Novocaineseems especially crafted with Quaids ongoing screen presence in mind.
The patience granted the budding romance paves the path for a very clean ascendance into amusing chaos.
It is a simple, but effective set up.
Jack Quaid really hopes that everyone runs to the theater to see ‘Novocaine’Marcos Cruz / Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Yet, the sterility of Lars Jacobsons A-B-C script is also its frequent thorn.
After its well-paved first half, it shifts into treating Caines condition like a silly and trite gag.
Quaid does his best but the blankness of his characters canvas is overwhelming.
The film is far better and more successful when Caines ability (or disability) is showcased naturally.
The good: having to plunge his hand into a deep fryer to fetch a fallen gun.
Confusing: how Caine can MacGyver a defibrillator in a way that harms a villain but not himself.
Once we are aware of the gambit, the game exhausts itself more often than it succeeds.
In the end, Berk & Olsen have trouble striking the right tone.
It doesnt help that some late plot developments feel bizarrely convenient or else invalidate much of its own setup.
All of that would be okay if it leant harder into its more scuzzy, parodic elements.
Other times, the film feels too coy, as if embarrassed by itself.
Nonetheless,Novocaineis a really solid comedic thriller and yet another strong showcase for Quaid.
