How would you live your life if you couldn’t feel any pain? Would you strut around without a care in the world? What about fighting a group of dangerous bank robbers? Or would you be constantly worried you’ll bite your tongue off? These are the types of questions asked of Nathan Caine in the new film, Novocaine, directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olson. The film follows Nathan as his meticulously careful life is thrown for a loop, and he decides to take matters into his own hands. Can this film avoid the tropes associated with characters who cannot feel pain, or will it simply be a generic action film with a fun premise? Let’s find out.
Novocaine is the story of Nathan Cain (Jack Quaid), an overly cautious introvert with congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), which means that he can’t physically feel anything. He works as an assistant manager at a trust credit union and is smitten with his co-worker, Sherry Margrave (Amber Midthunder). After spending an intimate night together, the chronically cautious Nathan is getting ready to take more risks, but a group of Santas rob his place of work and take Sherry hostage. Not wanting to lose a person he cares about, Nathan gives chase to track down the criminals and rescue Sherry, no matter what “painful” situations he may find himself in.
Most of the time, when a film features a character who can’t feel pain, it usually falls into similar traps. The plot normally takes a backseat and the film devolves into “look at how much gruesome shit we can do to the main guy with no reaction”. I hoped Novocaine would avoid this trap, but alas, it couldn’t break free. The plot is somewhat interesting, with a twist early on, actually catching me by surprise. But besides one good twist, the plot is basic and serves just to injure Nathan in different ways. It was disappointing because there was some potential here, but it went the predictable route instead.
Jack Quaid is one of the few nepo babies that people seem to tolerate in the entertainment scene, and for good reason. He’s an outstanding actor (even if he gets typecast a bit), and he does bring a certain charm to his role as Nathan. He plays the cautiously naïve character really well, and the escalation throughout the film is shown through his performance. It was a bit of a leap from not eating solid foods because he might bite his tongue to sticking his hand in a deep fryer, but it did lead to some entertaining action scenes and a few comedic moments.
The rest of the characters serve their purpose but aren’t anything special, with the exception of Sherry. Being the love interest, she does get more development over the course of the film, and she plays off Nathan well. I wish we could’ve gotten more of them interacting throughout the film, though. Jacob Batalon is fine as Nathan’s friend Roscoe, but his role in the film is so minor that I didn’t become too attached. Every other character is pretty one-dimensional and does enough to keep the story moving, but nothing much else.
Who needs a good story and a fleshed-out cast when you have some amazing practical effects? This is the route Novocaine took, and it was the right call. The trailers gave a peek into what sort of injuries Nathan would be inflicted with throughout the film, but I was not prepared for the lengths they went to. I’ve already mentioned the whole sticking his hand into a fryer part, but two sections in particular had me squirming in my seat. I won’t spoil it here, but just be forewarned if you aren’t the best with graphic injuries.
I appreciated how they only injured Nathan in ways that allowed him to still function despite them. Other films with characters who can’t feel pain normally have them get almost killed, but then jump up like nothing happened. That’s not the case here, because Nathan is routinely told, “You’re not immortal,” and “you should get those injuries checked out.” It helped me stay engaged with the film instead of poking holes in its logic. I wish they had taken this much care with the rest of the film, but it is what it is.
Novocaine is an average action flick with outstanding visual effects. The story, minus a pretty good twist, was formulaic and nothing you haven’t seen before. Nathan Caine was an interesting character, but the rest didn’t reach their full potential. The practical effects elevate all of this, but there’s only so much they can do. If you just want to see Jack Quaid get horrifically injured, this film is for you. Just don’t go into it looking for a deep story.
Have you seen Novocaine? What did you think? Who’s your favourite nepo baby? Let us know in the comments where we can talk about what we’d do if you couldn’t feel pain.
