Drugstore.com Coupons
How others will see it. It's a very interesting movie. The rare individual scene doesn't work (for example, rock guitarist and lyricist wannabee Pullman sings badly) but the story usually hits all cylinders. Most viewers will be hooked, and will want to know how the story comes out.
How I felt about it. I was hooked, too. Yes, Pullman's super dick character was a little overdone at times, and Stiller, not yet a major star in 1998, suffers through a stiff supporting role.
The personality of the blackmailer doesn't quite suit the way she executes her crime, and what is she doing with all the money she's getting? Giving it to charity anonymously? Well, maybe I blinked and missed that point.
But on the whole, it's a good movie. And that is a minor accomplishment, since most films, even those that land multiple Oscar nominations, do not achieve that level.
To be sure, Pullman's character isn't fully together. He's afraid to go to a dry cleaner, and uses a front man (Stiller) whenever possible. He's abusive and obnoxious. Yet, he has no problem socially when on the job. And he has no trouble winning the highly intelligent blackmailer. The two different personalities within Pullman don't fit. In other words, he can't be too eccentric or alienating, or he won't be successful as a detective.
But I can forgive this minor mistake, which I blame on the director more than the writer. Explicit references to Pullman's weird behavior off the job could have been left on the cutting room floor. It's easy to forgive the film's unimportant flaws, since the story is compelling, and is generally well told.
Poor Ben Stiller. His character is only useful in obtaining clients and preserving the anonymity of Pullman, who can then observe the client or person undetected. He is useless in actually solving the case Nonetheless, Pullman yanks him back and forth between cities, perhaps becasue he needs a confidant he can talk to in person. Stiller's role is to be peevish at Pullman's inconsiderate behavior, but Stiller goes too far, and acts like he wants out of the movie as well as off the case.
The instructions for O'Neal to deliver the blackmail money are too convoluted for any person to successfully follow (no wonder he has a heart attack). Still, Zero Effect is a good movie. Really.