Novocaine
Paramount Pictures (2025)
This is a fun movie that reminds me a little bit of Love Hurts in that it features a nerdy guy with a regular job who is drawn into a battle with bad guys to save his love interest. The hook in this film is that the nerdy guy in question, played by Jack Quaid, has a genetic condition called CIPA which makes him unable to feel pain. It may sound like a pretty cool superpower to have, but people who suffer from this condition have an average life expectancy of 25. His character, Nathan Caine, has to live his life with such caution that he doesn't consume anything that he would have to chew because there's a danger that he could bite off his own tongue without even knowing that he had done it.
Novocaine isn't the kind of movie that's likely to be on too many people's top ten lists at the end of the year, but it's a solid action comedy that I think most people who see it would enjoy. If you don't catch it in theaters, this might be a good one to save for December. The story is set during the holiday season with villains who are introduced to the film dressed as Santa Claus. It's no Die Hard, but I could see it turning into a holiday tradition.
