Movie of the Day: February 22, 2001

IMDb Movie of the Day
Zero Effect, the writing and directing debut of Jake Kasdan (son of master-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan), is a low-key update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story, "A Scandal in Bohemia." The modern-day Holmes is private detective Daryl Zero (Bill Pullman); Watson is harried personal assistant Steve Arlo (Ben Stiller). The movie begins with an amusing scene that cuts between Arlo lauding his boss's professional acumen to a prospective client and bemoaning his boss's personal ineptitude to a friend in a bar. It seems that Zero is a callous, substance-abusing, emotionally-detached wingnut in private; only when working, in disguise, does he feel comfortable and confident. This sets the stage for a slapstick comedy/detective story, but the movie, slowly, almost subliminally, becomes far more engaging than that, as Zero meets the first woman ever to rattle his prized objectivity. Stiller is droll and perfect, but the real joy is watching Pullman, whose considerable talents are, unfortunately, usually under-utilized. It's fun to see his eyes light up as he makes bogglingly astute observations about others, and fascinating to watch his face contort as he suppresses long-dormant feelings. (more)

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