead and his new paramour taken hostage. The risk-averse Nathan has to trek across the city to save her at any cost to himself… or anyone in his way.
‘Novocaine’ Takes Liberties With The Human Body, But Not With Our Hearts
As Nathan “Novocaine” Caine,Jack Quaid maintains an every-man charm that lands the uniqueness of his condition for both action and comedy purposes, here dialed up in gore as the limits of the human body are stretched.Amber Midthunder exudes an easy, alluring, yet vulnerable charm, and it’s easy to see how the isolated Caine connected so easily and fell so hard in light of the specificity of the set-up.It’s a meet-cute that’s smartly writtento get deeper in the introduction than these sorts of films typically allow:she has issues to match Nathan’s own, allowing a deeper investment in the characters that justified Caine’s extreme choice,and it pays off certain surprises as they arise.Jacob Batalonmakes for a complex friend and ally to Caine, bettering each scene he’s in, whileRay Nicholsonis great as the charming psychopath who leads the robbers.
The script makes good use of the premise throughout,finding comical uses of Caine’s pain-free condition that also give himbadass action moments, even if they’re unadvisable or accidental. The film’s antagonists are set up as believable villains, and Quaid capably embodies a character a little out of his depth minus his extraordinary motivation. There are surprises in the film (but try and avoid spoilers and the main trailer if you can), and it is a breezy action outing that excels in the ways you would hope an action-comedy with an absurd premise would. Whilethe film does implausibly stretch the limits of what a human body can survive in practice, it does at least acknowledge physical and practical consequences, sofor the most part, it gets a pass on the realism question.
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The film does take an excess of license when it comes to police behavior and choices, anda few segments lose momentum when we’re spending time behind the scenes with the criminals. It also allows some major red flags in certain character interactions to pass by too easily. Still, it’s a charming film with an absurd premise that takes a beat or two extra to ensure the audience is grounded in concern for the characters. It’s a small detail, butit adds a layer of real vulnerability that is often absent in action comedies with absurd premises, which is an inspired choice.
Jack Quaid Excels as a Painless Action Hero in ‘Novocaine’
Altogether,Novocaineis a fun romp that uses body horror trappings to deliver hard-hitting action.It dials the adrenaline up to intentionally absurd action and horror-movie-levels of gore, while maintaining humor and heart. Jack Quaid kills it as the mostly-every-man putting his body on the line for a woman who changed his life, and he sells the hell out of the premise. Amber Midthunder delivers a complex and enticing charm and badassery when needed, for a layered character. The stunt work is well conceived and executed, the editing is timed well for both hard-hitting damage and capably handled comedy.It’s a good time at the movies with enough heart for an emotionally connected core. The squeamish among us might want to be encased in a protective bubble for safekeeping, but if you want a romance with a side of bodily destruction (who doesn’t?),look no further.
Novocainecomes to theaters on March 14.
A beautifully bonkers action-rom-com that leans into body horror territory for laughs, finding love.
Jack Quaid stars as Nathan Caine, a bank executive with congenital insensitivity to pain. When his girlfriend is kidnapped during a bank robbery, his rare condition becomes his greatest asset in a daring rescue mission.
