Novocaine
A painless viewing experience
When the new love (Amber Midthunder) of a mild-mannered
bank assistant manager (Jack Quaid) is kidnapped, he brushes off
his 'superpower' and leaps to the rescue. You see, he suffers from
something called congenital analgesia (a real thing), preventing
him from feeling any sort of pain.
I had fun with this slapstick romantic actioner, but it's far from
perfect. You can't say the directors, Dan Berk & Robert Olsen,
haven't explored every possible aspect of an unfeeling action
hero, and the earlier, rom-com scenes are above average and
charming. (Fun fact: If Jack's goofy grin and infectious
cheerfulness seem familiar, it's because he's the son of none other
than Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.) On the whole, it's surprisingly
relatable and deeper than you may think.
But the latter, admittedly inventive action and fight scenes get
unnecessarily violent and gory. The directing duo's previous work
(Significant Other, Villains, Body) are all in the cheapo horror
genre. The third act drags on forever, and the villains are not all
that threatening.
I wouldn't mind if this turned out to be an origin story. I'd watch a
sequel before most big-budget Marvel flicks. But the directors
need to leave the gore behind and grow up a bit. (110 min)
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Japan Today
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