The Answer Man

source: The Answer Man

If the purpose of the film was to make the viewer relate to the film exactly the way a reader would react to meeting fictional writer Arlen Faber then mission accomplished. I was deeply disappointed in this movie. As it unfolds, you expect the film to deliver something profound and moving. It never does nor even comes close. It's clichéd filled and aimless. It makes no real statement about faith and offers nothing of substance. The movie revolves are three characters and you never really emotionally connect with two of the three. The exception being the alcoholic bookstore owner, that character was well written. Unfortunately, the main leads are disappointingly weak. Jeff Daniels and Lauren Graham deliver wonderful performances as expected but there really wasn't anything extraordinary for them to work with in terms of the script. A big disappointment.

Jeff Daniels is Arlen Faber, Philadelphia author, and 20 years earlier wrote a run-away best seller, "Me and God." In it he presents a whole series of questions and, he says, God spoke to him with the answers. But when we first see Arlen, and the door bell rings, he utters a series of blue language expletives and we immediately wonder "Who is this guy who talks to God?" He is intolerant of most people and most situations, and is a recluse who doesn't want anyone to know who he is or where Arlen Faber lives. One day, bending over awkwardly, his back catches and all he can do is lay on the floor, in pain. He calls his agent, but she is fed up with Arlen's refusal to surface for his 20th anniversary, so she hangs up on him. Desperate, he crawls down the street and to the nearest chiropractor who happens to be lovely Lauren Graham as Elizabeth. (I have been a fan of hers ever since I first saw her on 'Gilmore Girls' and a weekend with her on a small tropical island would be nice.) As soon as Arlen sets eyes on her, he is smitten. But he has so much baggage that he is a difficult person to form a relationship with. The other key person is Lou Taylor Pucci as Kris Lucas, almost broke proprietor of the local book store. He and Arlen eventually form an unlikely friendship that helps both of them find new directions in life. I really enjoyed seeing this movie. The acting and dialog are interesting and, while not all is resolved by the end of the movie, everyone seems to be on a better path. I want to see it again, and that is always a good sign.

This film follows the mystery man who wrote the most popular book of all time, answers that he has for God and the answer to them. He stays in recluse and is infuriated by his search for true spirituality, and in lieu of searching for the solution for his back issues he is entranced by a woman who hasn't heard of him. The follows three people in their life and how they come to effect one another and while romance. Movie with some very thoughtful, quirky quotes ever. Enjoyable and thoughtful this is one of my favorite movies with Jeff Daniels, or at least my introduction to the brilliance of Jeff Daniels.

This was released on 6 screens in late July 2009, after being in various film festivals,It left the theatres 3 weeks later having a poor box office. Title changed to THE ANSWER MAN Simple reason why,there are no major actors in any role. Jeff Daniels is the lead. He is OK BUT he really is not a leading man.The female roles are done by actresses little known to me, except for Nora Dunn. The writer/director in his maiden effort is John Hindman.I give him an E for effort. Newcomer --- Lou Taylor Pucci is quite good as the alcoholic book store owner & very young Max Autisell as young Alex is adorable. The film had possibilities but has too many F words to really be likable. Filmed in Philadelphia,Nice cinematography. Ratings: **1/2 (out of 10) 73 points (out of 100) IMDb 6 (out of 10)

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!

Jeff Daniels is the author of God and Me a self help book supposedly filled with all of the insights that God wants us to have. In the 20 years since its publication its become a cult industry with Daniel's character being a reclusive loner trying to work out the meaning of life. Into his life comes the mother of a young boy whom he meets when his back goes out, and the owner of a local bookstore he frequents. Wildly uneven, ultimately not really good, romantic comedy of sorts about a bunch of lost souls trying to find meaning and themselves. The problem here is purely the script which seems to go off in every which direction, as best explained by the opening scene where we meet the profanity spewing Daniels which then runs up against some of the scenes with Daniels and the son of the woman he's romancing. The later scenes are utterly charming and their tone seems at odds with the early stuff. yes I know there is arc to the characters but the shifts of tome happen all over the place often between scenes in sequence. It drove me mad because at its heart this is a really good story thats been put on to the screen not very well. In all honesty the film is worth seeing at some point (whats good is really choice) I just wouldn't pay money to do so. Wait for cable,

This movie tries really hard to be a repeat of "As Good as it Gets," but it comes up short. In fact, this movie is not as good as it gets and could have been a lot better. All of the pieces are there: sound cast, clever story line, good pacing. But the execution leaves a lot to be desired. I always enjoy watching Daniels and even though this movie is way out of his norm to the point that it takes a minute to get used to seeing him in this character, he pretty much pulls it off. His romantic lead is also a good fit and their chemistry is pleasant. I appreciated the realistic nature of the courtship too ie they didn't jump in the sack at first glance which seems to be norm in most movies. Their courtship is cute, predictable at times, but not at others (like when she's shown to have taken his advice with his son and he's shown to have taken her advice with his hobby, although neither verbally address this.) In fact, I found each character in this movie rather appealing. That said, there could have been more. Maybe the movie could have been longer or something, not sure, but something could have and should have been done to flesh out the characters more. We're only shown very surface level stuff even of the main character and that inhibits you from fully caring about the characters and fully buying into their individual stories. I also found the ending somewhat unnerving. If the ultimate lesson is not supposed to be "God is not real," the filmmakers failed. If that is the lesson they tried to teach, the movie fails because the whole crux of the movie until the end is basically "lessons from God." Basically, the movie could have been more than just another Hollywood swipe at religion, but the ending makes it feel like that's what it was ultimately meant to be in which case you feel cheated for having watched the movie and invested in the story to whatever extent that was possible. Verdict: Good movie to watch on TV like I did, but keep your expectations low or nonexistent. 6/10

What do Lauren Graham and Tea Leoni have in common? The answer is simply that these are two actresses who were generally under-used in movies but could have done OH SO MUCH MORE. Some films work because of the script. Some work because of the director. And some work because of the chemistry. The day will come when film students of the future will look back at this era and have to content themselves with the slim body of work left behind by both these actresses. Arguably for example FAMILY MAN is Leoni's best role and indeed some of her fans claim to have seen the film over a dozen times. This unusual outing, THE ANSWER MAN, is arguably Graham's best effort. Sure the script is weak. Sure there are stretches when nothing seems to happen. But through it all we have the odd chemistry between Daniels (way before his breakout role in Newsroom) and Graham. This the glue that makes this film special. And memorable.