Novocaine Review: Left This Critic Numb
Theatrical Movie Review - Action
The premise of Novocaine from directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen is an interesting one. A man who can’t feel pain becomes a vigilante to save the woman he loves—the kind of action movie that a lot of people will call dumb fun. But dumb fun needs to really commit to the bit, and this movie felt like it was playing too safe to cross the barrier.
Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) has Congenital Insensitivity to Pain, a neurological disorder that means that he is unable to feel pain. He works at a bank, drinks all of his meals, and lives a simple life, free of drama. That is, until he meets Sherry (Amber Midthunder), falling in love with her after their first date. Just as Nathan begins to think that there’s more to live for than blended food and nights at his computer playing games with his online friend Roscoe (Jacob Batalon), Sherry is kidnapped by a group of bank robbers. When this happens, Nathan decides that the same disease that has kept him from enjoying life could be used to save the woman of his dreams.
Right up front, I need to say that Jack Quaid has spent the early part of this year cementing his ability to play a leading man. He was fantastic in Companion and is again a treat in Novocaine. Frustrations with some of the storytelling elements aside, Quaid is a treat to watch on screen. Midthunder is good in her role and has good chemistry with Quaid, but the story didn’t serve the two of them well. The other great character was Roscoe, played brilliantly by Batalon.
The fight sequences are well done and brutal, but the tone felt all over the place. Quaid is funny when he’s being tortured and can’t actually feel that abuse, but it feels kind of ugly to laugh at someone undergoing this maltreatment, particularly when it all feels very authentic. Novocaine goes for the hard R rating with the violence, but it doesn’t marry the comedy and violence as convincingly as other similar films. There is also the problem that the bulk of the most gruesome parts already existed in the trailers, meaning that most of the elements intended to be comedic may have been seen outside of the context of the film.
Tone aside, the biggest issue that Novocaine faces is that it picked the wrong story to focus on. Nathan is a lonely guy, mostly because he wasn’t expected to live past 25 due to the CIP. They introduce a love interest, but things aren’t quite what they seem with Sherry. But rather than acknowledge the deficits in that relationship, screenwriter Lars Jacobson continues to push that romance when another relationship is right there and far more interesting.
Despite there being positive elements in the movie, I found myself let down when the credits rolled. There is just not enough juice in Novocaine to keep the pain of boredom at bay.
Rating: 2/5
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on March 16, 2025.
sorry you didn't care for it -- I had a lot of fun with it. And if the "other relationship" is the one I'm thinking of, I agree that it's the secret weapon of the movie.