“Novocaine”? More like Novo-can’t. While not painful to get through, the movie left a lot to be desired.
“Novocaine” follows a man named Nate Caine (Jack Quaid), who was born with a genetic condition that prevents him from feeling pain. Throughout his life, Nate has been relentlessly mocked and bullied for this condition, earning the nickname “Novocaine” in middle school. Due to the embarrassment surrounding his condition, he isolates himself socially.
However, by chance, he meets Sherry (Amber Midthunder), a fellow work colleague, and eventually falls in love with her. Everything takes a turn for the worse when bank robbers storm the branch where Nate and Sherry work. The robbers kill the bank manager and kidnap Sherry, pushing Nate into a desperate mission to save her — one that spirals into a violent spree.
The strongest aspect of this movie is its character work. In films where a protagonist must rescue a damsel in distress or a close friend, character development is often sidelined. This leads to a low-stakes, hollow experience because the audience hasn’t been given enough time to connect with the characters and, thus, feel the weight of their potential failure. This, luckily, isn’t the case in “Novocaine.”
My favorite part of the movie is that it takes the time to develop Nate as a character. It explores what life might be like for someone with his condition and the emotional toll it takes. Similarly, the relationship between Nate and Sherry doesn’t feel rushed — he doesn’t simply fall in love with her after just one date. The film takes the time to show the progression of their relationship, making their bond more believable and providing an emotional anchor for the audience before the action begins.
The movie attempts to stay grounded in realism rather than embracing absurdity, opting for a “John Wick”-style approach to action rather than using supernatural or exaggerated tropes. Nate’s condition is real, and the film genuinely explores the isolation that can come with it.
However, this commitment to realism ultimately weakens the action sequences. Since Nate isn’t a trained fighter — his only advantage being his inability to feel pain — most of the action consists of him clumsily fighting highly skilled bank robbers and criminals. In these moments, the film leans into absurdity, clashing with its otherwise realistic tone. As a result, the action scenes feel neither polished nor compelling.
A simple fix in Nate’s background could have dramatically improved the movie: If he had been a military veteran who developed his condition after his service, rather than an assistant bank manager, he would have at least known how to fight. This would have allowed for better-choreographed action sequences. Simply put, if you’re making an action movie and the action isn’t good, you have a serious problem.
Because this is an action film, a lot of time is spent on spectacle. While I appreciate that the film has heart and takes time to flesh out its characters, its character work could have been even stronger if less time had been spent on these unfulfilling sequences. Normally, I wouldn’t mind this in an action film, but when the spectacle itself is underwhelming, it becomes a glaring issue.
The villain, bank robber Simon Greenly (Ray Nicholson), is one of the weakest aspects of the movie — the character is generic, bland and uninteresting. We know nothing about his motivations, his backstory or what drives him to rob the bank. He’s just an evil character for the sake of being evil, which is a stark contrast to Nate, who is well-developed. It would have been nice to see the villain receive more attention and depth in the writing.
On the positive side, the movie is funny. It delivers a decent number of laughs and cleverly plays with Nate’s inability to feel pain for some effective comedic moments. Additionally, the film has a clear and consistent message: Sometimes you have to take risks and appreciate the small moments in life. This thematic throughline is one of the film’s strengths.
Overall, “Novocaine” is a mediocre film. It has charm, some appeal for fans of the genre, and a decent emotional core. However, the subpar action, underdeveloped plot and weak villain prevent it from being great. If you’re heading to the theater, I wouldn’t recommend this one, but if it pops up on a streaming service and you’ve got nothing better to do, it might be worth a watch.
