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Zero Effect

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Zero Effect
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJake Kasdan
Written byJake Kasdan
Based on"A Scandal in Bohemia"
byArthur Conan Doyle
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBill Pope
Edited byTara Timpone
Music byThe Greyboy Allstars
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures[1]
Release date
  • January 30, 1998(1998-01-30)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$5 million[2]
Box office$2 million (US)[2]

Zero Effectis a 1998 Americanmystery comedy filmwritten and directed byJake Kasdanin hisfeature directional debut.StarringBill Pullmanas "the world's most private detective", Daryl Zero, andBen Stilleras his assistant Steve Arlo, the film's plot is loosely based on theArthur Conan Doyleshort story "A Scandal in Bohemia".[3]

Shot inPortland, Oregon[4]and scored byThe Greyboy Allstars,the film was screened in theUn Certain Regardsection at the1998 Cannes Film Festival.[5]

The film did not perform well at the box-office grossing $2 million with a budget of $5 million.

Plot[edit]

Daryl Zero is the world's greatest detective, but is also a socially maladroitmisanthrope.Among his quirks is that he never meets or has direct contact with his clients, instead conducting business through his assistant, Steve Arlo. Throughout the movie, Zero provides narration as he reads lines from his proposed autobiography.

Zero and Arlo are hired by Portland area millionaire Gregory Stark, who has lost the key to a safe deposit box and is being blackmailed by an unknown person who forces him to follow elaborate instructions to deliver the cash payments. Zero quickly discovers that the blackmailer is Gloria Sullivan, anEMTwith a mysterious past. Zero becomes attracted to Gloria and they sleep together, compromising his trademark objectivity. He lets his guard down and tells her that his mother was killed by hisabusivefather, who later committed suicide.

Stark pressures Arlo to reveal the blackmailer's identity so that he can have that person killed. Arlo must also deal with Zero's absurd demands on his time, which increasingly interfere with Arlo's relationship with his girlfriend Jess.

Zero eventually discovers that Stark had raped Gloria's mother after she broke up with him. She later blackmailed Stark with the threat of exposing him as a rapist, so he had her killed. However, she had already given birth to their daughter Gloria, who was discovered and raised by the hitman who killed her mother. Gloria grew up knowing that Stark was behind her mother's murder, and when her adoptive father (the hitman) contracted a terminal illness, she used the information to blackmail Stark, using the money to pay for medical treatment.

At the meeting to deliver the final blackmail payment, Stark collapses from a heart attack and Gloria is compelled to save his life. She then flees the country with Zero's assistance.

Cast[edit]

Soundtrack[edit]

Released in January 1998 onWork Group,the official soundtrack for the film includes:

  1. "Mystery Dance" –Elvis Costello
  2. "One Dance" –Dan Bern
  3. "Starbucked" – Bond
  4. "Into My Arms"–Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
  5. "Some Jingle Jangle Morning" –Mary Lou Lord
  6. "Emma J" –Brendan Benson
  7. "The Method Pt. 2" –The Greyboy Allstars
  8. "Drifting Along" –Jamiroquai
  9. "Till You Die" – Candy Butchers
  10. "Lounge" –Esthero
  11. "Blackmail Drop" –The Greyboy Allstars
  12. "Three Days" – Thermadore
  13. "Rest My Head Against the Wall" –Heatmiser
  14. "The Zero Effect" –The Greyboy Allstars

Reception[edit]

Rotten Tomatoes,areview aggregator,reports that 66% of 56 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 6.8/10. The site's consensus reads: "A promising debut for writer/director Jake Kasdan,Zero Effectovercomes its flaws with its off-kilter humor and likeable leads. "[6]Leonard Klady ofVarietycalled it "scattershot entertainment that misses as often as it hits its targets".[7]Roger Ebertof theChicago Sun-Timesrated 3.5/4 stars and wrote that he was surprised by how involved he became in the film.[8]Janet MaslinofThe New York Timeswrote of the film's focus on the relation between Pullman and Stiller, "For all its admirable ambitions, this loosely focused first feature has the makings of a better buddy story than detective tale anyhow."[9]Jack Matthews of theLos Angeles Timescalled it "a confident first film and one of the freshest detective yarns to come along in a while".[10]Ruthe Stein ofThe San Francisco Chroniclerated it 2/4 stars and called it "more an interesting idea for a detective movie than it is an interesting film".[11]Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weeklyrated it C+ and called it "a very shaggy and minor comedy".[12]Geoff Andrew ofTime Out Londonwrote, "Kasdan's is a very promising debut, its own dearth of feeling offset by able writing, engaging playing and a sure sense of pace."[13]

Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.[14]

Television pilot[edit]

In 2002, Kasdan attempted to resurrect the character Daryl Zero for theNBCtelevision network.[15]He shared the screenwriting duties withWalon Greenand directed the pilot. He was also one of the producers. The series was intended to be a prequel, tracing the early adventures of Zero as he and Arlo became a team.[15]The pilot starsAlan Cummingas Zero andDavid Julian Hirshas the Arlo character, renamed Jeff Winslow. The cast also featuresKrista AllenandNatasha Gregson Wagner.[16]NBC did not pick up the pilot.

References[edit]

  1. ^ab"Zero Effect (1998)".AFI Catalog of Feature Films.RetrievedJuly 9,2019.
  2. ^ab"Zero Effect (1998)".The Numbers.RetrievedJune 28,2015.
  3. ^Tobias, Scott (January 14, 2010)."Zero Effect".The AV Club.RetrievedAugust 8,2021.
  4. ^Mohan, Marc (June 4, 2014)."Angelina, Keanu and other big stars came to Portland to film these 5 under-the-radar indie movies".The Oregonian.RetrievedJuly 8,2016.
  5. ^"Festival de Cannes: Zero Effect".festival-cannes.com.RetrievedOctober 4,2009.
  6. ^"Zero Effect (1997)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedJune 20,2023.
  7. ^Klady, Leonard (January 22, 1998)."Review: 'Zero Effect'".Variety.RetrievedJune 28,2015.
  8. ^Ebert, Roger (January 30, 1998)."Zero Effect".Chicago Sun-Times.RetrievedJune 28,2015– via RogerEbert.com.
  9. ^Maslin, Janet (January 30, 1998)."Zero Effect (1998)".The New York Times.RetrievedJune 28,2015.
  10. ^Matthews, Jack (January 30, 1998)."'Zero' Adds Up to a Fresh Detective Yarn ".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJune 28,2015.
  11. ^Stein, Ruthe (January 30, 1998)."'Zero Effect' Fresh But Doesn't Add Up / Pullman shows comic talent ".The San Francisco Chronicle.RetrievedJune 28,2015.
  12. ^Schwarzbaum, Lisa (February 13, 1998)."Zero Effect".Entertainment Weekly.RetrievedJune 28,2015.
  13. ^Andrew, Geoff (September 10, 2012)."Zero Effect".Time Out London.RetrievedJune 28,2015.
  14. ^"CinemaScore".Archived fromthe originalon December 20, 2018.RetrievedMarch 22,2019.
  15. ^abAdalian, Josef; Michael Schneider (September 27, 2001)."Peacock will takeEffect".Variety.RetrievedJuly 25,2009.
  16. ^Gans, Andrew (March 20, 2002)."Alan Cumming Lands NBC TV Pilot".Playbill.RetrievedMarch 2,2022.

External links[edit]

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