Product Details

• Actors: Aleta Barthell, J.W. Crawford, Sarah DeVincentis, Kim Dickens, David Doty
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Turner Home Ent
• VHS Release Date: January 12, 1999
• Run Time: 116 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305012091
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #174,216 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Zero Effect follows private investigator Daryl Zero and Steve Arlo, his reluctant representative, through one particularly tangled case involving blackmail, murder, revenge, and a set of lost keys. Zero is the world's best private investigator, suave and totally in control while on a case, but socially inept when off the job. The diversely talented and prolific Bill Pullman is excellently cast as Zero, switching seamlessly from one persona to the next, and the ever-charming Ben Stiller is his perfect sidekick. In a deadpan description of his method, or the "Zero Effect," Zero details his brilliance for Sherlock Holmes-like deductions, based on his strict adherence to objectivity and observation, or, in Zero parlance, "the obs." Somewhat predictably the obs falter when the case of the missing keys brings Zero to Gloria Sullivan, a winsome and mysterious paramedic played by Kim Dickens. Thankfully, writer-director Jake Kasdan is no less brilliant than the Zero he creates, and the potential corniness of the developing romance is balanced by a razor-sharp wit and the nail-biting suspense of the unfolding plot. --Laska Jimsen

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully original movie born of a hackneyed genre, February 20, 2003

By	Jeremy Smith "Merriman" (Towson, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Zero Effect (DVD)

Jake Kasdan himself, the director of "Zero Effect," admitted that the Detective-Story plot is a Hollywood favorite. Having admitted that, he went on to create one of the best movies I've seen, and certainly the best I've seen in this genre, while at once adhering to the rules of the detective story and creating such a sharp, intelligently written story that it makes you shake your head.

There is so much to love about this movie I hesitate to begin. How about with the dialogue? From the first line, the dialogue is precise, subtle and funny. Someone famous once stressed that subtlety is key to lasting humor, and this script is exemplary; it's as funny the tenth time I watch it as it was the first. For once, we get to laugh at the detective hero, to laugh at his human flaws, as well as marvel at his methods.

Ben Stiller is a master of the human kettle of frustration, and is a great counterpoint to Pullman's various quirks. I didn't like Stiller much before this film, but have since become a staunch fan thanks to his performance here. Kim Dickens was fantastic, as was the role created for her. Detective movies usually feature a femme fatale with much more to her than meets the eye, but Clarissa is one to beat them all. I'll let it stand at that so as not to ruin any of the plot. And Ryan O'Neal rounds out the main cast with a wonderful portrayal of a white-collar criminal.

People accuse me sometimes of taking movies too seriously, but I argue back that my favorites are ones that actually teach me something lasting. As we watch, we solve the mystery along with Daryl Zero, and we learn his methods, similar to reading along to a Sherlock Holmes story (in this case, see "A Scandal in Bohemia"). While the real world of PI's almost always involves following a spouse around to see if they're cheating, one can still learn from this artificial world of blackmail, murder and reprisal. It is true that 'watching someone in their natural habitat can be very telling,' and learning how to be an objective observer ('the 2 obs') is rewarding. There is one scene where Zero makes his assessment of his client after watching him for a day at the gym, and it is absolutely fantastic.

I read a review of this film that complained about a thin soundtrack. Kasdan himself addressed the question: he hates, as do I, when a soundtrack tells you how to feel. If there's a love scene, play pretty piano music in the background. If someone's being followed, play music in a sinister minor chord. You get the idea. Can't you make a love scene realer, and more poignant, by playing nothing at all, by letting the rustle of a dress as it falls to the floor stand alone as a supremely erotic noise? Kasdan used music minimally, to accentuate a scene rather than make up for it.

Jake Kasdan, in his first solo effort as director, made a film as masterful and quirky as its main character, and at the same time made me hang on to every word while I was stunned time and again at the remarkable plot twists. For that he is to be commended.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the best movie of 1998..., October 22, 2004

By	Stalwart Kreinblaster "SK2008" (Xanadu) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zero Effect (DVD)

This is an extremely entertaining little film - with Bill Pullman providing most of the laughs - alongside the usually comic Ben Stiller - who is somewhat serious in this role. The film is about an extremely talented private dick who is inexperienced in his own personal life - which takes an almost classic twist (reminiscent of some old hollywood films) when he falls for the charms of someone - who turns out to be equally adept at hiding things. This is a very unique, intelligent movie that will leave you satisfied and a little bit excited about what you have seen. I think this gives us a glimpse of what hollywood these days is capable of, but rarely delivers - a charming character study!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DR. WATSON / VERSION 1998, December 20, 1998

By	wdanthemanw "wdanthemanw" (Geneva, Switzerland) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Zero Effect (DVD)

The least one can say about ZERO EFFECT is that the script is very intelligent and reveals the work of a genuine writer. Jake Kasdan has certainly read the adventures of Conan Doyle's super detective Sherlock Holmes with great delight. Like Holmes, bill Pullman likes to teake drugs (amphetamines for Bill, heroin for Sherlock) and to play music (guitar while Holmes had a predilection for violin) when he's out of work. Like Holmes, Bill stays away from women who could deconcentrate him and loves to surprise his audience with his wonderful sense of observation and the amazing logic of his deductions. His only problem : Watson isn't a Doctor but a lawyer who will not (ungrateful Ben Stiller !) write the story of the numerous cases he has solved during his career. So he has to open his PC and do the job himself. The scene in which Bill Pullman tries to find keys in Ryan O'Neal's office is undoubtedly an homage to E. A. POE's detective Auguste Dupin in THE PURLOINED LETTER (1845 !). In fact, nothing new under the sun ! But these references are discreetly hidden in this movie and demands a constant attention in order to appreciate them. ZERO EFFECT is the first movie of Jake Kasdan and I look forward for his next films with great impatience. A DVD to buy and to add to your collection of " unknown great movies "