With a trailer that displays the unpleasant but familiar aspects of brain-dead entertainment, which include cheap gags thrown into life-and-death scenarios, over-theatrical reactions, and a general tone of lack of seriousness, expectations for a torturous viewing experience were high. However, Novocaine suspends the arrogance of arriving at what you may think is a reliable critique of a film you haven’t watched. It delivers a surprise that makes you hesitate to pass judgment far too quickly. Yet, calling it a pleasant surprise would be giving Novocaine more praise than it deserves.
Everybody Hurts by R.E.M. playing over the opening credits of a film about a guy who can’t feel pain gives you an immediate taste of the tone you’ll have to endure on this journey. Nate (Jack Quaid) is a bank worker who suffers from nice guy syndrome. It doesn’t take much seduction from a somewhat new female colleague, Shelly (Amber Midthunder), for him to almost immediately fall in love with her. This new romance is brought to an abrupt halt when a gang of thieves dressed up as Santa Claus rob the bank and take Shelly along as their hostage as they escape the scene. With the girl who gave new meaning to his life now in the hands of ruthless criminals, Nate embarks on a journey to save her.
We’ve all had this story told to us many times before: the nice guy must discover his inner strength to fight off his enemies who appear stronger and tougher than he is in order to save the girl. Despite being dressed in the skin of a protagonist who is unable to feel pain, there’s nothing new or fresh that Novocaine has to offer. You’d expect to find the predictability of events somewhat of a bore, but the experience is surprisingly comforting. The story continuously moves at a desirable pace, and no scene feels like a waste, even if there may not be much meat on the bone.
Although you feel content watching this familiar pattern flow by, you’re never deeply immersed in the action. The violence, while punchy, fails to thrill you. The communication between characters lacks daily life authenticity, but it's not something you’re willing to get hung up on. Mass audiences have accepted this unnaturalism for decades. There are plenty of attempts to introduce laughter into the equation; however, it would be a struggle to provoke such a reaction from someone who isn’t so easily pleased. The apparent faults of Novocaine don’t leave a bad taste in the mouth. You can accept its mediocrity rather than hate it.
It all falls apart ever so slightly in the film's final act, in which the acceptance of mediocrity develops into impatience as a highly over-dramatic battle with the enemy outstays its welcome. It’s at this point where you lose the little interest you may have had in seeing how events unfold and the fate of those involved. While the expectation of events veers off into a different direction during this final chapter with a twist you weren’t quite expecting, this stimulation only lasts for a matter of minutes.
You may give Novocaine credit for exceeding very low expectations and revealing itself to be smarter than it initially appeared, but it doesn’t live up to something that will be remembered or revisited outside of its year of release. It’s a movie that you could attempt to indulge in if you had nothing better to do with your precious time. However, it's probably better spent indulging in something that's likely to enhance your life. No matter where your taste in movies lies, Novocaine certainly isn’t going to do the latter.
Out in UK cinemas now
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