My review of Novocaine (2025 film)

Film: Novocaine (2025)

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Director(s): Dan Berk and Robert Olson

Starring: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson

Genre: Action/Comedy/Thriller

MPAA Rating: R

Synopsis: Nathan Caine is a man who works as an assistant manager at the San Diego Bank and Trust, born with a medical disorder that allows him to feel no pain. He runs into Sherry, and the two have a romantic relationship. But however, once Sherry gets taken by Simon and his two henchmen, Andre and Ben, after they rob the financial institution that Nate works at, he uses his medical disorder to his advantage as he gets put through the ultimate test. Along the way, gory sequences and hilarity all ensue.

My Review: It's not so often that you stumble upon a movie that captures your attention so much, that you ultimately decide to go check it out, especially when you were skeptical of seeing it at first. And, in today's IP and franchise-driven world of moviemaking, original movies are very hard to come by. But eventually, an original movie rolls around and when you lock your eyes on it, you get interested so much that you finally decide to watch it after holding out for so long. And this is one of those movies.

Novocaine, written by Lars Jacobson and directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olson, is, actually and shockingly, an enjoyable and thrilling good time. From the bloody and violent action sequences to the charm and the emotional journeys of the two lead characters, this movie had a certain level of filmmaking that I simply didn't expect to be pulled out from a movie with such a wacky premise (I mean, a man who feels no pain has to retrieve his gal from a group of dirty criminals? C'mon, it's never going to work!) and could have never succeeded if it were not for the two main characters be given sympathetic POVs. And yet, it actually works, and the movie itself goes even further than that. As it unfolds, it actually becomes more thoughtful amidst its insane logline. 

Quaid and Midthunder both portray Nathan Caine and Sherry Margrave, respectively. You actually sympathize with them as they go through and overcome many different struggles, especially for Nate. And yet, they are especially likable and even downright lovable because of their struggles. In particular, for Nate, he shows what it feels like to be picked on and left out all because of his awkwardness as a result of his congenital medical disorder, and having his life screwed over because of it, too. And for Sherry, we know what it feels like to try and break free from a occupation that doesn't enhance her life at all, only making it much, much worse, as she demonstrates over the course of the film. Nate is arguably the main protagonist and character of the story, but Sherry serves as a supporting character, and she's the main female character of the narrative. However, this movie is ultimately Nate's story, and we can see his character growth over the course of the movie, with Sherry also getting some growth for her character, too. This is why the movie is called "Novocaine" - it's not just about a man who can't feel any pain, it's about a man who has to be a hero and a right person in a wrong time and place.

That relationship between and the charm of the two main characters of is arguably the movie's biggest strength. And yet, the movie utilizes several creative ways to maximize the effectiveness of its narrative. The action sequences both rouse you and get your blood pumping, as Nate finds himself in several sticky situations that he has to get out of. You can't help but actually cheer for Nate as he utilizes perseverance and self-control, with each and every action-packed scene testing his self-worth and of course his medical disorder.

Ray Nicholson delivers the darkness and villainy to the table as Simon Greenly, the movie's big bad villain, along with his two henchmen Ben and Andre. They are truly the most despicable characters of the entire film - Simon, especially so. And they easily contrast with Nate and Sherry - whereas the two main leads are sympathetic, and as such they are easy to cheer for, the three baddies all stand out for their heinous acts that they commit over the course of the film, and Simon especially keeps the stakes high, especially when the movie reaches its climax, making the film's culmination a relentless thrill ride. In fact, Simon, with his nasty attitude and being mentally unbalanced, easily provokes Nathan with his bull plop, and in doing so, he stops holding back so much that he goes on a mission to take him and his minions down. I loved them, hated them, and wanted to see them get a taste of their own medicine. That is what I love about movie villains - you can't help but love to despise them all the way through.

Jacob Batalon also gets extra points for bringing in a good dose of comic relief (and of course adding to the movie's status as an action/comedy) as Roscoe. Of course, what Nate goes through also delivers a solid helping of humorous, laugh-inducing moments. And let's not forget that putting in the R.E.M. Song "Everybody Hurts", juxtaposing the movie's premise of a man who's unable to feel any pain, at the beginning of the film, also delivers a good chuckle.  

The movie skillfully juggles humor, action, thrills, heartache and some dashes of romance with expertise. You have a likable and humorous moment, and then afterwards followed up by a sequence that puts you at the edge of your seat, for instance. When it comes to the movie's story though, if you remove Nate's medical condition as part of the premise, it's basically a simple story of "a hero who has to get his damsel in distress back and discovering himself along the way", but it doesn't detract from the sheer joy of watching the film. The story is only part of the pieces of the big puzzle that gives the movie a hefty dose of heart.

The cinematography by Jacques Jouffret truly fits the classic rule of this motion picture-making art. There's some beautiful shots of San Diego, the place where the story is set, especially in both day and night, with lights and darks contrasting one another with splashes of color sprinkled throughout. The VFX are a good blend of CGI and practical, with some of the prosthetic FX used in the film delivering some pretty gross (read: grisly) examples (I am sorry I cannot list them all in order to avoid spoilers).

In all, the movie is a good combination of action with humor, dark and emotional moments, romance, and a bit (if not all) of a character-driven story as part of its bedrock. Quaid is an impressive choice for the movie's main protagonist, given his penchant for playing nice, cute and dorky heroes (at least most of the time - he has played baddies before), as does Midthunder for the film's main female character, as well as Nicholson for the movie's big bad villain. Batalon has a ball with his role as Nate's only male companion Roscoe, alongside the extraordinary level of craftsmanship seen in a movie like this one, which is unexpected, loaded with a solid dose of heart, and one that leaves you with a smile on your face. 

All this, plus with the movie knowing to be R-rated when it is required at times, make it pretty much proven that Jacobson, Berk and Olson all knew that they have made something extra-special and big. And ultimately, they turned out to be right. After its theatrical release in March of 2025, the movie gained an impressive 81% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics, and a respectable 85% score from the audience on the same site. I went into the film without checking any spoilers beforehand (thank the heavens!), as I saw it in Dolby Cinema at the Topanga AMC DINE-IN 3 days after its release, and upon seeing the film and returning home, I can see why the positive reception that the film got from the audiences and critics was earned. Novocaine is a unexpected and surprising accomplishment for a movie like this on a certain level of scale. It's an absolute shame that such a well-received movie like this one from both critics and audiences alike (me included) sadly underperformed behind Paramount's expectations at the box office. Hopefully it does better on Paramount+ and VOD, and it would find an audience that way.  

Overall, Novocaine has it all - action, laughs, thrills, and heartfelt moments without being too syrupy-sweet. It perfectly balances the gory and violent scenes with comedy, charisma, and touching moments. It is surprising that it can pull off so much at once and deftly balance them all at once on a movie of this scale, and as a result, it's so much more than a standard popcorn-munching flick that requires you to turn off your brain. In fact, you don't even need to turn off your brain at all for your enjoyment of this film. And the charisma of the protagonists make the movie not so much of a pain (pun intended) to watch. If you're able to handle the gory and violent action sequence, you will find that the movie has a huge amount of heart beneath it, just like I did.

Final score: 8.9/10 (Great) (My rating)