Novocaine (2025)

Novocaine is, at least on a surface level, a high-concept action/comedy about a timid man physically unable to experience pain turning his disability into a superpower in order to rescue his girlfriend after she's taken hostage by a group of bank robbers. I say "surface level," because the movie's focus is fixed as much on the character journey of its protagonists as on the comically brutal sequences you'd expect from that premise. Though before we get into that...

Okay, first of all, I like this movie overall - I'd give an at least tentative recommendation. However, part of me is a little uncomfortable with the premise. CIPA, the condition the movie's hero supposedly has, is real (though the film conveniently leaves out details such as the inability to sweat and associated health issues). You can read about it here - it's terrifying. The movie does pay lip service to some of the more frightening aspects of the rare condition (the possibility of bleeding to death from a cut the victim is unaware of), but ultimately it leverages CIPA as a catalyst for a power fantasy (though, to be fair, that in turn is really just a metaphor for being willing to take risks and experience life).

The use of the condition in this context feels somewhat exploitative to me, particularly because the film treats its lead's wounds as comedic beats. The introduction establishes real reasons he should be concerned about sustaining injuries (pain exists for a reason), but none of those supposed drawbacks materialize. Instead, he becomes a Looney Tunes character making his way through an action movie.

Which... isn't not fun. Again, I enjoyed this. Hell, I enjoyed it more than most of the other times I've seen versions of this premise executed. Kick-Ass didn't really click with me, nor did the 2007 movie, Shoot 'Em Up (though both had some fantastic sequences). I loved the first season of Happy!, which like Novocaine counts as Christmas media. So I guess the takeaway is if you're going to go full cartoon character tearing through the action genre, set it in December.

Let's talk story, to the limited extent that the sum total of that story isn't contained within Novocaine's premise. The movie's main character is Nathan Caine (played by Jack Quaid, who's probably the best choice for this kind of role), and I'm realizing now I won't even be able to start this synopsis without acknowledging the pun in Nate's name. For what it's worth, Nate is aware - "Novocaine" was his nickname in school, where kids used to beat him up because he couldn't feel it. On one hand, acknowledging a comic book name helps defuse it a bit, but it also draws attention to the movie's largest flaw: it doesn't really know whether it wants to commit to the outlandish tone it's pulled towards. Aspects of this absolutely embrace the darkly whimsical side of its premise, but stylistically it keeps restraining itself, as if it's unsure whether it wants to be grounded or a cartoon. The middle ground it settles on isn't awful, but there's friction created by the movie's inability to choose.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's see if I can make it through a full sentence of synopsis. Nate is an assistant bank manager living an extremely sheltered life as a result of his condition. His only friend is Roscoe (Jacob Batalon, who seems to be building a career playing the "best friend" in this kind of movie), a man he's never met in person but interacts with while playing online video games. Nate's also nursing a crush on Sherry, an employee at the bank played by Amber Midthunder, whose presence does a lot to elevate this from "fine" to "pretty good."

Much to his surprise, Sherry comes on to him, and the two hit it off and spend the night together. The next day is December 24th, and before Nate can discuss or formalize their relationship, three men dressed as Santa Claus barge in and hold up the bank, Nate is briefly knocked unconscious, and the robbers murder the bank manager (as well as some police outside), and take Sherry as a hostage. Nate comes to and gives chase. The robbers (who are inexplicably in two vehicles rather than one) split up, and Nate winds up cornering the first in a restaurant kitchen, culminating in the sort of comedy/body horror mashup the movie's premise promises.

The quality of that violence is somewhat subjective. By its nature, this is going to feel fresh, since most of the usual dangers these sorts of set pieces involve become punchlines. Third degree burns don't register to Nate, allowing the film to treat him like a cross between Bugs Bunny and Captain America, despite being objectively out of his league faced against far superior combatants. However, there's also a sense in which everything plays out more or less the way you expect from the set-up. So, unusual but never all that surprising.

He ultimately gets the upper hand, and the first robber ends up dead. Nate leaves with just enough evidence to find his way to the next plot point, which takes him to a tattoo artist (not one of the robbers, but connected enough to put up a fight before giving up enough information to bring Nate to the next stop - a house booby-trapped in the vein of Home Alone (which Novocaine references by name). Comic mayhem ensues until he's captured and tortured by the second robber, who's out for vengeance for the death of his brother.

Nate buys enough time for Roscoe to show up and rescue him (they're in communication through a great deal of the movie). Another robber winds up dead in the process, and Nate picks up the location where they're holding Sherry. Roscoe helps him escape the police, as well. The movie does a better job than usual in explaining why Nate doesn't just trust the cops to take care of everything - he knows he's a suspect, and he also knows most hostages are killed within three hours of the abduction.

At any rate, Nate reaches his destination and finds Sherry... not as much of a hostage as he'd believed. The head robber is her brother, and she helped orchestrate the crime. Starting a relationship with Nate was part of this, though she considers their connection real. Also, she never wanted anyone to die (her brother assured her no one would get hurt), and is clearly conflicted. When Nate and her brother fight, she eventually takes Nate's side, though it's the police (following Roscoe's instructions) who show up and prevent Nate from being killed.

This would have been a fine spot to end the movie, but there's a last minute turnabout with the robber gaining the upper hand and hijacking the ambulance Nate is in. Nate causes a crash, and the two battle some more, once again with the villain gaining the upper hand. Sherry, however, gives chase and saves Nate, who uses a protruding bone from a broken arm to kill the bad guy.

We jump ahead to find Nate in a hospital. There's a joke about him thinking it's Christmas only to be informed by Roscoe that he's been in a medically induced coma for a few weeks. One of the cops who's been chasing him shows up with a late gift in the form of a plea deal that will allow him to avoid jail time. I actually appreciate him facing any consequences for the absurd number of laws he broke - action movies usually just shrug and give the "good guys" a pass. I also appreciate the movie outright stating the fact he was a white guy who worked in a bank being a big part of the reason he was getting off easy.

We then jump ahead again, this time a full year, to find Nate in a better place emotionally. Him and Roscoe are naturally still friends, and he goes on a "date" with Sherry... which is of course just a visit at the prison where she's held. We're told she's only got eight months left on her sentence, and the two look forward to the future (we'll just give them a pass on the idea an accessory to a bank robbery resulting in multiple homicides including several police is getting out in less than two years - this is a movie, after all).

Tonally, the movie wraps up as a romantic comedy, complete with the sort of lighthearted music you'd expect from that genre. Overall, this thing is notably light, despite some disturbing violent images. The contrast between the two is a big part of what this is aiming for. It mostly works thanks to Quaid and Midthunder selling the silly, romantic relationship driving their characters' arcs. The point here is that this is more a romantic comedy than an action movie, despite not pulling punches or turning down the violence (quite the opposite, in fact). Your enjoyment is largely going to depend on whether you're onboard with these disparate components. If either the gory brutality or the sweet romance are a dealbreaker, you're not going to connect with this. For this movie to land, you need to be in the overlapping section of the Venn diagram of fans of both genres.

I should note it's the romantic comedy side I suspect is behind the decision to set this at Christmas, which feels notably muted. There are very few decorations (I noticed one Christmas tree in the bank, and that's about it) and no holiday music at all. The robbers wore Santa suits, and there were several points throughout the movie characters mentioned the holidays, but it wasn't anywhere near as large a presence as usual for the genre. The movie actually seems to avoid the usual holiday tropes.

What Christmas does do, I think, is prime the viewer for a whimsical, romantic ending. Hell, the setting may have been a nod to the 1944 film, I'll Be Seeing You, which closed under similar circumstances with a man waiting for a woman to serve out the remainder of her sentence following a Christmas romance.

Of course it's also possible the movie was set over the holidays as a simultaneous nod to both the action and romance genres, as both share a long history of association with the season. Likewise, it's worth mentioning the Home Alone sequence as a possible inspiration - it joins Better Watch Out and Violent Night in the club of R-rated movies with homages to that franchise.

Alternatively, it may have been a last-minute alteration (that would explain why the holiday elements seem like afterthoughts). Though if it's that simple, it's odd the studio released this in March, rather than December.

Regardless, it's actually not directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen's first holiday film: their 2015 movie, Body, was also set during the holidays. In this case, I don't think the timing adds much to the film, though it doesn't really take anything away, either. This is a solid, unusual action/comedy/romance with great performances and inventive fight sequences (though maybe not quite as inventive as I'd have liked).

This is right on the edge of a recommendation, to be honest. Part of me thinks the relatively lax style, along with my unease at making light of a tragic condition, are big enough flaws to withhold one. But ultimately I find myself won over by the sweetness of the ending and (as I keep saying) its leads' performances. I also appreciated the movie's eagerness in instilling minor characters with a great deal of personality - the cops and robbers both feel more complex than usual for action fare. This isn't the greatest movie of its kind, but I had a good time with it. And I'm not even a fan of gore.