Zero Effect
Zero Effect movie poster
Directed by	Jake Kasdan
Produced by	Lisa Henson, Jake Kasdan, Janet Yang
Written by	Jake Kasdan
Starring	Bill Pullman Ben Stiller Ryan O'Neal Kim Dickens Angela Featherstone Hugh Ross
Music by	The Greyboy Allstars
Cinematography	Bill Pope
Editing by	Tara Timpone
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	1998 (United States)
Running time	116 min.
Language	English
Budget	$5 million
IMDb profile

Zero Effect is a 1998 film directed by Jake Kasdan (son of famed Hollywood writer/director Lawrence Kasdan) starring Bill Pullman as 'the world's most private detective' Darryl Zero and Ben Stiller as his assistant Steve Arlo. Image File history File links Billpullmanzeroeffect. ... Jake Kasdan is the director such films as 1998s Zero Effect and 2002s Orange County. ... Jake Kasdan is the director such films as 1998s Zero Effect and 2002s Orange County. ... Jake Kasdan is the director such films as 1998s Zero Effect and 2002s Orange County. ... William Bill Pullman (born December 17, 1954) is an American actor. ... Benjamin Edward Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an Emmy-winning American comedian, actor, film producer and director. ... Patrick Ryan ONeal (born April 20, 1941) is an Oscar-nominated American actor. ... Kim Dickens as Joanie Stubbs in Deadwood Kim(berly Jan) Dickens, born 18 June 1965 in Huntsville, Alabama, is an American actress and model. ... Karl Denson, Robert Walter, Chris Stillwell, Elgin Paak, and Zak Najor come together to form the San Diego launched jazz group, The Greyboy Allstars. ... Bill Pope(born June 19, 1952) is an award winning American cinematographer, best known for his work on the Matrix trilogy and Spider Man movies. ... This is a list of film-related events in 1998. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Jake Kasdan is the director such films as 1998s Zero Effect and 2002s Orange County. ... Lawrence Kasdan (born 14 January 1949, Miami, Florida) is an American movie producer, director and screenwriter. ... William Bill Pullman (born December 17, 1954) is an American actor. ... Benjamin Edward Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an Emmy-winning American comedian, actor, film producer and director. ...

The film features Ryan O'Neal as Stark and Kim Dickens as Sullivan. Written by Jake Kasdan, the film is to some extent inspired by A Scandal in Bohemia by Arthur Conan Doyle. Patrick Ryan ONeal (born April 20, 1941) is an Oscar-nominated American actor. ... Kim Dickens as Joanie Stubbs in Deadwood Kim(berly Jan) Dickens, born 18 June 1965 in Huntsville, Alabama, is an American actress and model. ... A Scandal in Bohemia was the first of Arthur Conan Doyles 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories to be published in The Strand Magazine. ... Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a Scottish author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and the adventures of Professor Challenger. ...

The film was scored by The Greyboy Allstars. Karl Denson, Robert Walter, Chris Stillwell, Elgin Paak, and Zak Najor come together to form the San Diego launched jazz group, The Greyboy Allstars. ...

Plot

Zero, a brilliant but reclusive private detective for hire, traditionally works from afar with Arlo as his representative in the field. Socially awkward and inept (but extraordinarily confident in his deductive abilities), Zero keeps himself locked in his apartment, where he composes awful songs on his guitar and subsists on a diet of tuna, Tab, pretzels, Campbell's soup, and amphetamines. Zero and Arlo are retained by Gregory Stark to investigate who is blackmailing him. During the investigation, Zero takes to the field and encounters Gloria Sullivan, an equally mysterious young woman with a possible connection to the case. Throughout the film, Arlo is torn between his loyalty to Zero and his affection for his girlfriend Jess. Species See text. ... Tab, (also spelled TaB), is a diet cola. ... A pretzel is a baked snack that is ordinarily twisted into a unique knot-like shape. ... Campbell Soup Company ( NYSE: CPB) (also known as Campbells) is undeniably the most well-known producer of canned soups and related products in the United States (and possibly the world). ... Amphetamine is a synthetic drug originally developed (and still used) as an appetite suppressant. ...

Cast

Major Cast

• Bill Pullman as Daryl Zero, detective
• Ben Stiller as Steve Arlo, Zero's assistant
• Ryan O'Neal as Gregory Stark, Zero's client, who is being blackmailed
• Kim Dickens as Gloria Sullivan; in Zero's words, "the only woman"

William Bill Pullman (born December 17, 1954) is an American actor. ... Benjamin Edward Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an Emmy-winning American comedian, actor, film producer and director. ... Patrick Ryan ONeal (born April 20, 1941) is an Oscar-nominated American actor. ... Kim Dickens as Joanie Stubbs in Deadwood Kim(berly Jan) Dickens, born 18 June 1965 in Huntsville, Alabama, is an American actress and model. ...

Supporting Cast

• Angela Featherstone as Jess, Steve's girlfriend
• Hugh Ross as Bill, Steve's friend at the bar
• Sarah Devincentis as Daisy, the receptionist at the health club
• Matt O'Toole as Kragen Vincent
• Michele Mariana as a maid
• Robert Katims as Gerald Auerbach, Stark's friend in the health club
• Tyrone Henry and Aleta Barthell as staffers
• Tapp Watkins as a firefighter
• Wendy Westerwelle as the motel clerk
• Lauren Hasson as the little kid (on the swing?)
• Daniel Pershing as Rahim
• David Doty as Officer Hagans, in the Records department
• J.W. Crawford as a convention employee
• Fred Parnes as Chuck
• Luisa Sermol as the waitress in the diner
• Marvin L. Sanders and Doug Baldwin as astronomers in the planetarium
• Robert Blanche as the paramedic in the planetarium
• Margot Demeter as Clarissa Devereau

Angela Featherstone (born on 3 April 1965 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian actress. ... Hugh Ross may refer to Hugh Ross (clergyman) (c. ... Matt OToole is an actor who is best known for his role as Paul Millander in the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. ... David B. Doty (1950) is a composer and authority on just intonation. ... // A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. ...

The Wisdom of Darryl Zero

Throughout the film, Zero (who is writing a memoirs of sorts) offers the viewer a number of pieces of advice and pearls of wisdom on the detective trade. A few such thoughts are:

'I can't possibly overstate the importance of good research. Everyone goes through life dropping crumbs. If you can recognize the crumbs, you can trace a path all the way back from your death certificate to the dinner and a movie that resulted in you in the first place. But research is an art, not a science, because anyone who knows what they're doing can find the crumbs: the wheres, whats, and whos. The art is in the whys: the ability to read between the crumbs--not to mix metaphors. For every event, there is a cause and effect. For every crime, a motive. And for every motive, a passion. The art of research is the ability to look at the details, and see the passion.'

'Now, a few words on looking for things. When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because of all the things in the world, you're sure to find some of them.'

'I always say that the essence of my work relies fundamentally on two basic principles: objectivity and observation, or "the two obs" as I call them. My work relies on my ability to remain absolutely, purely objective, detached. I have mastered the fine art of detachment. And while it comes at some cost, this supreme objectivity is what makes me, I dare say, the greatest observer the world has ever known.'

'A few words here about following people. People know they're being followed when they turn around and see someone following them. They can't tell they're being followed if you get there first.'

Soundtrack

Released in January of 1998, the official soundtrack for the film included:

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

Unreleased (and not appearing in the film) was 'Zero Effect', a song that Dan Bern wrote after reading the script and contemplating the plot from Kim Dickens' character's perspective. Bern has played the song in concert and referenced its connection to the film. Declan Patrick MacManus (born August 25, 1954, in London), better known by his stage name, Elvis Costello, is an English musician, singer, and songwriter of Irish ancestry. ... Dan Bern (aka Bernstein, a name which he sometimes performs under) is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, novelist, and painter. ... Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. ... Mary Lou Lord as she was in 1995 on the cover of her self-titled album Mary Lou Lord (born March 1, 1965 in Salem, Massachusetts) is an indie/folk rock musician, busker and recording artist. ... Brendan Benson Brendan Benson is a Detroit, Michigan born musician and songwriter. ... Karl Denson, Robert Walter, Chris Stillwell, Elgin Paak, and Zak Najor come together to form the San Diego launched jazz group, The Greyboy Allstars. ... Jamiroquai was an English band. ... Esthero on the cover of Wikked Lil Grrrls (2005) Esthero (born Jen-Bea Englishman, December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario[1]) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who hails originally from Toronto, Ontario but has recently moved to Los Angeles. ... Karl Denson, Robert Walter, Chris Stillwell, Elgin Paak, and Zak Najor come together to form the San Diego launched jazz group, The Greyboy Allstars. ... Heatmiser Heatmiser was an alternative rock band from Portland, Oregon consisting of Elliott Smith (guitar and vocals), Neil Gust (guitar and vocals), Brandt Peterson (bass) (later to be replaced by Sam Coomes, frontman of Quasi) and Tony Lash (drums). ... Karl Denson, Robert Walter, Chris Stillwell, Elgin Paak, and Zak Najor come together to form the San Diego launched jazz group, The Greyboy Allstars. ...

The Television Pilot

In October of 2001, Entertainment Weekly reported that Kasdan was attempting to resurrect the character of Daryl Zero for television. The series was intended to be a prequel, tracing the early adventures of Zero. Kasdan produced a pilot featuring Alan Cumming as Darryl Zero. NBC did not pick up the pilot, which also featured Krista Allen and Natasha Gregson Wagner. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965 in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross), is a Scottish film, television and stage actor, best known for his film roles in GoldenEye, as Boris Grishenko; in X2: X-Men United, as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler; and on the stage with his Tony Award-winning performance as... NBC (an abbreviation for National Broadcasting Company, its former corporate name) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Krista J. Allen (born April 5, 1972[1]) is an American actress. ... Natasha Gregson Wagner (born on 29 September 1970 in Los Angeles, California, USA) is an American actress. ...

External links

• Zero Effect at the Internet Movie Database
• Zero Effect TV Pilot at the Internet Movie Database