This article includes mentions of self-harm.
Spoilers for Novocaine are ahead!
The action-thriller Novocaine is packed with non-stop twists and turns, plummeting the story towards a climactic ending that leaves the audience cheering for the hero, Nathan Caine. Jack Quaid has finally stepped into a leading man role, and the early reviews for Novocaine promise a wild ride for Quaid’s character and the audience. The movie follows a man named Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) who lives with Congenital Pain Insensitivity and Anhidrosis, which, at surface level, means that he can’t feel pain or temperature.
After finally building up the courage to go out with the coworker he loves, Sherry (Amber Midthunder), he realizes he could lose her when she gets kidnapped during a Santa-themed bank robbery. He makes the snap decision to pursue the robbers so that he can save her life, but it won’t be an easy fight. Nathan Caine finds himself fighting with unconventional weapons in a restaurant kitchen, tattoo studio, and booby-trapped house – all of which are worthy of the 4DX Novocaine theatrical release. This leads to a climactic ending that is as disgustingly bloody as it is entertaining.
How Nathan Caine Survives In Novocaine
Nathan’s Plot Armor Helps Him Survive Would Be A ᴅᴇᴀᴅly Fight
Despite suffering many injuries that should have killed him, Novocaine provided Nathan Caine with plot armor, making it abundantly clear that he wouldn’t die in the film. However, he comes close to getting killed towards the end of Novocaine. Simon gets the upper hand on Nathan, promising to murder Sherry afterward. Luckily, Sherry shows up to save Nathan at the last minute.
The fight switches to Sherry and Simon, with the sister trying to save the man she loves. Nathan swoops in at the end of the fight, using his arm bone to stab the robber, a grotesque and memorable way for Novocaine’s climax to end. The fact that Nathan and Sherry saved each other, instead of one being the hero and the other being the damsel, completes the main character’s tattoo, reaffirming the theme that people need each other to survive.
The film doesn’t directly show how he gets to the hospital, but the most logical explanation is that Sherry called an ambulance or Roscoe and the detective sent an ambulance to Sherry and Nathan after arriving at the hospital. Either way, the fact that Nathan Caine somehow survives the entire movie and doesn’t have any permanent ramifications from the injuries is the most unrealistic part of Novocaine, despite the action-thriller incorporating many silly plot points.
Novocaine’s Big Twist: Sherry’s Involvement In The Heist & Connection To The Robbers Explained
Sherry Took The Job At The Bank To Gain Information For The Robbery
Although she’s initially presented as the damsel-in-distress love interest of Nathan Caine, Novocaine offers a fun twist for the character – she’s in on the robbery. The trailer teased Novocaine’s big twist by having the robbers take Sherry from the bank without keeping a gun to her head, and she’s not shown being tied up. Despite this, whether or not Sherry’s involved in the heist feels ambiguous when she’s first alone with the robbers. She seems angry and defiant towards her captors. However, by the end of the scene, they reveal that she’s the sister of Simon, one of the villains.
As the film goes on, they continue to drop more information about the heist and her connection. She got the job at the bank so that they could get the code for the vault. While it’s not directly stated, the dialogue between Sherry and Simon heavily implies that she only went out on a date with Nathan Caine to get the code from him. Despite her involvement in the heist, Sherry does have some semblance of morals from the start. She only agreed to do the heist if they didn’t kill anyone.
Why Sherry Betrays The Robbers & Saves Nathan
Sherry’s Love For Nathan And Her Values Contribute To Her Betrayal
Although she initially becomes involved with Nathan to get the bank code, Sherry actually falls for her coworker in a matter of 24 hours. The pair connects with each other because they both have aspects of themselves that they want to hide. Nathan shares with Sherry that he lives with Congenital Insensitivity to Pain and Anhidrosis. While she’s slightly less guarded about her secret than Nathan, Sherry later reveals that she engages in self-harm. The moment when she shows her stomach, covered in cutting scars, to Nathan feels profoundly intimate. This connection undoubtedly contributed to her betraying her brother.
The difference between Simon and Sherry’s values about violence means that in every scenario, she would betray him at some point.
Additionally, Sherry never seems entirely comfortable with the heist, getting upset with Simon over the fact that he killed the manager of the bank and multiple police officers. Like Nathan Caine, she doesn’t have a problem with the theft. She is comfortable with the idea of Simon taking the money and leaving if he just lets everyone live. Ultimately, the difference between Simon and Sherry’s values about violence means that, in every scenario, she would betray him at some point. Her connection with Nathan Caine only serves as a catalyst to speed the process up.
What Novocaine’s Ending Means for Nathan & Sherry’s Future
Nathan & Sherry Are Still A Couple At The End Of Novocaine
The end of Novocaine includes two time jumps in a row that provide details on the individual futures of Nathan and Sherry, as well as their romance. After he kills Simon with his arm bone, Nathan loses consciousness and wakes up days later in the hospital. The police officer who helped him throughout Novocaine reveals to him that he got off easy, only getting house arrest and probation for all his crimes. The movie jumps forward again to a year later.
Nathan Caine is completely healed with no lasting ramifications, which is one of the most unrealistic parts of the Jack Quaid movie. He still has a close friendship with Roscoe, but he leaves him during the middle of a video game fight to go on a date with Sherry. The film then cuts to Nathan and Sherry celebrating their anniversary in the prison visitation room, confirming that they’re still together after Sherry’s betrayal, Nathan murdering Simon, and her going to prison.
Nathan is counting down the days until she gets out, proving that he’s just as in love with her as she was when they went on their first date. However, the fact that he eats the cherry pie indicates that he isn’t spending the time Sherry’s in jail removing himself from society like before. Sherry taught him to take risks, and he continues to do so even without her by his side.
The Real Meaning Of Novocaine’s Ending
Novocaine Tells Viewers That Risks Are Worth Joy
Novocaine makes its core message abundantly clear at the beginning of the film when Nathan and Sherry go to the diner. He tells her that he can’t eat any solid food because of his condition, and she urges him to just try it. Nathan is much happier after eating the cherry pie, affirming the message that you can’t live your life in fear if it means not experiencing joy.
The ending of Novocaine reiterates the theme twice during Sherry and Nathan’s date in the prison visitation room. He shows her the finished tattoo, depicting the knight and princess fighting to save each other. They are in danger, but it’s worth it because of their love for one another.
Then, in the final sH๏τ of the film, Nathan takes a bite of the cherry pie he brought to the prison and smiles, mirroring the early scene. While Novocaine is heavy-handed with the core message, the sH๏τ of Nathan eating the pie is a nice and idealistic circleback moment that allows the audience to reflect on how far the plucky main character has come since the first time he ate that food.
