Novocaine (2025)

"Novocaine" stars Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, and Matt Walsh.  Releasing on March 14, 2025, the film has a bank executive rescuing his girlfriend from bank robbers.
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The film is directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, who also directed "Body", "The Stakelander", "Villains", and "Significant Other".  People tend to go far and beyond to save someone they love the most.  To quote a line from the Disney classic "Hercules," people always do crazy things when they're in love.  One person is no exception to this case, but he has one advantage on his side to help him accomplish this dangerous mission: his immunity to feeling pain.  It sounds like a concept seen in almost every superhero comic book in existence, but I can assure you that this character is anything but an actual superhero.  This latest action comedy offers a concept that can be hit or miss depending on the execution but could deliver action-packed fun for its audience regardless of its quality.  Was it able to deliver that potential or provide a dull experience that's as painful as stepping on a nail barefoot?  Let's find out.

The story centers on Nathan Caine (Quaid), a mild-mannered introvert working as a bank executive.  He's diagnosed with congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), a rare disorder in which, you guessed it, he cannot feel any pain, no matter how much damage he receives to his body.  This caught the attention of his co-worker, Sherry (Midthunder), resulting in them forming a relationship.  However, their relationship takes a sharp turn when a group of robbers infiltrate their bank and kidnap Sherry as their hostage.  This prompted Nathan to do the unthinkable: run headfirst into danger to rescue Sherry, with his disorder being his only weapon in his battle against the robbers.

When I first saw the trailer for "Novocaine", I knew that this would either be dumb in a fun way or just plain dumb.  You have the usual concept taken from other action thrillers involving protagonists rescuing their loved ones from bad guys, which is commonly straightforward for audiences who like these types of movies.  However, instead of a formerly skilled hero like Jason Statham or Liam Neeson, it's an ordinary and overly timid guy whose only weapon is his invulnerability to pain.  But knowing me, I'm usually in a good mood for a silly, undemanding action film, and "Novocaine" seems to have met that criteria.  Plus, it has Jack Quaid attempting to join the everlasting line of young action stars outside his superhero shenanigans via "The Boys".  Then again, with his character's diagnosis, he could also be a superhero in his own right.  But are these elements enough to make this film less painful than what it seemed to be?  Surprisingly, yes.

Was it a groundbreaking feat for the action-comedy genre?  Absolutely not.  Was it a fun, action-packed treat that utilized its "lack of pain" concept?  Yes, it was.  While "Novocaine" lacks much depth in its storytelling, the film delivers plenty of thrills, charm, and laughs to emphasize its refreshing approach to its genre tropes.  Regarding the story, screenwriter Lars Jacobson offers a narrative that, unsurprisingly, takes the pages straight out of other action thrillers, most notably the protagonist with a secret saving their love interest from the bad guys.  On paper, this seemed like another typical action thriller that focuses more on the spectacle and less on the character-driven substance.  While that may be the case for some viewers, "Novocaine" is one occasion where its cliches help drive its entertainment value instead of dampening it.  One reason was its protagonist, Nathan Caine, a sheltered and generous introvert whose only pain is loneliness until his encounter with Sherry helps him step out of his comfort zone to be her hero.  With his disorder, this would've been a case of having a seemingly indestructible hero, causing the audience to be less interested in its narrative stakes.  Thankfully, that's not the case, as Nathan does have a regular chance of dying like the rest of us despite not feeling pain.  So, at the very least, Lars Jacobson didn't categorize this disorder as a tool for Nathan's immortality.

There's also Nathan's girlfriend and co-worker, Sherry, whose appearance and personality scream "damsel in distress".  You know, since she got captured by a trio of bank robbers dressed up as Santa Claus.  But, to my surprise, it managed to provide something for her character that makes her more tolerable than I thought she would be.  I won't give away what it was so you can watch it yourself, but I will say I was glad they took this route instead, even if its sentimentality in the characters' relationship didn't pack a more potent punch.  Another issue I had with "Novocaine" was its runtime.  For a concept about a seemingly "normal" guy embarking on a rescue mission, this movie could've been a breezy 90-minute experience that never lets up on the action.  Instead, it surprisingly and needlessly stretched itself to 110 minutes, twenty minutes longer than I had initially anticipated.  This is due to the pacing in the first act, which focuses on Nathan and Sherry's developing relationship.  While the main characters' charm nearly saved it, I felt like the first act went on a bit too long.  Fortunately, the movie managed to inject itself with adrenaline just in time once the bullets started flying.

Besides those flaws, I would consider "Novocaine" to be a pleasant surprise for the genre for several reasons.  One of which was its cast, mainly Jack Quaid as Nathan.  Outside "The Boys", Jack Quaid got off to a great start this year with "Companion" back in January, showcasing that he can play someone outside his likable and charismatic characters.  Unfortunately, not enough people went to see that one.  "Novocaine" sees Quaid returning to that status quo as a kindhearted yet withdrawn bank executive attempting to be an action hero.  The result is a delightfully amusing turn for Quaid, as he injects plenty of charm and humor into a benevolent character determined to rescue his love.  Would I see him as the next action star?  Well, it depends on how well the film does at the box office, but based on his performance, I could definitely see more of Quaid getting more roles like this in the future.  Amber Midthunder made an impressive first impression as a lead role in the "Predator" prequel, "Prey", so it made sense that she was chosen to star in this film as Sherry.  While her performance here wasn't as memorable as her role of Naru in "Prey", she did put in enough effort in her talents to make her character watchable.  Jacob Batalon also delivered some decent moments as Roscoe, Nathan's friend, and Ray Nicholson, who gained recognition from his role in "Smile 2", served as an enjoyable cameo as Nathan's fan.

Another reason was the action scenes, which were fun enough to take advantage of Nathan's condition and the film's squeamish moments.  Filmmaking duo Dan Berk and Robert Olsen had the task of ensuring the stakes originating from Nathan's fight against the robbers while also infusing a sense of silliness with the idea through its tone. Based on my experience, I thought they handled this challenge pretty well.  This is one of the movies that isn't meant to be taken seriously, like a Liam Neeson thriller.  Can you even imagine Liam Neeson having this disorder instead of Jack Quaid?  That would've saved him a lot of trouble after surviving many gunfights.  If Berk and Olsen's purpose were to entertain the audience through the film's ridiculous premise and comical appeal, I would say that they did a good enough job at handling this tone regarding their direction.  The action may not be as memorable as the other great action movies like "Mission: Impossible" or "John Wick", but it did invoke a smile on my face whenever Nathan's "pain" becomes the robbers' pain.

Overall, "Novocaine" is a pleasantly entertaining action comedy that didn't feel as painful to watch as one might assume.  Its screenplay didn't offer much else in its characters and tropes to elevate its usual "rescuing the hostage" premise to new heights, and the runtime can be a bit too lengthy for its straightforward plot.  Regardless, the film is a welcoming approach to the action thriller formula that's fun, humorous, and gleefully violent without being too far-fetched in its concept.  Jack Quaid makes for a compelling main lead full of charisma and amusement, which helps make its formulaic narrative more diverting, with Amber Midthunder following suit.  Along with its enjoyable action sequences and Berk and Olsen's approach to its tone, the movie overcomes its wounds to deliver a painless option for action comedy fans to endure this month.

B-