What if John Wick weren’t trained as an assassin but also couldn’t feel pain? Well, essentially, he’d be Jack Quaid’s Nathan Caine, the appealing protagonist of “Novocaine,” an action-comedy romp that has quite a bit of heart and punches a bit above its weight as it leaves a trail of blood while staggering into theaters this week. You see, Nate has a rare genetic disorder, one that allowed his classmates in middle school to feel it was OK as they beat the tar out of him on the regular. That seemingly has made it difficult for him to make friends — his only real pal is fellow gamer Roscoe (Jacob Batalon), whom he’s never met in person but who, like Nate, lives in San Diego.
The life of assistant bank manager Nate takes an apparent turn for the better when his work crush, Sherry (Amber Midthunder), spills scalding coffee on him and wants to make it up to him with a lunch out. At lunch, after awkwardly refusing a taste of her cherry pie and working on a milkshake, he comes clean to Sherry about his condition, explaining that he can’t eat solid foods out of fear he won’t know that he’s bitten into his tongue. However, she convinces him to have a bite, saying she is there in case anything goes wrong.
He takes that bite. His mind is blown. Pie! Wow, PIE! And things only get better for him after she invites him to an art show where she will have a few pieces for sale.
The next day, Christmas Eve, he’s on cloud nine — that is until a trio of armed Santas wal.
