Novocaine is an action-comedy crime film that takes audiences on a wild ride, blending cringing thrills with slapstick humor and a touch of romance. If the opening scene has you expecting a W Channel or Hallmark-style love story, you’d almost be wrong. Directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, known for Villains (2019) and Significant Other (2022), quickly shift gears into a chaotic adventure that feels more like Crank meets Home Alone, with a dash of Die Hard and The Naked Gun, and the occasional throwback to The Greatest American Hero.
Jack Quaid stars as Nathan “Nate” Caine, a mild-mannered assistant bank manager and quiet introvert who secretly admires his co-worker Sherry, played by Amber Midthunder. When a group of bank robbers storms the branch, kills the bank manager, makes off with piles of cash, and takes Sherry hostage, Nate throws caution to the wind and leaps into action to save the woman he loves — and he’s got a unique advantage. Nate has CIP, or Congenital Insensitivity to Pain, a rare condition where he is unable to feel physical pain. What follows is one hour and fifty minutes of hilarious, cringe-worthy chaos as Nate endures an endless barrage of injuries that would leave most people in traction.
You’d think you were watching an animated cartoon character rather than a guy in business attire. Each scene ups the ante, with Nate getting crushed, smashed, burned, pierced, stabbed, impaled, and generally broken to pieces in a series of over-the-top stunts that would make Wile E. Coyote of the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner franchise proud. He also dishes out equally outrageous payback to the various bad guys he encounters along the way. The physical comedy is relentless, and Quaid’s everyman charm makes him the perfect punching bag as you watch the film’s absurd action sequences with smiles, groans, and disbelief.
As if things weren’t complicated enough, Nate’s heroics put him on the wrong side of the law. After politely “borrowing” a police car to chase down the bad guys, he finds himself in a game of cat and mouse with the cops — all while determined to rescue the girl of his dreams. The movie keeps the laughs coming, balancing action and heart as Nate’s relentless pursuit turns him into the unlikeliest of action heroes.
Novocaine is a rollercoaster of a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Berk and Olsen inject the film with a perfect blend of adrenaline-pumping action and laugh-out-loud physical comedy. Jack Quaid delivers a standout performance, seamlessly shifting between hapless office worker and accidental hero. His past roles as a vigilante in The Boys and his part in Scream make him the perfect choice for the lead. Amber Midthunder holds her own, adding warmth and chemistry to the story’s raison d’être.
If you’re looking for a movie that blends outrageous action with gut-busting laughs and a surprising amount of heart, Novocaine is the perfect prescription from this doctor. Just don’t expect to leave without a few side-effect like wincing at every hit Nate takes – and dishes out along the way.
Novocaine is in theatres now.
