Novocaine

Hey everyone, and welcome, today, we will be talking about the film Novocaine. Spoilers ahead! Fun Fact: Congenital Insensitivity to Pain, also known as CIP, is real and is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the inability to feel pain, which can lead to severe or potentially life-threatening injuries. This film came out in 2025 and stars Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, and Ray Nicholson and was directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. So, without further ado, let's get right into it.

Novocaine follows Nathan Caine, nicknamed Novocaine, who lives a normal life working at a bank, and he can't feel pain. When the bank gets robbed, and a girl he likes gets captured, he decides to try and go save her so she doesn’t get killed.

Novocaine is an action comedy film. It has similar vibes to Taken, Game Night, or Home Alone.

Novocaine caught my eye because it reminded me of Taken but way less serious, and it stars Jack Quaid, who I think is a pretty good actor. The film looked quirky from the trailer and seemed like a fun ride, so I said, why not? The movie was fun, but there was a plot twist that caught me off guard, which made me more invested in seeing how the hidden info would come to light.

Jack Quaid is great as Nathan Caine, who goes on this accidental killing spree to save this girl. It was hilarious how he used his CIP to his advantage on accident most times, which would lead to him having the upper hand in battle. I love how he explained that even with this disease, he had to be careful with making sure he used the bathroom and making sure he didn't bite off his tongue, so it's still something that isn't all fun and games for him. One thing that really caught me off guard was him having all those tattoos because he didn't seem like the person who would be hiding that many tattoos, but I love how it told a story, and in the end, he finished that story. We see him at the beginning of the film with strict routines, which makes sense, but it's cool at the end of the film how he starts to relax a bit and live life.

Amber Midthunder plays Sherry, who encourages Nathan to live a little bit and opens him up to new things. I knew from the trailers that she was kidnapped, and I was still invested in the story, but the moment I found out that she was involved in the crime had me so much more invested. She did a good job of selling her attraction to Nathan because I would have never known that it was all a part of a plan. I'm glad in the end; she decided to forego the plan and realize that a life of crime is not the way to go. I love that she didn't just get to go free, and they showed her in jail, which is minor, but she was part of a crime with multiple people killed and injured like there is no way she would be walking free.

Jacob Batalon was funny as Roscoe, who is mostly heard via chat, and then we meet him towards the end, which leads to a fun fight scene. I think Jacob had proved his comedic timing in the Spiderman films, but this film showed that it extends past those films. He was sarcastic with his responses, and it was funny to see how much he lied before they met face to face but also how he cracked immediately when he was under pressure.

One thing that seemed so unrealistic was that the cops were spread that thin for the holidays. I get people have vacations and want to celebrate holidays, but this is a bank robbery and murder, there would definitely be more people on the scene helping out especially when they go to the warehouse where they are hiding.

My favorite part of this film was the action scenes against the robbers. I was always interested to see how his disorder would come into play and after the first one, I wondered if that would end in their death. It was very creative and gory fights and they really showcased how the other person was experienced and he was not. The fights not only showed us how he got rid of these guys but it led to hilarious moments of him faking pain or using his body as a weapon which was very smart.

Novocaine is a fun movie filled with lots of action and will have you laughing throughout the film. The film is a bit bloody, so if you have issues with that, you have been warned, but if not, it'll be a fun ride with some pretty good actors.