Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Cheery, romantic and funny. What a lovely feel good flick. Seen it 5 times now and I enjoy it now even more so then at the first viewing. What's the story about: Jeff Daniels has had writer's block for 20 years. Only wrote ONE best seller and now still lives a very comfortable life of the huge roaylties of that one and only bestseller. Jeff Daniels lives as a total recluse. "Hell is other people" is one of his favorite quotes from Sartre. He is a grumpy old solitary man who cant stand anybody around him. But due to a sudden accident he needs to ask for help and comes in contact with a female fysiotherapist who cures his back, but more importantly sets his love life back on fire.Laidback, charming, casual and very funny. Some lighthearted romance as well near the end. But what makes "Arlen Faber / The Answer Man" better than the average comedy is the fact that Jeff Daniels' character has written a book about GOD. This is why lots of serious life questions can be raised by the characters in the film, but all these questions are embedded in a lighthearted comedy context. Almost every serious question is being answered with a quirky funny observation about life in general. Very intelligent, charming and funny. Made me think, made me laugh... a lot!

I was predisposed to like this movie through the sheer casting of the ever-lovely Lauren Graham as the female lead. Unfortunately, that is not enough to carry this movie.Both Ms. Graham and Jeff Daniels do a fine job of portraying their characters, but the story has too many holes to make this movie enjoyable. Mr. Daniels plays a reclusive author who has hidden himself from the world for 20 years since he wrote the mega-popular "God and Me," the transcript of his conversation with God. When Mr. Daniels is forced into the real world, he meets Ms. Graham and there is instant attraction (believable as to his reaction…see above disclaimer, but seems inconsistent with his prior choice of a being a recluse.) Through the story, the two leads draw each other out of their respective shells, fall apart, and then, surprise, wind up with a happy ending. I did not believe the initial attraction; I really did not believe the reason for their breakup; and then the supposed twist at the end seemed to undermine the whole premise of any attraction in the first place.Not that the movie is all bad. As I mentioned there are good performances, some interesting dialog, and the framework of a good premise. It is just that all these elements do not come together enough to make this a movie worth seeing.

Arlen Faber is a celebrity. He has cornered the "God market" according to his agent. Like many writers of self help books, he is a guy in dire need of some guidance himself. In a way, he is a fraud, in that he just happened to write a book that went through the stratosphere as people that relate to the subject matter made it a hit. Unfortunately, Faber, in real life is a mess. He is pompous, inconsiderate, or just plain obnoxious, for starters.What makes Arlen change? He happens to meet Elizabeth, a chiropractor, that has a life and is exactly what he is not. Arlen, who hurts his back badly, can't even count on his agent to come to help him. What's more, the record he just put on the turntable happens to be "Isn't it Romantic" that gets scratched and Arlen has to listen to it all night long. When Arlen crawls over to Elizabeth's office, he is in for a rude awakening because his life is about to change. Elizabeth, a single mother, is a a grounded woman, so different from Arlen that one knows they will come together in the end.Meanwhile, Kris Lucas, the owner of a small store that buys and sells books, gets an unexpected visit by Arlen. He is trying to dump on the poor fellow a bunch of books that Kris can't afford to buy. Kris has just come out of a rehab center for alcoholics. Because of his situation, he has to live with his father, an arrangement he doesn't care for. When Kris discovers Arlen's true identity, he makes a deal; he will accept the books the celebrity author gives him in exchange for answers to questions that bother him. This exchange, while not helping Kris, brings the two so different men closer together."The Answer Man" is a sort of romantic comedy written and directed by John Hindeman, who makes his debut, although it appears he has been involved in television. The allure of watching the film was the fine cast that was put together. The film, while enjoyable, could have been much better if we really cared more about the main character. As written, the man is an enigma, up to the end, when he appears to have come to terms with reality.Jeff Daniels does what he can with Arlen. Mr. Daniels, a veteran of stage and screen, is a great and personable actor. Either the script, or the direction doesn't quite make us respond to him the way, we are sure, the creator wanted us to feel. Lauren Graham who plays Elizabeth has worked extensively on television and is finally getting the parts she deserves in films. Lou Taylor Pucci's Kris is not totally believable. Olivia Thirlby, Kat Dennings and Nora Dunn don't have much to do.The film, while not a complete failure, introduces a new talent to films, John Hindman, to whom we wish the best in his future projects.

THE ANSWER MAN (2009) *** ½ Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Lou Taylor Pucci, Kat Dennings, Nora Dunn, Olivia Thirlby, Max Antisell, Tony Hale, Thomas Roy. Daniels gives another remarkable performance this time as a grumpy best-selling spiritual author whose reclusiveness (think JD Salinger/Thomas Pynchon) has superseded his fame (and vice versea) that his adverse contact with humanity becomes a life lesson when he winds up falling in love with single-mother, chiropractor Graham (ditzily sunny) and a new release in life. Written & directed by John Hindman –in a sparkling debut - with just the right amount of misanthropy and mirth, the film works on many levels of questioning one's faith/beliefs/values and the pangs of falling in love. Pucci excels as a recently re-habbed bookstore owner who becomes an unlikely aide and seeker of advice while the delish Dennings & Thirlby are wonderfully baroque as his co-worker and Graham's receptionist, respectfully. "Hell is other people" .. indeed!