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After Significant Other and Villains, it should be safe to assume that directing duo Dan Berk and Robert Olsen wouldn’t be interested in helming a feature that fits neatly into a tidy, uniform box. That, of course, means there’s more to Novocaine than a straightforward actioner centered around a hapless everyman thrust into a high stakes gauntlet. Berk and Olsen elevate this simple setup with their genre sensibilities, resulting in an action-splatstick hybrid that brings the pain to absurdly violent, entertaining highs.
Novocaine begins with an introduction to the world’s least likely action hero, Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid). Nate is an unflappably pleasant fellow with a strict morning routine of lunch prep and breakfast smoothies before heading off to his job as an assistant manager at a bank. His plucky but sheltered existence stems from growing up with CIPA, a dangerous disorder that comes with a shorter life expectancy due to the inability to feel pain or even temperature. In other words, Nate lives in a metaphorical safety bubble, and the most exciting thing in his life is his crush on new employee Sherry (Prey‘s Amber Midthunder). When the extroverted Sherry manages to coax Nate out of his shell and sparks fly, it awakens his will to live life to the fullest. That entails risking it all – his life and body- to pursue her when she’s abducted by violent bank robbers.
Sherry points out that Nate’s condition makes him a sort of grounded superhero, having no idea how true her words are when he begins his pursuit, exposing just how ill-equipped he is to deal with dangerous men far more accustomed to inflicting pain than he is receiving it. And boy, is Nathan Caine able to take quite a lot of damage. Since he can’t feel a single thing, what Nate lacks in combat skills, he more than makes up for in moxie and a willingness to wield his body as a clumsy weapon or shield, depending on the situation.
Berk and Olsen, working from a sharp-witted script by Lars Jacobson, ensure each fight sequence is packed with as much splatstick humor and violence as possible as Nate fumbles his way through by sheer determination, even as his plucky nature yields bone-crunching, blood-splattering mayhem that’ll leave you guffawing and recoiling in sympathy pain. It’s the type of movie whose target audience will gleefully cackle at Nate’s groan-worthy means of retrieving a gun from the worst possible spot when faced with a brawny attacker in a restaurant kitchen. Or when he stumbles through a booby-trapped hideout. That Berk and Olsen ramp up the carnage at a steady clip further adds to the zany sense of fun.
Grounding it all is the cast, anchored by Quaid’s disarming cheerfulness. It’s easy to follow Nate down this self-destructive path because of his inherent gentle sweetness and romanticism, bolstered by the natural chemistry with Midthunder’s Sherry. Upgrade‘s Betty Gabriel serves as the tough straight-man Mincy, the cop tracking Nate with wise-cracking partner Coltraine (Matt Walsh). While Jacob Batalon brings his trademark funny sidekick role once more as Nate’s only real pal, it’s Ray Nicholson (Smile 2, Borderline) who stands out as the maniacal villain of the film. The final ultra-violent confrontation with Nicholson’s Simon makes for a satisfying finale, both physically and emotionally.
If it’s not already abundantly clear, Novocaine isn’t a film that’s grounded in realism. Nor is it meant to be taken seriously. Berk and Olsen push the violence and bloodletting as far as possible for entertaining humor’s sake, bringing it just to the very edge of shattering suspension of disbelief. It’s well-crafted with a commitment to as much practical SFX as possible to elicit a visceral response from the audience, though the world-building is sparse and its Christmas backdrop mostly throwaway. It’s also prone to silliness.
But Novocaine delivers on exactly what it sets out to do: deliver a raucously entertaining time at the movies. It’s designed to be seen on a big screen with a crowd groaning in real time over torn nails, deep-fried flesh, and surprise reveals while cheering the hapless Nate on his brutal journey for the sake of love. It’s funny, gory, and oh so much fun.
Novocaine releases in theaters on March 14, 2025.
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