“Novocaine” Is Painfully Entertaining

Novocaine (Dan Berk/Robert Olsen, 2025) 4 out of 5 stars

The somber words of R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts” may set the stage for Novocaine, but their irony doesn’t fully hit until we meet main character Nathan Caine, a man who proves that not everybody does, in fact, hurt. Living with CIPA, a rare condition that prevents him from feeling physical pain, Nathan’s life is defined by limits, self-imposed safeguards that keep him alive but also keep him lonely. He starts to feel hope when romance sparks between him and his longtime crush, Sherry. That’s quickly stifled when the bank they work at is thrown into a deadly robbery that ends in Sherry being taken hostage. Nathan then sets out not only to prove that a quiet assistant bank manager can use his condition to become the action hero no one expected, but also that his story has legs beyond its catchy premise. Spoiler alert: he succeeds on both fronts.

This is largely thanks to the delightful direction of duo Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Villains). They stretch the concept and the budget as far as possible with strategic scene setups and action that is fresh, fun, and, most of all, funny. The concept allows them to push the gore into the truly uncomfortable realm of body horror, which plays perfectly into the character. And while it may pay homage to the iconic action heroes that have come before, the way Nathan Caine can take a punch feels wholly original.

This is what stands out about the fast-talking screenplay by Lars Jacobson, as well: a commitment to character. While some elements of the story might feel ridiculous, Jacobson knows how to make a simple line of dialogue allow the audience to look past some of the absurdity while also shedding light on the character’s motivations. Moreover, almost all of the characters feel unexpectedly fleshed out, even if only in simple ways, which is refreshing in a genre where certain roles like love interests and police can often become stocky.

The committed performances across the board also help. As Nathan and Sherry, Jack Quaid (Amazon’s The Boys) and Amber Midthunder (Prey) have an immediate chemistry and surprising sensuality in their relationship that allows us to understand Nathan’s ensuing actions. Both characters are more than what they seem, and it is their complexity that makes them such a compelling pair. But even the more underwritten characters, such as Ray Nicholson’s Simon or Jacob Batalon’s Roscoe, are given life through their engaging presence and comic gameness.

Thus, a movie about defying expectations more than exceeded my own. With its fresh direction, screenplay, and characters, Novocaine wins the viewer over in the same ways Nathan Caine does. It turns the ordinary into the extraordinary and has a good heart to ground itself.

Hannah Tran

Hannah Tran is a filmmaker, writer, and friendly neighborhood barista from Las Vegas. She graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Film and English and is currently working on her first feature film. In her spare time, she can be found attending film festivals, running a local book club, and, of course, devouring as many movies as possible.