Genre: Action, Comedy
Directed by: Dan Berk & Robert Olsen
Starring: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson
Rating: R
Release Date: March 14, 2025
Platform: Theatrical
Rating: 2.5’5
By Stephen Lackey
“Jack Quaid plays Jack Quaid in another superhero project.”
Early previews for NOVOCAINE felt like an early 2000’s graphic novel adaptation, think Wanted. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; those movies were fun distractions, one-time Watches, if you will. It turns out that Novocaine is a wholly original work, but it makes a reasonable double feature with films like Hancock.
NOVOCAINE stars Jack Quaid, reprising his role from every other film and series that he has previously appeared in. He has certainly developed a very specific character type, and he continues to play it in every project he chooses. If you like his character in The Boys, then you’ll feel right at home. In this case, he’s an every-man named Nate, who has a medical condition causing him to not feel physical pain. He survives day to day through risk avoidance and hiding his disorder. He has no “special skills”, he just doesn’t feel it when he’s getting his ass kicked.
Nate is shy and socially awkward, but he’s pulled out of his shell by a co-worker, Sherry, played by Amber Midthunder. Just as their relationship begins to flourish, the bank they both work at is robbed and she is taken hostage. Clearly the cops aren’t the move, so Nate must save the day. The movie evolves from somewhat grounded fights to ridiculous set pieces somewhere between Final Destination and Road Runner cartoons, and I wasn’t mad at it for that. If we can’t have characters we care about or a story that matters at least give us funny sequences, and that it does. The villains are paper-thin and forgettable, as are the heroes. The world building offers nothing fresh, and occasionally the gimmick for the film doesn’t even work, but there is some fun to be had. NOVOCAINE is the very definition of a rollercoaster movie. There’s the tiniest bit of story happening between action scenes, and that’s it. The script is dense, as are the characters. The ride is pretty fun in parts, but it offers nothing to make it rewatchable. Jacob Batalon makes an appearance in the film, aggressively typecast as the funny sidekick. I hope for his sake that his run in the MCU hasn’t forever locked him into this type of role. NOVOCAINE is a step down for Amber Midthunder, who was fantastic in Prey. I saw this movie recently,
