Novocaine could have been written by a 12-year-old, and I’m not sure I mean that pejoratively. It’s a riff on superhero stories, but it’s been thought up with a whiff of dopey plausibility: The film’s protagonist,

“Novocaine” only cost $18 million to produce, so (like its main character) it shouldn’t be feeling any pain at the box office. On the flip side, “Mickey 17” cost $118 million to produce and needs around $275 million to $300 million worldwide to make a profit.

Jack Quaid went full method to promote 'Novocaine' by getting progressively more injured at Sunday's Clippers vs. Kings game.

Quaid's leading role in Novocaine feels like a natural continuation of these genre-bent everymen. He plays Nathan Caine, a mild-mannered assistant bank manager who has congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), a genetic disorder that impacts his nervous system to the point that he can't feel pain or temperature.

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.