NOVOCAINE
Starring: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Conrad Kemp, Evan Hengst, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, and Matt Walsh
Directors: Dan Berk and Robert Olsen
NICK
The reluctant hero is a role that fits Jack Quaid like a glove, and Novocaine allows him to showcase his talents as a full-feature lead. I'd say he passed his first test. The film has issues, mainly a wholly unnecessary twist and an over-the-top cartoony villain, but Quaid is not one of them - nor is Amber Midthunder who had been sorely underutilized since 2022's Prey. The gimmick (being impervious to pain) provides some gnarly injuries while the supporting cast supplies laugh-out-loud moments, but mainly, it’s just a fun time at the movie theatre. Tidy some things up and I’ll gladly take a Novocaine 2.
ADRIANO
Novocaine is a perfectly watchable piece of entertainment, but it lacks a personality, which is why I think it didn't have much of an impact on me. That said, there's clearly stuff to at least enjoy here, especially as a great showcase for Jack Quaid's leading man charm. Whenever the movie was committed to its ragdoll premise, it was really funny and borderline gross. It doesn't always commit, and the movie features a huge plot twist that adds nothing, but I left enjoying Novocaine, even if I suspect it'll be fleeting.
BODE
Novocaine sees Jack Quaid finally step into the role of leading man, and it’s an effective showcase as he’s able to infuse his natural charm into the protagonist with ease (his moments opposite Amber Midthunder are sweet highlights). Unfortunately, even with some wince-inducing moments, the film is too middling to leave a lasting impression beyond its central gimmick (especially at a near two-hour runtime) due to its cookie-cutter villains, lackluster humour, and big twist midway through that ultimately goes nowhere. Novocaine isn’t exactly a painful sit, but it’s not a memorable one either.
AMARÚ
Something I wasn’t expecting to say about Jack Quaid’s first real headlining film, Novocaine: that was really cute. Yes, it’s gory and action-packed, but the heart of the film is the relationship between Quaid and Amber Midthunder, who needs to be in many more things, by the way. They have real chemistry throughout, and if you want to call this a romantic comedy with lots of action, I wouldn’t hold it against you. I also didn’t hold the outrageous script and flimsy plot points against the film because of how enjoyably its rom-comical narrative is mixed with the well-shot action. Great execution of silly fun.
QUENTIN
I’m almost always a fan of “badass with a gimmick” movies like Crank and Upgrade because they at least try to inject something fresh into the one-man-wrecking-crew genre instead of being just another John Wick (look, Nobody is great too, don’t get me wrong. But it is what it is). As such, it’s no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed Novocaine. Jack Quaid takes the skills he has perfected on The Boys to create a charmingly reluctant hero that you want to root for, which makes the increasingly clever use of the feels-no-pain plot device, surprisingly effective humor, and the appealing rom-com coloring even more fun.
