I heard about this movie on Siskel & Ebert and wanted to see it, but it never came to my town. So when I finally found it on video I rented it, watched it, watched it again, and again. It has quickly become one of my all time favorite movies. Why? Because it starts off as a comedy and quickly moves into a really involving mystery and romance. Funny, this is the same combination that makes Casablanca such a great movie. But what really gets me every time I watch this movie is the depth of the characterizations. Ben Stiller is at his best in the understated comedy of playing the sidekick. You can see how torn he is trying to be a friend to an obnoxious @$$hole, but knows that he is needed by said @$$hole. Kim Dickens is absolutely wonderful, in a role that should have catapulted her to more. She is so grounded, that all of the odd goof-ball things that go on around her can happen only because she plays it absolutely straight. It is her groundedness that makes the mystery/romance so compelling. But really, this is Bill Pullman's best performance ever. He starts off in the same sort of oddball, goofy stuff that he's so well known for. But there's a depth underneath. We find out why he's like that. We find out what it must be like to be the most brilliant detective. And the price for it: complete and utter detachment from life. It is this compelling characterization, so well pulled off by Pullman, that opens up the romance. It is quite unlike any romance I've ever seen on screen. Usually it is the man who is suave and in control. Here, Daryl Zero has no control, and is forced along a path he's never taken before. And we see as he is forced out of his shell, exactly what brought this brilliant man to the point in his life where he's never even kissed a girl. It's really an incredible story. And before I go, I would just like to make one final point. There is a scene where Daryl is talking to Gloria in a diner. In this scene, Gloria confronts Daryl and forces him to tell her the most horrible memory he has. There has been a lot of questions about whether Daryl is telling the truth in this scene. In watching the DVD with the commentary, Jake Kasdan says that even he isn't sure whether Daryl is telling the truth, but he says that Daryl is telling the "emotional truth." I think that's a good distinction. Watch Pullman's face as he tells this horrible story. You can see the pain on his face, and the obvious attempts to hide it, and he's not sure whether he should hide it. And once it has come out, he feels relieved, and scared and a whole lot more all at the same time. Without a doubt, this is the finest scene of pure acting I've ever scene. Pullman should be very proud of this performance. It is the finest in his career and deserves to be seen. So, as you can probably tell, I highly recommend this film. Not only does it work as the compelling drama I've described above, it is a hilarious comedy and has a great mystery at its heart. Dig through your video store to find this one. It is definitely worth it.
Review of Zero Effect
