Zero Effect

Zero Effect (1998) is an American detective comedy you can watch online on iFILM. Daryl Zero is the most gifted private investigator alive — and completely useless at everything else. He doesn't do small talk. He writes terrible music. He barely leaves his apartment. Bill Pullman plays him as a recluse of almost supernatural focus.

His long-suffering assistant Steve Arlo, played by Ben Stiller, does the fieldwork while Zero thinks. This time the case involves a wealthy businessman, Ryan O'Neal, who needs a blackmailer found fast. Then a woman enters the picture — Kim Dickens — and Daryl's carefully maintained emotional distance starts to crack.

Written and directed by Jake Kasdan in his feature debut, the film updates the Sherlock Holmes template with a dry wit and a surprisingly lived-in emotional core. It quietly found its audience over the years. Stream Zero Effect (1998) online on iFILM.