Writer-director Jake Kasdan's Zero Effect gets its title from its main
character, Daryl Zero (Bill Pullman). Zero is perhaps the world's greatest
private detective, solving many a case without even setting foot outside of
his well-secured penthouse apartment. And that's the problem--Zero is
unquestionably a head case, a shut-in with no social skills whatsoever,
writing bad love songs, guzzling cans of Tab, and eating tuna straight from
the can when not working on a case. His only contact with the outside
world comes in the form of his overworked assistant, attorney Steve Arlo
(Ben Stiller).
>From the sounds of it, Zero Effect sounds like one of those painfully
labored and unfunny comedies focusing on a wacky hero who somehow achieves
brilliance through his sheer stupidity and dumb luck. In reality, though,
the film could not be more different. While it does have its share of
humorous moments, Zero Effect is an intriguing character study of its
protagonist disguised as a conventional comic mystery.
Not that there isn't a mystery involved, and it is certainly one of Zero
Effect's weakest points. Zero is hired by wealthy Portland businessman
Gregory Stark (Ryan O'Neal) to recover a set of lost keys. Naturally, this
simple investigation leads to something more complex, mainly a blackmail
scheme involving Stark and a paramedic named Gloria Sullivan (Kim Dickens).
How this mechanical mystery plays out is flat, suspenseless, and more than
a little predictable, not helped at all by Kasdan's unnecessarily languid
pacing.
However, with the development of Gloria's relationship with an incognito
Zero the film achieves a surprising poignance. Zero may be an oddball, but
he's also incredibly intelligent, and that is the root cause of his
reclusiveness. Throughout the film, Zero describes his investigation
technique in a "how-to" voiceover, and it is here that he explains the key
to his success: "the two 'obs'"--objectivity and observation. In becoming
the best P.I. in the world, Zero has mastered the art of objectivity,
literally and figuratively detaching himself from the rest of the world.
When the investigation forces him to deal directly with Gloria, Zero is
treated to his first genuine emotional human contact and a glimpse of what
real life is about--direct involvement, not objective observation. This is
not to say that Zero Effect degenerates into something sappy and
touchy-feely; the power of the relationship and its effects on Zero and
Gloria derives from its subtle execution.
Zero Effect is not a perfect debut for Kasdan (son of Lawrence); in
addition to the by-the-numbers mystery, there is also a weak subplot
revolving around the strain Arlo's work puts on his relationship with his
girlfriend (Angela Featherstone). But even in its flawed form, Zero Effect
is a lot more accomplished and mature than a lot of work by more
established filmmakers.
