NOVOCAINE is a 2025 action comedy film directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen who previously co-directed Villains (2019) and Significant Other (2022), from a screenplay by Lars Jacobson.
When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped, a man (Jack Quaid) incapable of feeling physical pain turns his rare condition into an unexpected advantage in the fight to rescue her.
The cast includes Jack Quaid (The Boys), Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, and Matt Walsh.
NOVOCAINE made its debut in theaters on March 14th, courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
NOVOCAINE is like a swiss army knife when it comes to a specific genre; it is part heist thriller, part action comedy, and part thriller with a dash of romantic comedy. I went in expecting over-the-top action and an abundance of violence, and trust me it is VERY violent, but I was pleasantly impressed with such a high quality blend of genres mainly because everything worked so well. I am obsessed with heist thriller films like DEN OF THIEVES or WRATH OF MAN, I just can’t get enough of that adrenaline-infused action and NOVOCAINE brought some of that as sort of a nice almost unexpected bonus.
If you read the synopsis or watched one of the trailers you have a basic idea of what to expect, but man did writer Lars Jacobson really sink his teeth into the overall idea. The film opens with Nate (Jack Quaid) getting himself ready for work, but right away you can tell something is different about him. He has his shower setup a certain way to control how hot the water gets for example, and he has to set a timer on his phone as a reminder to use the bathroom “so his bladder doesn’t explode”.
Nate has a genetic condition that makes it so he cannot feel pain, not even a little bit, and for that reason he also can’t feel other basic things we may take for granted. I won’t go much more in-depth on it but the point I am trying to make is Jacobson really sells the audience on this condition that Nate suffers from, and before the film gets crazy we have already bought into it and that is huge.
Nate lives a very mundane life mainly due to his condition and his reluctance to put himself out there in a social setting. He works as an assistant manager of a bank and it is very clear that he is beyond bored of his life. He develops a bit of a crush on a new teller but before he can act on it the bank is robbed and she is taken as a hostage, which I mean is just his luck, right? Nate decides that he is done living on autopilot and takes matters into his own hands as he goes full vigilante in an attempt to rescue a girl that he feels could very well be the person he was waiting his entire life to meet.
Now Nate doesn’t quite become John Wick, unless we are talking about battered and beaten John Wick who looks closer to death than anything else. But thankfully for Nate although he can still die of course, due to his condition he can’t feel any of the pain that is inflicted on him, and it is a lot. Nate’s revenge tour is like an out-of-control freight train of bad decisions which provides endless entertainment. NOVOCAINE is action-packed and has some incredible special effects and fight sequences, and I loved that the comedy element is present pretty much throughout.
No matter how crazy things get, you will have a smile on your face and the film even has a nice feel-good element to it. I was so pumped that by the time the credits hit the screen I just wanted more, so needless to say the film flew by. The collaboration between directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen and writer Lars Jacobson just worked so incredibly well, and it was clear that this was a project everyone involved just had a blast working on. Plus I was impressed with all of the twists and turns as far as the overall story, and it was not quite what I was expecting and I mean that as a compliment.
Actor Jack Quaid has been on quite a run as of late, and this is easily my favorite role of his and I just want to picture him as this character forever. He was amazing in the sci-fi thriller COMPANION (our full review here), but he played a very unlikable character. Quaid has been around since 2012 making his acting debut in the 2012 film THE HUNGER GAMES with several small roles since then, but the biggest impression that he made on me was without a doubt his role in the Amazon Prime series THE BOYS, which premiered in 2019.
He has been on quite the career trajectory since then and I absolutely expect that he will continue to impress because he is a very talented actor. I have been most impressed by his versatility as an actor, proving he can handle action, comedy. and everything in between. For one reason or another he does seem to thrive in these fish-out-of-water roles as a regular guy who ends up way over his head leaving a path of destruction in his wake. He is scheduled to star in a crime thriller film titled NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH alongside The Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and I am surely looking forward to that.
I really enjoyed the supporting cast as well although Quaid definitely dominated the screen-time as the star of the film. Amber Midthunder was great as Nate’s love interest Sherry. Ray Nicholson, the son of the legendary Jack Nicholson, was awesome as well as one of the films primary antagonists. He has been on a bit of a heater himself recently playing a role in the horror thriller SMILE 2, and a starring role in the under-the-radar dark comedy BORDERLINE, now available VOD. Ray may not have the historic career his father has had, but he is a talented actor and I expect we will see him in more projects going forward.
Jacob Batalon is awesome as Nate’s gaming buddy and does a great job adding to the comedic element of the film. Most people will recognize him as Tom Holland’s nerdy buddy in Spider-Man. Betty Gabriel and Matt Walsh play the detectives hot on Nate’s trail, and the two of them were great together. I especially liked Walsh as he always has this hilarious demeanor about him even when he is playing a seemingly serious role. I also really enjoyed Lou Beatty Jr. in a small but important role as one of the customers at Nate’s bank. Evan Hengst has a small role but he does have a very badass fight scene with Quaid’s character that is well worth mentioning.
THE VERDICT
A wildly entertaining and laugh-out-loud action comedy with a dash of heist thriller, NOVOCAINE was just so much fun from start to finish and a movie I highly recommend seeing in theaters. This movie delivers on so many levels, and I just applaud each and every person that had the opportunity to work on this project because it just seemed like so much fun, and the final product proved that. I just love when everything comes together, and it is clear that this was a movie that was made with a love and appreciation for the movie theater experience.
I don’t know about you, but it feels good when a movie opens with the cast or director thanking me for seeing this movie “the way it was meant to be seen”. It almost feels like I am fulfilling my civic duty as a lover of movies or something. Do yourself a favor and get out to see NOVOCAINE in theaters sooner than later to ensure studios continue to make fantastic movies like this. Also the marketing for this movie, just pure genius.
TED TAKES RATING - 8.3/10
NOVOCAINE is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.