Novocaine (2025) works best as an entertaining genre exercise. It’s competently made, sometimes clever, and visually sharp. But it never quite reaches the heights it’s aiming for. It doesn’t reimagine the action-comedy or elevate its characters beyond the surface. Still, it’s a watchable 90 minutes, and for fans of Jack Quaid or high-concept thrillers with a soft edge, it’s worth a casual look.
‘Novocaine’ Movie Review
Novocaine, directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, is a mid-budget action comedy that hinges almost entirely on a clever hook: what if your average, anxious guy couldn’t feel pain—and what if that somehow turned him into an unlikely hero? That’s the central premise behind this slick but slight film, starring Jack Quaid in a rare leading role as the good guy, a refreshing pivot from his recent turns in Companion and Scream 5.
Quaid plays Nate, an introverted bank assistant manager who lives a quiet life mostly confined to work, video games, and avoiding unnecessary risk. He has CIPA (congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis) a rare disorder that makes him unable to feel physical pain or temperature, leading to a lifetime of caution and solitude. Enter Amber Midthunder as Sherry, a co-worker who seems to genuinely connect with Nate, prompting him to step outside of his comfort zone for the first time in years.
That comfort is shattered when a bank robbery turns deadly. The manager is killed, Sherry is kidnapped, and the police are left clueless. Nate takes it upon himself to track down the robbers and save her, using his unique condition as his only real edge in a world that otherwise completely outmatches him.
The concept gives way to some genuinely inventive moments—Nate reaching into a boiling deep fryer to retrieve a gun, shrugging off brutal beatdowns that would drop anyone else, and surviving stabbings and gunshots through sheer numbness. These moments are where Novocaine finds its groove, marrying its premise with visual gags and small-scale but stylishly choreographed action scenes.
Still, the movie rarely rises above its premise. The script, while efficient, is rarely funny enough to land as comedy, or tight enough to generate real suspense. It feels like a film content to coast on its concept without pushing it further into either genre it wants to occupy. The twists—like the reveal that Sherry’s brother (played by Ray Nicholson) is one of the robbers—are predictable, and Nicholson himself is typecast yet again as a twitchy, psychotic villain, not far removed from his role in Borderline. Nicholson certainly has screen presence, but you get the sense that he’s stuck playing echoes of his father’s wildest roles without getting the chance to show range.
Novocaine is also a departure for Berk and Olsen, who previously made more psychologically driven, tonally darker films like Villains (2019) and Significant Other (2022). This time around, they’re going for a mainstream tone, complete with fast pacing and broad humor. But the result is a film that often feels more like a fun proof of concept than a fully fleshed-out story.
That said, Jack Quaid brings just enough charm and awkward sincerity to carry the film. He sells both the physicality of the action scenes and the emotional arc of someone slowly breaking out of their shell—not because they want to be a hero, but because they care about someone for the first time in a long time. His performance keeps the movie from falling flat, even when the script leans into genre clichés.
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Novocaine works best as an entertaining genre exercise. It’s competently made, sometimes clever, and visually sharp. But it never quite reaches the heights it’s aiming for. It doesn’t reimagine the action-comedy or elevate its characters beyond the surface. Still, it’s a watchable 90 minutes, and for fans of Quaid or high-concept thrillers with a soft edge, it’s worth a casual look.
Score: 6/10
Novocaine (2025)
- Cast: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh
- Director: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen
- Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller
- Runtime: 110 minutes
- Rated: R
- Release Date: March 14, 2025
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