Novocaine

Just three months into the year and already actor Jack Quaid has his second major leading role hitting theaters. After the slick sci-fi thriller Companion, Quaid returns this time as the film’s hero, who cannot feel pain. Quaid has proven he truly excels in two different lanes. Either as a likable guy who happens to be capable of more than even he thinks or as a seemingly nice guy who happens to be harnessing very dark, violent urges. His latest role is something in the middle, but the son of actors Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan proves more than capable of carrying his own film. Unfortunately, his newest starring vehicle has a unique premise that is given generic, unimaginative execution.

Courtesy Paramount

Nathan (Jack Quaid) is a lonely assistant manager at a quaint bank in the city. Seemingly a typical nerdy adult man, Nathan actually has a rare disorder where he cannot feel pain. Instead of making Nathan more noble, this has an inverse effect, causing him to live cautiously. He does not eat solid foods in fear that he will bite his tongue off without realizing it, refuses to drink hot coffee as he could inadvertently burn himself and he places tennis balls on the edges of his furniture and work desk so he doesn’t somehow impale himself. His only friend is Roscoe (Jacob Batalon) whom he’s never met, but plays games with online most every evening. Everything changes when he meets Sherry (Amber Midthunder) at work and immediately falls head over heels for her. The two have an immediate bond that grows close before Sherry is taken hostage during a robbery at the bank. With the only person he cares about taken, Nathan decides to use his abilities to help him track down Sherry and get her back.

Novocaine is an action comedy with an ingenious premise, one that unfortunately directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen don’t seem to take full advantage of. Jack Quaid is a highly enjoyable leading presence who does his best to carry the film along with his charisma, but the film doesn’t have the propulsive energy needed to really sell its core premise. Similar to the Crank films, this is a comedic actioner with plenty of brutal violence, but unlike the kooky Jason Statham-starring adrenaline rides, Novocaine has a loose runtime full of dead spots that bloat the experience. The filmmakers’ restraint to orient Novocaine as a generic action comedy with little edge is its biggest miscalculation.

While the action sequences are nothing particularly memorable, there are some gnarly bursts of gore that infuse a sense of fun. A person’s face impaled on a broken bone and Nathan slamming glass into his fists for an effective fight strategy are the only truly inspired moments of carnage. The initial moments of Nathan’s inability to feel the violence that’s inflicted on him are humorous and Quaid is good in the role, but after the first hour, the results grow more and more unimaginative.

Courtesy Paramount

Oddly, the blossoming romance between Quaid and Midthunder is the aspect of the film that works the best. Immediately, the two actors have a spark that feels warm and natural. It’s in these few moments where the film feels genuine and heartfelt. These characters are likable enough, but it’s the on-screen chemistry between the actors that fills in any gaps. This spark almost instantly goes away when the plot kicks in, however. Instead, the film gets bogged down in comedy that isn’t terribly funny, generic villains (Ray Nicholson’s baddie feels like an afterthought) and a film that needs to be far punchier and wittier than it is. There is a small grace note thematically in accepting your disability as a gift and not a crutch, but Berk and Olsen don’t allow for this element to grow into anything beyond a few throwaway lines.

Courtesy Paramount

Novocaine is a forgettable actioner that wastes its ingenious premise. Star Jack Quaid shows he has the goods to lead a big studio film, but he is let down by a script that squanders its potential. While some sequences have their share of bone-crushing violence, Novocaine doesn’t maintain a sense of propulsive energy needed for such a high concept to work.

Novocaine is now playing in theaters,