Novocaine
2025
**
Director: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen
Cast: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh, Conrad Kemp, Evan Hengst, Craig Jackson, Lou Beatty Jr., Garth Collins
Nate Caine is a mild-mannered bank employee born with a rare condition that prevents him from feeling physical pain. When his co-worker and romantic interest Sherry is taken hostage during a bank robbery, Nate sets out to rescue her. Dan Berk and Robert Olsen's comedic action thriller is built around one single gimmick that wears thin incredibly fast. I get it: Nate can get injured, but he cannot feel pain. Unfortunately, this means sitting through one mechanical, predictable sequence after another, as he gets alternately shot, stabbed, beaten, impaled, crushed and burned. The plot goes into outright stupid territory in the last 30 minutes, particularly when it comes to the main villain. The central romance is utterly unconvincing. Well, at least Jack Quaid delivers a funny and likeable lead performance.
