Zero Effect (1998)

That was an excellent one.

How sad is this?

Good start, but then it gets ruined

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Good acting in this one, especially with the leads: Bill Pullman and Kim Dickens who have a great chemistry. A well written yarn obviously with nods to other stories. What I love is that it is an intelligent story with some realism and where the characters use their minds and hearts. There is no chase scene. There is no action. But there is suspense because of the story. That is what makes this movie stand out that Jake Kashdan, could make a really intriguing movie without tricks. Zero actually solves the whodunnit very early on and yet the movie continues on intriguing because of who actually did it and why that person is doing it.It is a new director and it shows some. There appears to be a change in tone. The movie starts out more absurd and then changes as the case gets on. Secondly there are some directorial decisions which are questionable such as a long tracking shot from under a table which has little meaning and detracts. You also have the subplot with Arlo and his girlfriend which could have been eliminated. Films seem to need a whiny woman as a subplot for some reason that I can't explain. All the parts are very well acted, and Stiller is no exception. Bill Pullman does a terrific job, as a the genius, but socially incompetent, and seriously (but brilliantly) disturbed Darryl Zero. There are comparisons to Holmes, including a reference to the effect that he does not have the luxury of having a Watson to record his methods, and chronicle his cases... and so: "I'm forced to do it myself." Like Holmes, he misses nothing and anticipates everything, but the way that Darryl explains his "methods" (in that soft style of Bill Pullman) are so brilliant, and so true, that his explanations (as brilliant as they are) seem so obvious, so as to be humorous...Overall rating: 9 out of 10.

Charming, Quirky, and Modern Retelling of Sherlock Holmes. A Reincarnation of one Daryl Zero, "The World's Most Private Detective". Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller are the Homes and Watson of this Bizarre Cult Favorite that was a Surprise from First Time Director/Writer Jake Kasdan.The Dialog, or the Words are what Moves this Rather Complex Story from A to B. The Best Stuff comes from the Voice Overs and Explanations that Define the Detective and His Methods. The Performances from the Main Actors are also Worthy and Effective. The Story Itself maybe too Complicated by a Half and the Film may be just a Little too Long for its Own Zeitgeist, but it is Better by Far than a Lot of so called Hip Comedies and Manages to Combine Wit and Personality to take the Movie on an Offbeat Path and Therein Lies the Appeal.It is Character Driven to Say the Least and the Mystery is kind of a Letdown in the End but the Road Taken is Filled with a Number of Pit Stops that are Both Intriguing and Intellectual Enough to make this a Sleeper Worthy of a Watch, and Maybe Even at this Late Date, A Sequel.

The big budget films that Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller get leave me unimpressed. The films a lark, but who are these guys? Can they act? Given an interesting script and a good director, Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller certainly can act.This is no comedy, although there are moments where you will laugh.This is not a derivative version of a Sherlock Holmes story, although there are interesting comparisons.I had not heard of this movie when I bought a VHS copy in a close-out bin. Since then, I have watched it every few years. It is the best work I have seen them do.

"Zero Effect" (1998) is a comedy/drama starring Bill Pullman, Ben Stiller, Ryan O'Neal, and Kim Dickens. Bill Pullman is Daryl Zero, a combination of Howard Hughes and Sherlock Holmes - an eccentric recluse with amazing deductive powers. Ben Stiller is Steve Arlo, his representative with the clients. The job is taking a toll on Steve's relationship with his girlfriend Jess. A high-powered man (O'Neal) is being blackmailed and, through Steve, hires Daryl Zero to find out who is blackmailing him and also to recover some keys that he lost. He believes the keys have given the blackmailer information he shouldn't have. Darryl works on the case hands-on, though distancing himself from the client, and becomes entangled with a paramedic (Dickens) whom he believes has something to do with the case.The acting is very good, particularly from Pullman and Stiller, and the script by writer/director Jake Kasdan is good, with some quirky twists. Unfortunately he also has his main character, the brilliant Daryl Zero, make a couple of stupid slips to facilitate the plot. No fair! All in all, "Zero Effect" is an odd film - it's not really a comedy, actually coming off more like a drama, and it's very low-key in its delivery, which is surprising with someone like Stiller in the cast. And it's quite absorbing, not at all a "zero effect."