In Hollywood, where nepotism reigns supreme, it's easy to understand how an
underwhelming detective spoof like Zero Effect would get the green light
-- it's helmed by first-timer Jake Kasdan, son of writer/director Lawrence
Kasdan (Silverado, The Big Chill). The younger Kasdan stages each
scene handsomely, but as a writer he stretches potentially witty snaps into
disagreeably languorous melodrama.
Bill Pullman anchors the spectacle as Daryl Zero, an introverted but
highly-sought-after private investigator who spends his down time in recluse,
surfing the information highway and guzzling gallons of Tab. To compensate for
his social ineptitude, Zero employs the reluctant Steve Arlo (Ben Stiller) as
his sidekick and go-between. The set-up promises something goofy and humorous
along the lines of Austin Powers or Get Smart, but when the duo
are hired on by a corporate tycoon (a portly Ryan O'Neal) who's being
blackmailed over his dubious past, the gags dry up fast and all that's left are
Pullman's prosaic voiceovers. Kasdan's literary deficiencies aside, the
nonchalant Pullman and the neurotic Stiller should have exchanged roles. Kim
Dickens adds a spark as a possible suspect and the object of Zero's desire, but
it still all adds up to zilch.
--Tom Meek
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