5 out of 5

Director: Jake Kasdan

Zero Effect is a weirdo movie that, while plodding at times, has such a sense of oddity and honesty to it that you cant help but at least be interested in the going-ons. And if youre interested, and if you like mysteries and quirky characters, then youll probably do as I did and fall in love with this movie and watch it over and over again with various people. …Bill Pullman plays detective Daryl Zero, a man almost completely removed (by choice) from society in an attempt to become the worlds best observer. Through his representative Steve Arlo (played by Ben Stiller before his repetitive post-Something About Mary period), Zero is selective with his cases, choosing only those which interest him. His latest case involves finding some missing keys… but develops into something much more complicated that cause Arlo to question his profession and Zero to further analzye what he dubs the Zero effect. An intelligent modern detective film with enough pathos and range to entertain and cause reflection on several levels, Zero Effect is a success in plotting, acting, and directing, and I havent seen something so surface normal but moodily strange since.