Welcome back to the blog readers. I thought for my 100th film review on this blog that I would talk about a film that has been on my radar for quite some time. You know how much I love action films, and you know how divided I am on comedy films. So seeing the best of both worlds was either going to be awesome or terrible. What would the final results be for this film though? Stick around to find out.
Novocaine was directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen from a screenplay by Lars Jacobson. The film stars Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, and Jacob Batalon. In the film, Nathan Caine lives with a genetic disorder that leaves him unable to feel pain. But when his bank is robbed and his new girlfriend is kidnapped, Nathan springs into action to save the love of his life.
2025 is slated to be a hell of a year for action films, since we have a slew of high-profile ones coming like From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Superman, The Fantastic 4: First Steps, Jurassic World Rebirth, and Thunderbolts* (all 2025). Here's the thing though, I did not expect this film to be as good as it is. I loved all the performances (especially Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder), the action, and the basic (yet charming) story.
Over the last year, I have seen a whole lot of Jack Quaid, and I think I have a pretty sufficient sample size to say that he is more than just another nepo baby. This kid is legit. So far, I have seen him in the first two seasons of The Boys (2019-26), Companion (2025), Scream (2022), and this. And I think he plays the sim-witted assistant manager who cannot feel pain perfectly. There is a certain level of charisma one needs to fill this role, and Quaid has that in spades. You care about his characters (maybe not the one in Companion, but that's a different story) and he makes you believe in them, and I cannot wait to see him in season 3 of The Boys in July.
Now I need to ask whose bright idea it was to put Amber Midthunder (who last starred in the thriller film Prey (2022) and got acclaim for her role) in a romantic action comedy film? Because you need to put her in more of them. Since I did not see Prey, this was my first exposure to her and boy can she act. She has so much charm and so much charisma, especially when you learn the major twist that happens in the film, she can play both sides of this charming character perfectly. Also, side note. Her chemistry with Jack Quaid was off the fucking charts. I need them in a straight rom-com together pronto. Hell, I'll make that movie.
I next want to talk about the action of this film, because there are certain things that I appreciate this film doing. Now here's the thing. I never went into this film expecting the action to be anything like what we see in John Wick, because that gun-fu kind of action only works for something like a John Wick film. But I really can appreciate the kind of sloppy action that we get in this film because Nathan is not supposed to be an action hero. He is going to be sloppy, he is going to mess up, he is going to not be the most rational. So seeing him taking advantage of things he sees to get the upper hand against his adversaries is refreshing to say the least.
I finally want to talk about the story of the film, because I think the message it gets across is kind of universal in a way. Nathan in the film suffers from a genetic disorder known as congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA). A certain study put the occurrence rate of this disorder at about 1 to 125 births. So this disorder is rare, and we see the effects it has on someone like Nathan. He covers the corner of tables with tennis balls so he will not bump into them and puncture a lung. He is extremely safe on the road so he will not get into an accident. He has something on his shower faucet to prevent the water from getting too hot, and he does not want to eat solid food to prevent himself from biting his tongue off. Amber Midthunder's character calls it a superpower but he does not see it that way. She has the best line in the film when she tells him, "Everybody has something to hide and they're waiting for the right person to reveal it to." I paraphrased but that is the basis of it. And the way they treat this disorder like it is a superpower is something that I really attached myself to.
In conclusion, Novocaine is a fun and bloody action comedy that shines with charming performances and a universal message that everyone can get behind. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
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