Jack Quaid Lifts Gimmicky Motion-Comedy

Because the saying goes, you gotta have a gimmick, even on the subject of motion motion pictures.

That’s actually the case with the central character of Novocaine, Dan Berk and Robert Olsen’s action-comedy a couple of man genetically incapable of feeling ache. As performed winningly by Jack Quaid, Nathan Caine is a brand new type of motion hero. He’s not so nice at dishing it out, however boy, can he take it.

A gentle-mannered assistant financial institution supervisor who lives a quiet existence as a result of inherent dangers of his situation — even strong meals is a hazard, since he may chew his tongue off and never even really feel it — Nate spends his workdays pining for brand spanking new financial institution teller Sherry (Amber Midthunder) and his free time enjoying video video games along with his solely buddy Roscoe, whom he’s by no means met in individual.

However when Sherry coaxes him out of his shell and asks him out, Nate’s life modifications instantly. After their first night time collectively, he’s completely in love. So it’s all of the extra traumatic for him when a trio of financial institution robbers (Conrad Kemp, Evan Hengst and Ray Nicholson, the final displaying a few of his father Jack’s trademark charisma) invade the financial institution the following day and kidnap Sherry.

After the cops who present up on the scene are struck down, Nate steals a police automotive and chases after the robbers himself, determined to rescue his new love. In the meantime, he’s pursued by a pair of detectives (Betty Gabriel and the reliably humorous Matt Walsh), who suspect he was in on the job from the start.

Cue the violent, excuse me, ultra-violent, mayhem that ensues throughout Nate’s heroic quest, along with his uncommon dysfunction coming in notably helpful on the subject of his scrapes with the dangerous guys. In a short time, Nate learns to make use of his affliction to his benefit through such strategies as grabbing a blazing sizzling frying pan and pummeling his shocked opponent with it throughout a kitchen struggle.

Accidents? No downside. After getting shot in one other confrontation, he merely stops by a buddy’s ironmongery store, grabs some pliers to tug out the bullet from his arm and superglues the wound, with out feeling a factor. In fact, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone repeatedly did this kind of factor throughout their motion film heyday, however they weren’t normally grinning and making quips on the identical time.

Scriptwriter Lars Jacobson finds ingenious methods to take advantage of Nate’s situation for laughs whereas filmmakers Berk and Olsen mine the idea for all its visible price. The quite a few struggle scenes, which regularly lapse into excessive gore, are as amusing as they’re thrilling, with one sequence, during which Nathan falls sufferer to an array of booby traps put in in one of many financial institution robber’s houses, funnily riffing each visually and verbally on Residence Alone.

In maybe the one funniest scene, Nathan has to feign ache whereas being tortured by one of many dangerous guys to stall for sufficient time for his buddy Roscoe to rescue him. You’ll end up laughing at Nate’s atrociously dangerous performing whereas on the identical time closing your eyes to keep away from the sight of his fingernails being pulled off. When Roscoe does present up, he’s not fairly the macho determine he claimed to be, however since he’s performed by Jacob Batalon, acquainted from the Tom Holland Spider-Man motion pictures, his presence is reassuring nonetheless.

Novocaine, which amusingly employs REM’s “All people Hurts” to accompany the opening credit, would in all probability have finally worn out its welcome (it nonetheless feels overlong at 110 minutes) had been it not for Quaid’s terrific efficiency. As endearing right here as he was creepy within the latest Companion, the younger actor shows the burgeoning star energy essential to maintain this basically one-joke premise. The opening part seems like the start of a nice romantic comedy, with the proficient Midthunder matching him in enchantment. Though if you happen to’ve seen her star-making flip in Prey, you instantly suspect that her character will probably be no mere damsel in misery.