Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, Novocaine follows Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid), a mild-mannered introvert with a rare disorder called congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), who must rescue his new girlfriend (Amber Midthunder) who has been taken hostage in a bank robbery.
For the past few years, there seems to have been a number of under-the-radar action comedies that have turned out to be unexpectedly great surprises, making it somewhat of an annual tradition. In 2022 we had Violent Night, in 2023 we had Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, in 2024 we had The Fall Guy, and now in 2025 we have Novocaine, an adrenaline-fueled hybrid of an action comedy mixed with a dark parody of the superhero genre that is guaranteed to give you a fantastic time at the theater with plenty of charm, laughs and gruesome action sequences that are not for the faint of heart. The film’s leading cast members and funny trailer definitely caught my interest but I truly wasn’t prepared for how relentlessly entertaining this film was going to be from start to end, taking a simple premise and using it to deliver something creatively bonkers in the best ways possible.
Leading this crazy fun film is a super charm-filled performance by Jack Quaid as the film’s titular hero. It’s amazing how Jack Quaid can go from being a hateful and manipulative douchebag of a character in Companion to being an absolutely lovable underdog in this film, showcasing just how much talent he is capable of. He also manages to prove himself to be a solid action star as Nathan Caine, delivering tons of laughs through perfect moments of humor and charisma as well as highly brutal action that makes you cringe as you see him endure some of the most horrific injuries and beatings which he can take without any problem due to his condition. Jack Quaid delivers some impressive slapstick comedy as a result of the character’s condition, making for some outrageously funny moments.
He also gets to share electrifying chemistry with his co-star Amber Midthunder as Sherry, Nathan’s love interest. These two don’t get to share as many scenes in the film together as much as I’d wanted them to, but the moments they do share make for an insanely cute romance that feels extremely genuine and you can’t help but adore, especially for this really touching scene regarding their physical insecurities.
Amber Midthunder does manage to get to shine on her own, delivering a fierce performance relating to a surprising twist involving her character, and she even gets to have some awesome action moments as well.
Jacob Batalon has a short but fun supporting role as Nathan’s online gaming friend who helps him out big time in his mission to save Sherry, though it is more or less similar to his role as Ned in the MCU.
The rest of the supporting cast is good but the most surprising standout of the supporting cast was the film’s villain played by Ray Nicholson, who is the son of the legendary Jack Nicholson and who has recently garnered fame for his brief but memorable role in last year’s Smile 2. Ray Nicholson absolutely chews the scenery with his villainous performance, delivering brilliant unhinged intensity to the role as well as having such expressive mannerisms and energy that remind me very much of his father before him. As simple of a villain as he might be Ray Nicholson was able to hugely elevate this character, making him an extremely enjoyable foe for our hero to face off against.
The story is fairly straightforward and doesn’t necessarily have anything majorly game-changing for the action comedy genre, but it does feel narratively unique due to its premise and it definitely doesn’t fall short on delivering an insane amount of laughs as it is packed with absurdly creative, over-the-top violence that made me and my audience bust a gut and squirm. I’ve seen a lot of highly gory action sequences over the years and most of the time it doesn’t phase me, aside from the occasional few moments, but for some reason all of the unique brutal action of this film really made me cringe and curl up in my seat.
The gruesome practical effects definitely play a part in making me squirm like crazy for not only how good it looks but how realistic it is, especially when the action sequences become increasingly gnarly but clever as the story goes on. With a character who is immune to pain, they manage to put him through some of the most absurdly vicious yet hilarious scenarios they could come up with, and they were shot, edited, and choreographed extremely well, even if it isn’t as extremely stylish compared to an 87North Productions film.
The film feels very grounded in tone and style yet still manages to have adrenaline-fueled flair without having to rely on any amount of CGI effects. It is all practical bare-knuckle action that feels like a modern throwback to some bonkers 80s action classics that focus hugely on practical effects for their stunts and violence.
The music is awesome too as we not only get a fun score by composer Lorne Balfe but also a really funny soundtrack of songs that fit perfectly with the tone of this film. I even loved the use of REM’s “Everybody Hurts” at the beginning of the film which foreshadows the absolute insanity and pain this film is about to put on display.
This kind of film has the potential to be an underrated action comedy classic, much like what we have had in previous years, for its relentless entertainment and its full utilization of such a fun concept that makes this film a surprise hit. I highly encourage you to give this one a go when it fully releases later this week. I’m going to give Novocaine an A = 95.
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