ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

ron-sasso Zero Effect is a movie that when you are done watching it, you will be hard-pressed to come up with a parallel film to compare it to. It truly is unique. Its blend of comedy, crime and drama is outstanding.For people who like unusual characters, the main character, Daryl Zero, is detached from much of life but is a brilliant private investigator. For those of you who may be curious about what is really going on with him, I would say that he could be diagnosed with Schizoid Personality Disorder (though he also has some Obsessive Compulsive Disorder traits).There are plenty of twists and turns throughout the film, many of which are totally unexpected. The acting is very well done and the script seems to move the story along at a nice pace.I believe the opening ten minutes may be one of the best lead-ins to introduce a character.As I write this, I think the only film that I can come up with that may be similar is "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang." If you enjoyed "Zero Effect" you will likely enjoy "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" as well.

filmbay THE first film from Jake Kasdan, the son of famed director Lawrence Kasdan (Pacific Heights, The Big Chill), is a detective comedy that works off a premise so obvious it's surprising it hasn't been exploited more often.Zero Effect steals the Sherlock Holmes mystery formula and places it into a contemporary context. The problem with Kasdan's film is that it doesn't get much beyond this modestly clever idea. Mixing excessive plot intricacies and broad, quirky comedy, the film ends up as a mildly puzzling sophomoric diversion.The self-styled "world's greatest detective" is Daryl Zero, played by Bill Pullman (Independence Day). He's a twitchy character, hair askew, eyes glazed and living in Howard Hughes-like isolation. As is often the case, Pullman seems to be in an acting class of his own, experiencing complicated inner surges and thoughts that don't have much to do with his character.This is hardly the "cold, precise, but admirably balanced mind" of Arthur Conan Doyle's detective, though the parallels are deliberate. Instead of cocaine, Zero imbibes amphetamines; instead of playing the violin, he plays loud, squawky confessional songs on his acoustic guitar. But armed with the latest in information-gathering technology and arcane knowledge -- bylaws governing motel bed placement for the past 30 years -- Zero solves cases with magical precision. The Watson of the story, Steve Arlo, is played robotically by Ben Stiller (Flirting with Disaster). He's a resentful sidekick who gets drunk and complains incessantly about his employer while trying desperately to have an ordinary romantic life after office hours. He works as a front man for Zero, maintaining strict client confidentiality, and collecting big fees.At the beginning of the film, Arlo is in a meeting with lumber tycoon Gregory Stark (Ryan O'Neal), a client of Zero's who is searching for missing keys to a safety deposit box, but who is also being blackmailed for a secret he will not reveal. In short order, Zero has figured out who is doing the blackmailing: a paramedic (a tough gamine played by Kim Dickens, who makes a strong impression here as she does in Great Expectations) who works at Stark's health club. In his quest to expose her motives, Zero gradually finds himself falling in love for the first time in his life, a fallibility that never afflicted Sherlock Holmes.The movie then changes directions to concentrate on the love story, while Arlo continues his quest to break free of his boss so he can enjoy a fling of his own. The plot is complicated, relying on Zero's weird knowledge and observational skills. But the momentum is gone long before the movie ends and one is left only with a faint sense of curiosity. Like listening to Frank Sinatra sing Stevie Wonder, it's interesting, but why bother? Benjamin Miller, Filmbay Editor.

Kristine While I admit gladly that this was a really entertaining story and Bill and Ben work so well together, for some reason this just wasn't to me an good movie to watch. I also definitely fell asleep on it twice, which is a bad sign in my case. Bill plays a detective who is trying to figure out a blackmailer and where a tycoon's keys are. But unfortunately for him his partner played by Ben Stiller, he wants to quit and settle down with his girlfriend. Also, Bill happens to fall in love with the blackmailer from what I understand and it gets in the way, big time.Not my type of movie, it was kind of boring to me. I know that IMDb users will not find this comment useful, that's OK. I don't want to spend a paragraph on why I didn't enjoy the movie, you're just going to have to take my word on it.6/10

garyofcourse i really wasn't expecting much out of this movie initially. didn't think a movie about a half whacked detective would be anything out of the ordinary. but the movie turned out to be just the opposite. now it isn't a thriller, but it moves along at a calm steady pace, and at no point does it seem to drag or lose momentum. it brought one small surprise after another in the storyline that kept it entertaining throughout. most unpredictable and thats what i liked about it. i also found the investigations and methods of the detective very interesting. if you've read and enjoyed Sherlock Holmes stories, you're definitely gonna like this film. the acting is convincing, the actors blend into their roles perfectly. and you cant help but immerse yourself in the story after the first few minutes. it was almost like reading a book - very relaxed air about the whole movie that fitted the storyline perfectly. this is something you could definitely watch with the rest of the family and children. left me smiling and happy.