Rating: 
Summary: To Great Effect
Review: Kim Dickens and Bill Pulllman effect one of the best screen romances in a long time. Delicate, sweet, with real adult innocense...the kind of relationship You want to have, but it takes time and it is complicated, like real life. The rest of the story is funny and fun. Stiller is fine with his love/hate relationship...the movie works on repeated viewings. Worth owning on dvd because the director's commentary is excellent.
Rating: 
Summary: Pullman at his best
Review: I enjoyed this movie despite the fact that I won't give it more than three stars. Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller both give great performances in this movie; this may be Pullman's finest vehicle to date. However, the movie ultimately fails to live up to the potential of a decent enough screenplay because of the directing. I got the feeling that Kasdan didn't entirely trust the actors nor the audience to "fill in the blanks" so rather than letting Zero's quirky character stand on its own, various characters have to say throughout the movie, essentially, "Zero is quirky," over and over again. There are too many poignant pauses that embarrassingly just hang there, not contributing to character development. Other scenes drag on providing detail that simply doesn't contribute to the overall enjoyment of the movie. I got the feeling that the director was aiming for a "Buckaroo Banzai" sort of cult following with audiences dissecting, for example, each line of Zero's love song sung standing on the bed in long underwear and boots. So if you just want to take the movie lightly and enjoy it, it has too much detail randomly applied. If you want to "cult out" on the movie, the detail seems spurious and not integrated. Surround sound mix was, at the very kindest, uninspired. Other than a few special effects (gun shots) there was a noticeable flatness to the sound stage. A perfect example is when Zero and the girl are out shooting at night: there is a lot of ambient outdoor noise (frogs, crickets, et cetera) but it is all coming out of the front center speaker. It is so easy to expand that out to the corners of the sound stage and thus augment the feeling of being outside at night...
Rating: 
Summary: Anything but a zero
Review: a wonderfully enjoyable movie. Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller are great. The scene in the hotel room where Arlo tells zero that there aren't good guys and bad guys is one of the most subtely humurous ever. Great soundtrack backs this great movie.
Rating:
Summary: Plummetting bird
Review: I really liked this movie and will try to be helpful without repeating all that has been said. First for the bad parts. It is a new director and it shows some. There appears to be a change in tone. The movie starts out more absurd and then changes as the case gets on. Secondly there are some directorial decisions which are questionable such as a long tracking shot from under a table which has little meaning and detracts. You also have the subplot with Arlo and his girlfriend which could have been eliminated. Films seem to need a whiny woman as a subplot for some reason that I can't explain. For the good--you have a hero who lives by cunning and wits with almost no violence in the movie. You have a movie with little or no out of whack plot devices. The characters act consistently and humanely. There is no cold-blooded Clint Eastwood type hero who is more wicked than the villian. As Arlo says, there aren't good guys and bad guys, its just a bunch of guys. The movie thinks and has a genuine romance by two people that seems real. And then for the capper, they stick to their nature and there isn't a forced ending! I would hope that there would be another one but this thing didn't play well in the theaters though everyone I know who saw it (and I heavily recommended it) liked it alot. So if you want a thoughtful detective story with some humor and don't need to see guns or car chases, give it a view.
Rating:
Summary: More than a shallow comedy, in my opinion. Very well done.
Review: There are plenty of comments here about the plot, so I'd like to comment on other aspects. This is a very intriguing movie. It has a quirkiness to it similar to Conspiracy Theory. To me, it is really a mystery/drama more than it is a comedy. And, as in Conspiracy Theory, the main character, Darryl Zero, is a flawed individual. He is gifted private investigator, but he is also a very emotionally tangled person due to being a victim of some tragic past circumstances. These circumstances are brought out later and you realize you can't judge by mere appearances, similar to Jerry in Conspiracy Theory. In the beginning he seems kind of creepy, but as you learn about who he is, you begin caring about him. This happens with Daryl Zero, too. He seems like an off-the-shelf weirdo at first, and he IS strange, but you begin to see something deeper pretty quickly and begin to like him and want the best for him. (the second time you watch, you realize why they have the scene of him half-singing "it's cold and dark in my heart. Mama..." at the end of the bed. The guy has emotional problems). I'm simply saying all this to say, give him a chance. Flawed? Absolutely. Gifted? Absolutely. Like all of us, he has problems. I think the reason people enjoy watching it over and over is that this movie is so multifaceted. There is an intriguing plot. There are complex characters. It has some terrific camera work. Clever scripting. For example, by the third time you watch it, you will be laughing about the fact that every time Daryl diagnoses someone else's flaws, he is guilty of the very same thing. Listen to him rant in his kitchen about not taking care of one's self and being repulsive. Also, the phone call incognito in the airport pointing out that Stark has a deep paranoia and fear of being found out. And, "When you are able to stay detached, other peoples passions come into stark relief," is followed by his own violent tantrum. Very funny, subtle irony. Lastly, one of his key axioms is that "passion is the enemy of precision." This is a theme though out the movie. It is something that each of the main characters are guilty of, including Daryl Zero. His passion (or emotional involvement) causes him to make mistakes with Gloria from the moment they meet (i.e. After seeing her, he blurts out, "Are you a paramedic?" rather than keeping detached, as he teaches.) and continues as his passion grows. The same axiom applied to Kragan Vincent 30 years earlier. :) Anyway, this is just another facet. Movies are the art of storytelling. And this one is told very well. It wasn't until the third time I saw it that I noticed that when he is typing his memoirs through the movie, he is "normal" (or more normal than he was). This is obviously because these scenes are of him telling the story, after benefiting from Gloria's impact on him; i.e. "The Zero Effect" - Observation and Careful Intervention. Hope this was helpful.
Rating:
Summary: better than i expected
Review: This movie was not as funny as i thought it would be, but it was interesting. It's a movie in which i couldn't honestly say why i enjoyed it, but i did. I think i liked the movie because it was kind of like a detective movie with a little bit of comedy. I honestly had no problems with the movie except for the fact that it seemed like it drug on forever. It was a fun movie to watch though so i think it deserves the four stars i give it.
Rating:
Summary: Portland is the enemy of precision
Review: Bill is Zero. Ben is Arlo. Together, they're a wacky team that, err, whoops. Bill Pullman's Daryl Zero is definitely an odd character. He's yet another "my other brother Daryl." He's almost, but not quite, a master of disguise, but his deductive reasoning hasn't been matched since, well, another fictional character that's been mentioned frequently in these reviews. Why is he odd? He's a recluse, living in a fabulous, quadruple locked, windowless penthouse apartment, living on bulk pretzels and Tab. And pills. Ben Stiller is his associate, and he's the consummate professional, but working for a demanding spacecase like Pullman is taking its toll. On the other hand, the money's nice. Ryan O'Neal is the bad guy. He's a pudgy ex-Ivy Leaguer, who has built his fortune in Portland, OR., and he's being blackmailed. Plus there's bad poetry involved. Bad rock. Bad fake moustaches. Bad hair days. And you'll find out more about the recent history of American Bed design. Sure there's cliches piled up throughout the film, and a couple of the principles don't quite make it over the top (Pullman and Featherstone), this film didn't deserve to tank as badly as it did. It's a fun rent. Check it out. DVD Extras -- nothing too special. You get the trailer. My feeble PC crashed a lot when I was looking at actor bios.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and Extremely Smart Twist on The Private Eye Genre!
Review: First time writer-director Jake Kasdan really scored big with this ingeniously delightful and original mystery-comedy. But the talent seems to run in the family, he is the son of Lawrence Kasdan. Kasdan senior made 'Body Heat', 'The Accidental Tourist' and 'The Big Chill' all great films. It's basically a very intelligent script filled with sharp dialogue and a twisting plot brought to life by an extremely likable cast. Bill Pullman was an odd choice but he makes a compelling Darryl Zero. Pullman has made some good films in his limited career, namely a small part in 'The Last Seduction' which is his best performance yet, but is an actor of limited range. As likable as he may be, one can't help but imagine a more versatile actor in that crucial role. Ben Stiller on the other hand is perfectly cast as Steve Arlo, Zero's sidekick and representative. The plot itself has more twists than a pretzel but it's surprisingly not hard to follow and it's very involving which heightens the suspense. Ryan O'Neal who will always be remembered for his role in 'Love Story' makes for a compelling unlikable character. The basic premise of the script which deals with Zero's smoothness on the job but social ineptitude in real life is very well handled until he meats the blackmailer herself (Kim Dickens) and becomes romantically involved with her. The cornyness of that subplot is what bogs down the film a little. But still this is one of the most original mystery-comedies since 'Blood Simple', a much darker and better film of course but it can be considered a mystery-comedy. Flaws aside it's smart, funny, original, inventive and entertaining. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 7!
Rating:
Summary: "Passion is the enemy of precision"
Review: --Daryl Zero, master private investigator I saw this movie in the theater when it opened because I am a Bill Pullman fan. Little did I know that I'd be hooked on it from the moment I saw the clever opening credits. Hilarious performances by Pullman and Ben Stiller (one of Stiller's best, in fact). Nice turn also by Ryan O'Neal and Kim Dickens. Subtle soundtrack (also well worth owning!). I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this movie--can't ask for more than that!
Rating:
Summary: Zero Effect
Review: I didn't want to miss one word of this movie. I loved this movie. My review is really a question, does anyone know whether there is a book that this movie was based on? I want to share this story with a blind friend and I believe he would enjoy it best if he had it on cassette in book form. Please Help.
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