Living With B

‘Novocaine’ directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen is about when the girl of Nathan’s dreams gets kidnapped, and turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected advantage as he fights a bunch of thugs to get her back.

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first thoughts

Seeing this trailer, I was extremely excited about this movie! I have had a good time watching Jack Quaid in The Boys and I enjoy a silly little action movie, so I thought this would be one of those silly movies.

main characters

Nathan “Nate” Caine

Nathan, portrayed by Jack Quaid, is an intriguing character. The combination of his genetic condition and his simple nature makes him stand out. Quaid does a great job bringing this character to life, fully embodying his complexity.

Sherry Margrave

Sherry, portrayed by Amber Midthunder, just didn’t do it for me. They do an interesting plot twist involving her, but beyond that, she doesn’t stand out. The most memorable thing about her is that she’s an artist who’s pushy when she wants something — oh, and she likes cherry pie. That’s about it.

Roscoe Dixon

Roscoe, played by Jacob Batalon, was fine but also didn’t stand out. As Nathan’s only friend, it’s cool that they’ve never actually met in person — I think we’ve all had internet friends at some point. Still, this character didn’t land for me. While Roscoe had some good one-liners, the comedic timing was off, and it felt like Batalon was just reading the lines rather than bringing the character to life. It came across as scripted instead of something Roscoe would naturally say.

Simon Greenly

Simon, played by Ray Nicholson, did a great job. He makes a solid villain, and I’d definitely like to see more of him on screen. No major critiques here, other than the fact that he’s icky, and karma really does come around.

final thoughts

I do not think this lived up to any of my expectations. Although there were interesting and creative death scenes, I don’t think the script was good nor do I think that the plot was fleshed out to its fullest potential. I wish I could’ve loved this movie more and although I had fun at some points (most of it thanks to the side characters), I think it fell flat.

I also find it a bit weird that Nathan has a crush on his subordinate and I know this is a very real thing and it happens, but it doesn’t seem like they have even had a conversation before everything began going down. It feels like he was pinning after her, never spoke to her, and then BAM! They’re having lunch together. As my partner said, Nathan lost his virginity and he just can’t let her go after that… Yikes! Red flag.

do i recommend this movie?

Umm… If you’re drinking, yeah! But I would not watch this again unless I am drinking. I hope to be able to see Quaid back on the big screen again, but at this time, I am kind of over this movie.

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Where to Watch: Apple TV | Amazon