If you woke up one day and discovered that you cannot feel any pain whatsoever, how you proceed? Would you go to a local skatepark and attempt a half pipe? Or, would you go to the closest wing restaurant and eat the spiciest sauce you can think order? Maybe would ask tell that one friend you’ve had a crush on for quite some time your true feelings? OK, so I probably wouldn’t recommend doing that last part immediately as my question is more focused on physical pain, but you get the idea. The reason I brought it up is that immunity to pain is the premise of the latest review from yours truly, which is Novocaine.

When I saw Heretic back in November of 2024, there were two previews that caught my eye. The first being Companion (which, coincidently, is one of my most recent reviews) and the other being Novocaine. These two films struck me for two reasons. First, they seemed completely original, meaning they’re not adapted from anything; second, both movies had Jack Quaid as one the lead roles, with Novocaine receiving top billing. For those unaware, Jack Quaid is the son of actors Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, and he’s been growing as an actor since the early 2010s. While he had a minor role in The Hunger Games (2012), his first feature film, the Amazon Prime series The Boys (2019-present) was the first project that brought him to my attention. Since then, I have always been curious as to what he’ll be doing next. With Novocaine being his first lead in a film (or at least one that I have seen), is Jack Quaid the real deal or is he being carried by nepotism like a majority of other offsprings of Hollywood? Most importantly, however, does Novocaine go above the gimmicky premise? As usual, let’s find out.

Set during the Advent season (specifically a few days before Christmas), Novocaine follows Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid), who has a specific medical condition where he cannot feel pain whatsoever. This may seem like a blessing to others, but to Jack, it feels like a curse. Because he can’t feel any pain, he has to take extra precautions so he doesn’t accidently injure himself without knowing. This includes nerfing any sharp corners whether it be at home or work, eat only liquids just so he can’t accidently bite his tongue and bleed from the month, and set an alarm on his watch just so he can go to the bathroom so his bladder won’t explode, just to name a few. Nathan works as an assistant manager at a bank in San Diego, and over the past several months, he’s developed a crush on a recent hire named Sherry (Amber Midthunder), but he’s too shy to say anything. While getting coffee in the break room, Sherry accidently bumps into Nathan, which spills on his hand and results in minor burns. Feeling bad for the incident, Sherry takes Nathan out to lunch, and it is then that Nathan explains his condition. This impresses Sherry, calling it a superpower, which boosts Nathan’s confidence. She invites Nathan to an art gallery later that evening where she has some of her work on display. After a more friendly conversation there, they have a few drinks at a bar. While things are going smoothly, a “friend” from Nathan’s childhood crashes the conversation and starts giving him a hard time. Nathan reveals that he used to get beat up a lot in school due to his condition. After a while, his “friend” doesn’t go away, which leads to Sherry to order a round of shots though they are spiked with hot sauce, which causes discomfort for the “friend” but has no effect on Nathan. This prank strengthens the bond between Nathan and Sherry, leading to them going back to Nathan’s place for offscreen relations. The next morning (Christmas Eve), Nathan feels on top of the world. In addition to having an extra pep in his step, he decides to eat some solid foods for breakfast instead of his usual liquid meal, a small visual key of one stepping out of his comfort zone. While he goes to work later that day, three individuals (Ray Nicholson, Conrad Kemp, & Evan Hengst) dressed as Santa Claus start robbing the bank. Nathan’s boss Nigel (Craig Jackson) is murdered after not cooperating. After pillaging the vault, the three thieves take Sherry as hostage due to the police arriving earlier than expected. After a shootout with the cops, the criminals and Sherry take off, leaving Nathan feeling guilty for not doing anything about it. On an impulse, Nathan steals a cop car and starts to pursue the bank robbers in order to rescue the possible love of his life. Little does Nathan know, while after after the thieves, the authorities are also pursuing him, thinking he’s also involved. Nonetheless, Nathan not only rescues Sherry, but also clear his name as well.

So, I mentioned in the last paragraph that Novocaine takes place days before Christmas, so you’re properly asking yourself, “Is this the next or at least modern-day version of Die Hard?” Sadly, it isn’t, and as for the Christmas setting, I’ll elaborate more on that later. What I can say, though, is that Novocaine was both a fun surprise and a film that did meet expectations . . . sort of. 

What I enjoyed about Novocaine compared to other action films I have seen the last several years is that it doesn’t have the initial tone of what someone would expect from the genre. Granted, it is more of an action comedy. Nonetheless, there’s a healthy dose of action in it. What helps is having a not only a likable character of Nathan Caine, but also one without a military/special forces and/or law enforcement background. He’s just a regular guy, minus his condition. In addition, Nathan doesn’t embrace the violence that’s he unintentionally commits. In fact, there are moments where he feels apologetic, which is another reason why I enjoyed this film.

We’ve all heard the phrase fight or flight. Well, in Novocaine, our protagonist, Nathan, chooses the fight method and resorts to taking actions he normally would not do to save someone he cares about. While the physiological reaction is not something we take literally in our daily lives, it is something that I think about whenever I’m in a tense situation. In a way, I see it as the good Lord giving me a sign to do something that I normally wouldn’t do, whether it’s speaking out for the less fortunate, or being with someone and praying for them in a tough situation. Throughout the film, I could only imagine that Nathan felt that impulse that we get whenever things look grim.

Though Novocaine was an enjoyable film, it wasn’t perfect for two reasons, mostly: the setting and the execution of the premise itself. I mentioned earlier that this takes place around the last days of the Advent season (specifically, the 23^rd and 24^th of December) and yet, it felt anything but that. Aside from a Christmas tree at the bank, the robbers dressed as Santa, and someone making a reference watching It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), this was the least “Christmas” film I have ever seen. One could say that it was paying homage to Die Hard (1988), which has unintentionally become a Christmas watch for many people around Advent season. But this film didn’t include enough Christmas themes to make it fit the season. You could literally take all Christmas references out and it wouldn’t change the plot. The absence of the Christmas season could’ve developed the execution of the premise a bit more, which is my other complaint. While Nathan Caine was unaware of the pain that a normal person would’ve gotten, his body does go through a bit of trauma that shows that even without the pain, he’s still a mortal. Though he does get burns, scratches, cuts, and gunshot wounds throughout the film, there’s never a moment where a part of his body shuts down from the trauma. There were moments where he injects a EpiPen onto himself to get the adrenaline in his body going, but at that point, it feels like it’s going off video game logic rather than movie logic.

Despite some reservations, Novocaine is a decent action comedy with an unconventional character and unique premise that I’m surprised hasn’t been done before. Sure, there are moments in the film where you have to suspend your disbelief. But given that it has a likable character and a motivation that you could get behind, it’s something that I would recommend. I kept thinking after the film if it is possible for this film to have a sequel, and my answer would be yes. I just hope that if they do make a sequel, it doesn’t take place during Christmas. But if they do have the same setting, at least commit to it. It’s been a while since we had a good action Christmas movie, and no, I’m not counting the Dwanye Johnson flick Red One (2024) because I said a good one.