Daisy
Have you ever wanted to see two nepo babies brawl to the death?
Well, now’s your chance. After a string of horrors, filmmaking duo Dan Berk and Robert Olsen take on an action comedy with Novocaine. And they still bring the gore.
Novocaine follows Nathan Caine, banker by day, loner gamer by night. But he has a secret. Nathan has a genetic abnormality that prevents him from feeling pain. When his co-worker – and crush – is kidnapped during a bank robbery, he decides to be a hero and embarks on an insane rescue mission.
The first act plays out like a rom-com, with a Chappel Roan needle-drop and all. A coffee spill accident in the staff room leads to lunch, which then leads to a proper date. And while there was solid chemistry, their interactions made me visibly cringe.
You see, the love interest, Sherry (Amber Midthunder), is a cool, edgy girl with a troubled past. A Gen Z Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Despite some slight character development, and the film explicitly saying she isn’t a damsel in distress, that’s still what she boils down to. A piece of the plot simply there to push Nathan to shed his shy guy skin and become the hero.
So with his new-found confidence, Nathan charges head-first into chaos when she gets taken by bank robbers. He must tackle a series of misfortunes, and the increasing-in-level bad guys that come his way, and get back his girl.
Take away the genetic condition and Nathan is a character we have seen many times before. The awkward loner turns wannabe hero is something that Jack Quaid is already familiar with thanks to his role in The Boys. He brings a loveable charm to Nathan and his screen presence holds this film together.
But where this movie gets my high praise is the fight scenes. Berk and Olsen go completely over the top, creating some spectacularly hilarious and gory moments. If you’re squeamish, this really isn’t the movie for you. Trust me, you’ll never want to look at a deep fryer ever again. But it’s these scenes that make the movie so much fun. With video-game-esque henchmen, a Home Alone style booby-trapped house and an epic final boss battle.
The final boss is played by none other than Ray Nicholson – following in his father’s footsteps with a psychotic smile. Our two nepo babies deliver a bloody performance, with some extreme graphic abuse that has you covering your eyes.
Novocaine is straight up silly. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, you decide. I like that it didn’t take itself seriously, but one can only suspend their disbelief so far. Overall, it’s a comically gory joyride running on the fumes of an incredibly thin plot.
Year: 2025
Rating: R
Running Time: 110 MIN
Genre: Dark comedy
Director: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen
Starring: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, Jacob Batalon
Production Studio: Infrared Pictures
Distributor: Paramount Pictures