Monday, February 2, 1998
Director spins story of detective who goes from ‘Zero’ to
hero
FILM Jake Kasdan draws inspiration from his father, takes on all
aspects of movie
By Louise Chu
Daily Bruin Contributor
While most people in their early 20s struggle to simply
establish direction in their lives, Jake Kasdan has managed to
launch his career into full force and is the one giving direction.
At 22, Kasdan has already written, produced and directed his first
feature film, "Zero Effect," which is now playing.
Several factors contributed to his passion for filmmaking, but
one continuing source of inspiration is his father,
writer/producer/director Lawrence Kasdan ("The Big Chill," "Grand
Canyon" and "Wyatt Earp").
"He’s a great influence and a great teacher. That was how I
learned how movies were made – talk about it. It was an incredible
education," Kasdan says.
But Kasdan was also driven by a distinct love of mysteries. An
avid fan of detective stories, he grew up reading the works of
Agatha Christie and following Edgar Allan Poe’s Dupin and Sir Conan
Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, as well as watching his favorite
characters on the silver screen.
"I love the hard-boiled detectives with guns – Sam Spade,
Phillip Marlowe, Humphrey Bogart," Kasdan explains. "I also love
these master detectives that are more the tradition that Zero comes
from – the hero whose greatest weapon and greatest tool is his
mind, and the deduction is the story, as opposed to busting in a
room with a gun."
His interest in the genre prompted him to write "Zero Effect."
The satirical thriller, which stars Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller,
follows eccentric private detective Daryl Zero (Pullman) and his
sardonic partner and front man Steve Arlo (Stiller) through a case
in which they must find a blackmailed businessman’s (Ryan O’Neal)
lost keys. Along the way, Zero encounters a young woman (Kim
Dickens) with a mysterious past who challenges his limited social
skills and distracts his usually brilliant mind.
When casting, Kasdan immediately knew that Pullman and Stiller
would be right for the parts.
"I love Bill’s work," Kasdan says. "He’s up there in the elite
in a certain kind of American leading man slash character actor who
can carry a movie but also play an unconventional hero like was
necessary here. The complicated guy because he’s very brilliant,
and you’ve got to make that real, and he’s also completely
dysfunctional, and you’ve got to be able to make that real. There’s
a lot of parts to this guy, and Bill could do all of them, and
weave them together into one comprehensive, realistic human
being."
Of Stiller, he adds, "I’ve been a big fan of his for a long
time. I thought that this was a part that would let him do some
things that we haven’t seen him do as much, like specifically the
tougher, more heroic parts of the character, and then this very
genuine, very caring relationship that he has with his friend."
Although he asserts that the story itself is not based on actual
experiences, Kasdan does call the film "indirectly
autobiographical".
"I identify with both (Zero and Arlo) on some days. Some days
you wake up feeling like you don’t want to go out, and the better
use for yourself is sitting at your desk. But (Zero’s) more
brilliant than I am and more screwed up, too, hopefully."
While writing allowed him to revive the genre that he had loved
growing up, he admits that it is "really hard, solitary work."
However, he is quick to point out that he finds directing the
most enjoyable of his many tasks. In contrast to the isolation of
writing "Zero Effect" continuously for a year and a half, directing
allowed him to work with a supportive cast and crew.
"It’s hard just to keep the train on the tracks sometimes, but
in truth this was a very smooth shoot, as they go," Kasdan says.
"We got really lucky. Part of it is that we just had a really good
group of people working together between actors and just a really
great crew."
Many would find being involved in every aspect of the filmmaking
to be overwhelming, and while he does admit to this, he says it is
all "interrelated".
"It didn’t really feel like I was wearing a lot of hats," he
reveals. "It felt like I was doing the job of making this movie and
telling the story. It was this one integrated activity."
Kasdan feels comfortable with his many "hats," already a veteran
of four plays, including 1995’s "The Behavioral Patterns of
Funnyman Tyler Hudson." At his relatively young age, he can see a
long and busy future ahead of him, hoping to write, produce and
direct future projects. He also plans to continue with detective
stories.
"I like the idea of trying to work with other kinds of stories
too," Kasdan says, "but this is the kind of story that I love. As
long as I keep writing movies, I think that this is the kind of
story that I’ll return to because I love it."
FILM: "Zero Effect" is now playing in theaters.