Novocaine (2025)
Directed by: Dan Berk and Robert Olsen
Premise: The assistant manager of a credit union (Jack Quaid) has an unusual condition that prevents him from feeling pain. When his girlfriend (Amber Midthunder) is taken hostage he turns his condition into an advantage.
What Works: Novocaine combines a romance and an action film and the strongest aspect of the movie is the love story. The filmmakers take their time getting started and dedicate a lot of screentime establishing Nate, the bank manager played by Jack Quaid. He begins the film isolated and approaches life from a position of fear but Nate also demonstrates compassion toward the people in his life, especially a customer who has fallen on hard times. Nate’s life changes upon dating Sherry, played by Amber Midthunder. Quaid and Midthunder have a crackling romantic chemistry and they make the viewer want to see them together. After the bank robbery the film shifts. The visual style is much more kinetic and Novocaine combines brutal violence with a wacky sense of humor. The idea of this mild-mannered manager pursuing hardened criminals is itself absurd and Quaid is very funny but the character’s neurological condition adds another layer. Nate sustains all sorts of bodily damage without being debilitated by pain and the film plays like a live action Road Runner cartoon; Novocaine is comparable to Upgrade and Crank in the way it exploits its concept. But Nate is not invincible. He could still die and his pain blindness is both an advantage and a risk which raises the stakes of the action.
What Doesn’t: Novocaine has an inherent credibility problem. Regardless of Nate’s neurological condition, his body suffers major trauma that would prevent him from walking or throwing a punch. That’s no different than a lot of action films but Novocaine’s premise draws attention to the bodily mechanics. Novocaine struggles with pacing. The film gets off to a good start but after the bank robbery and abduction sequence the filmmakers struggle to keep up the momentum. Explosions of violence are followed by prolonged lulls in the action. Nate pursues Sherry and her kidnappers, fearing that she is in mortal danger. The film doesn’t keep up the sense of peril and Novocaine lacks rising tension. There is a major reveal about two-thirds through the picture. It’s a predictable turnabout and it creates a problem for the movie and the characters. The revelation ought to change Nate and Sherry’s relationship but instead the filmmakers mostly skip over those implications.
Bottom Line: Novocaine is a lot of fun. It’s too long but it combines humor, action, and romance in a way that’s very appealing.
Episode: #1041 (March 30, 2025)