The star of 'The Boys' and 'Companion' takes an '80s-style hero turn in his new action flick, where he plays a man who can't feel pain. "It’s not about how much I can kick a**," he says. "It’s about how much my a** can get kicked.

Paramount’s action comedy Novocaine saw the brilliant Jack Quaid continue his strong 2025 run, following the late-January release of the widely acclaimed sci-fi thriller, Companion. Having just debuted in theaters across the most recent weekend,

Quaid's leading role in Novocaine feels like a natural continuation of these genre-bent everymen. He plays Nathan Caine, a mild-mannered assistant bank manager who has congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), a genetic disorder that impacts his nervous system to the point that he can't feel pain or temperature.

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Novocaine could have been written by a 12-year-old, and I’m not sure I mean that pejoratively. It’s a riff on superhero stories, but it’s been thought up with a whiff of dopey plausibility: The film’s protagonist,

“Novocaine” only cost $18 million to produce, so (like its main character) it shouldn’t be feeling any pain at the box office. On the flip side, “Mickey 17” cost $118 million to produce and needs around $275 million to $300 million worldwide to make a profit.

Jack Quaid's action comedy film is looking to dethrone Mickey 17 at what might be the year's softest weekend at the box office so far.