There is no doubt that you want to see Jack Quaid movies and shows right away. He’s fun in everything that he’s in. With Novacaine, you’ll probably want to avoid it if you have the kids in tow.
The high-action movie follows an everyday man whose girlfriend is taken hostage. Rather than the movies where it’s always a former CIA operative or some sort of military veteran hunting down the kidnappers, Novacaine gives us a movie that most of us can relate to. Well, except for the fact that Quaid’s character, Nate, cannot feel any pain.
So, he’s able to handle injuries that nobody else can. It makes for a fun but violent movie.
Novacaine age rating: Explaining the R rating
Officially rated R, this movie is packed with violence and gore. You don’t even need to see the movie first to know that. The trailer is packed with fight scenes that give you a good idea of what you can expect. It’s also packed with a lot of foul language.
Let’s break down the components that make up the age rating to get a better understanding of it.
Sex & nudity: Despite the movie being focused on a man on the hunt for his missing girlfriend, it’s not filled with sex or nudity. There is a scene in the opening moments at an art show where a woman’s breasts are on show, although the nipples are covered. There’s also a sexually suggestive scene at one point in the movie, but nothing is shown on the screen.
Violence & gore: As you would expect from the gore in the trailer, there is a lot more in the movie. There are many fight scenes, and they get brutal. At one point, Nate throws a pan of scolding oil, leading to what he says are third-degree burns on his victim.
Nate is injured in multiple ways, including via an arrow to the leg and his fingernails being ripped off. Remember that he feels no pain, so it looks like these injuries mean nothing to him, but not being able to feel pain is actually a very bad thing in the real world!
Language: The F-bomb is dropped multiple times. As someone who watches The Boys, I did expect the C-word now and then since he has no problem saying it in there, but Quaid doesn’t utter it once in Novacaine. The F-bomb is the worst of the words, with the S-word and B-word dropped now and then.
Alcohol & drugs: There is some drinking at the art show and various other parts of the movie. This isn’t overused or gratuitous in any way.
Overall verdict: Who is Novacaine appropriate for?
This is one of those movies that gets its age rating due to the violence. I’d personally say that older teens would be fine watching it. While it’s rated R in the U.S., it’s rated 14A in Canada and 15 in the UK. So, if your teens watch shows and movies with a lot of violence, especially superhero shows or something like Taken, then they’ll be fine with this.
However, it’s important to have some stark conversations with your kids. One of the biggest issues is the way Nate doesn’t feel pain. This can give off a disturbing view that nothing will hurt in real life.
Novacaine is available to watch in theaters right now.