‘Novocaine’: Peak Action-Comedy

Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder star in this must-see movie

Jack Quaid as Nathan "Novocaine" Caine with bloody fists raised. — Credit: Paramount Pictures

Jack Quaid may be a nepo-baby, but at least he seems committed to earning his keep. Novocaine is his second original, mid-budget, high-concept movie of the year so far (Companion being the first) and if this were the 1980’s, he’d probably be a household name and entered into the canon of movie-stardom by now.

Poor Jack. Novocaine might be destined for an unglamorous future—a minor box office hit that will slink onto your Netflix Watchlist in six months, where it will sit for years until you actually give it a watch and think “Hey, that was actually pretty good”—but it deserves more.

Dare I say Novocaine deserves to be remembered? Dare I say that Novocaine represents the peak of its genre? Dare I say Novocaine is the kind of movie that re-cements the importance of cinema as an art-form? Okay, that last one might be stretching it, but at the very least, Novocaine is an uncomplicated good time that made me happy. Happy. In 2025. How about that?

Everybody Hurts

Jack Quaid as Nathan "Novocaine" Caine. — Credit: Paramount Pictures

Life couldn’t be better for social recluse and Credit Union assistant manager Nathan Caine (Quaid) after he begins a romantic relationship with Sherry (Amber Midthunder) — the first person to truly understand him and his unique inability to feel pain. That is until a robbery gone wrong tests Nathan’s commitment to Sherry, forcing him to undergo a heroic rescue mission that only someone with his condition could endure…

There’s lots to love about Novocaine, but I think my favourite thing it does is take the time at the beginning to establish Nathan and Sherry’s relationship. How often have we been bored by a movie romance that merely tells you that two people are in love without showing you. It’s not just the tremendous chemistry that Quaid and Midthunder have—it’s that the story takes the time to show us how Sherry is a perfect match for Nathan on a deep, emotional level.

Some people will criticise the first act for moving too slow, but the rest of the movie wouldn’t work half as well as it does if the filmmakers hadn’t involved us emotionally in Nathan and Sherry’s relationship.

Raising Caine

Amber Midthunder as Sherry. — Credit: Paramount Pictures

The next best thing about Novocaine is that it’s an action-comedy that’s genuinely funny. I laughed. A lot! And it wasn’t because there were a ton of well-written jokes or gags or exceptional comedic timing, but simply because of the blending of situation and character.

Nathan Caine is not John Wick. He’s not a secret badass, nor does he possess a very particular set of skills. Taking somebody exceedingly polite and as adverse to violence as Nathan and throwing him into a situation that would challenge even the Frank Castles of the world creates a story overflowing with humorous potential.

There’s real fun in the escalation of physical threats that Nathan comes to face-to-face with on his adventure, and writer Lars Jacobson found so many unique ways to explore the premise of putting a man who can feel no pain into a violent action movie like this. Fair warning: this movie isn’t for the squeamish.

Arrow To The Knee

Jack Quaid as Nathan "Novocaine" Caine with a knife sticking through his hand. — Credit: Paramount Pictures

Novocaine isn’t a perfect movie. There are some pacing bumps when it ropes some cops into the plot, but even then the movie is able to find a funny angle to approach them and keeps their scenes brief. (Plus, the cops are played by Betty Gabriel and Matt Walsh, who bring life and depth to what are essentially bit players). There’s the occasional moment of predictable movie logic too, but you’ll probably be having too much of a good time to care.

Honestly though—those are the only tangible flaws I can really find in it. Maybe some people won’t find it as funny as I did, but even then, there are plenty of surprises throughout the story to keep things feeling fresh and exciting.

It’s not a particularly profound movie, but Novocaine is deeper than you might expect too. Packed with genuinely hilarious moments and wince-inducing levels of violence, all of which is centred around a genuinely touching romance, I really can’t recommend this movie enough.

Thanks for reading my review of Novocaine. If you liked it, consider checking out my wishlist or buying me a cup of coffee at https://ko-fi.com/kieranobrien or below.