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review: zero effect (1998)
By vrtualme | September 20, 2007
A cute little movie that somehow floated under the radar is Zero Effect (1998). The story of “The world’s most private detective” Daryl Zero, played by Bill Pullman (Independence Day 1996). A brilliant man with absolutely no social skills, he uses Ben Stiller (Night at the Museum 2006) as his front man. Between Stiller’s complaining rants about his insane boss, and Pullman’s commentary about the techniques he’s developed for his job, this movie is exploding with subtle black humor that I love. Written, directed and produced by Jake Kasdan (Orange County 2002); this is an amazing effort for his first job. So, if you’re bored with big name Hollywood blockbusters, head to the older rentals and pick up “Zero Effect.” No official website or trailer available.
Daryl Zero: I can’t possibly overstate the importance of good research. Everyone goes through life dropping crumbs. If you can recognize the crumbs, you can trace a path all the way back from your death certificate to the dinner and a movie that resulted in you in the first place. But research is an art, not a science, because anyone who knows what they’re doing can find the crumbs, the wheres, whats, and whos. The art is in the whys: the ability to read between the crumbs, not to mix metaphors. For every event, there is a cause and effect. For every crime, a motive. And for every motive, a passion. The art of research is the ability to look at the details, and see the passion.