(Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures)
(“Novocaine” trailer courtesy of Paramount Pictures)
Living life as a social misfit presents many challenges.
For the socially awkward, friendships become difficult.
Additionally, dating becomes all but impossible.
In “Novocaine,” Nate (Jack Quaid, “Oppenheimer”) has come to terms with his lack of social skills and a social life.
Sure, he makes good money as an assistant manager at a bank.
But his life outside of work is limited to playing video games online with his only real friend, whom he has never met in the flesh.
In “Novocaine,” it is apparent that Nate has a massive crush on bank teller Sherry (Amber Midthunder).
She even seems to make googly eyes with him at times.
But Nate still cannot muster the courage to ask his colleague out on a date, even as she makes her interest clearer.
Instead, Nate just buries himself in his work, which he does not always enjoy.
Nate enjoys seeing his customers make their dreams of home ownership and business ownership a reality.
But he must also stomach the foreclosures that turn those dreams into nightmares.
He has developed relationships with customers like Earl (Lou Beatty Jr.).
Therefore, when Earl’s beloved wife Betty dies, and he cannot keep up their home and business, Nate tries everything he can to work with Earl so that he can hold on to their half-century of memories.
Nate can only imagine how much pain Earl is experiencing after so many decades with Betty.
But Earl tells Nate it would hurt just as much if she died early in their relationship as it does after a lifetime together.
Earl and Betty’s love gives Nate the courage to take Sherry up on her invitation for a date.
However, when Nate snaps at Sherry for insisting that he try her cherry pie, it becomes clear that he has been hiding something significant from his peers.
Nate has a rare medical condition where he does not feel pain.
Therefore, if he eats something like a piece of pie, he could accidentally bite his tongue off and not even know it.
That is why he sticks with milkshakes and other liquids.
What might have turned other women off, makes Sherry more interested in a romantic relationship with her co-worker.
In “Novocaine,” when Nate encounters an old bully from middle school, it is Sherry who cleverly comes to his defense.
It is that middle school student who informs Sherry about Nate’s nickname from middle school, “Novocain.”
Nate tells Sherry that his classmates would beat him severely in school because they knew he could not feel the pain.
However, in “Novocaine,” Sherry is more concerned if Nate can feel physical pleasure.
After one night with Sherry, Nate is completely smitten by his beautiful love interest.
But as he walks around the bank the next day with the biggest grin on his face, a glide in his stride and a dip in his hip, bank robbers dressed as Santa Claus have plans to put a halt in his mental love trip.
Many bank robbers want to grab some cash and dash, not injure or kill anyone.
But crimes do not always go as planned.
And a simple robbery can lead to mayhem and destruction.
In “Novocaine,” when Sherry is taken hostage by the band of bank bandits, Nate can probably see Earl and Betty’s love in his head because he immediately goes into a vigilante mood, determined to get some street justice.
Taking on violent criminals is not something many nerds and geeks take head-on.
But when a nerd is basically a superhero that can take any form of punishment, taking his lady hostage might be the worst mistake in heist history.
“Novocaine” is a total rollercoaster ride, especially in 4DX.
Adrenaline rush might even be an understatement.
The action comedy, directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, is a backward Bonnie and Clyde story where Nate’s love for his girlfriend deepens as bank robbers hold her captive.
Quaid is fantastic as the lovable loser of a nerd in “Novocaine.”
People tend to get behind the underdog.
Moviegoers often want the unlikeliest person to be the hero, win the fight and get the girl.
Therefore, it is wonderful to see Nate’s personality change from meek to macho in a matter of one day.
The only thing raining on Nate’s revenge parade is the wacky and quirky cops assigned to the bank robbery case.
In “Novocaine,” Mincy (Betty Gabriel) and Coltraine (Matthew Walsh) mean well.
But they are less Mike Lowrey (Wills Smith) from the “Bad Boys” movie franchise and more Mr. Otis (Martin Lawrence) from the sitcom “Martin.”
However, Mincy and Coltraine have a heart, which might benefit Sherry and Nate during their terrifying ordeal with the bank robbers.
Midthunder is convincing as the damsel in distress, Sherry.
With a name like Midthunder, of course the actress would bring the thunder to her role.
Unfortunately, “Novocaine” is gruesomely gory.
Therefore, individuals with a weak stomach might have to turn their heads multiple times throughout the picture.
Additionally, the “Go Padres” statement during the Christmas season makes no sense for the San Diego-based movie.
Furthermore, many movie critics favor intellectual comedy over sophomoric comedy.
“Novocaine” is definitely the latter.
Thankfully, the sophomoric comedy works tenfold.
“Novocaine” succeeds because of the violence and laugh-out-loud moments.
But it also succeeds because it gives the underdog hope.
“Novocaine” shows the nerd can get the beautiful woman.
And, the geek can kick some serious behind if they can just handle the pain.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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