He wrote the book on life's big questions. But the truth is he hasn't got a clue.
Everyone wants to meet Arlen Faber, the world famous author of the best-selling spiritual book "Me and God", but crotchety, disgruntled Arlen simply wants to be left alone - and so far he's been successful in keeping his identity a secret. But all that changes when troubled bookstore owner Kris Lucas discovers his home address and barters books for Arlen's words of wisdom, and a back injury leads the reclusive writer to begin dating chiropractor and overprotective single mother Elizabeth. As Arlen's relationships with his newfound friends begin to grow, he must come to terms with his past and the realization that he doesn't hold all the answers.
Genre(s): Comedy, Romance
Runtime: 95 minutes
Rating: 6.6/10 (592 votes)
Release Date: 18 January 2009
Country: USA
Languages: English
Company: Messick Films
Sound: Dolby Digital
MPAA: Rated R for language.
Director(s): John Hindman
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Producer(s):
Rachel Cohen - executive producer
Daniel Crown - executive producer
Jana Edelbaum - producer
Michael Lesser - executive producer
Kevin J. Messick - producer
Rebecca Rivo - line producer
Writer(s):
John Hindman - screenplay
Cast:
Jeff Daniels - Arlen Faber
Lauren Graham - Elizabeth
Lou Taylor Pucci - Kris Lucas
Olivia Thirlby - Anne
Kat Dennings - Dahlia
Nora Dunn - Terry Fraser
Tony Hale - Mailman
Annie Corley - Mrs. Gold
Max Antisell - Alex
Thomas Roy - Riley Lucas
Music: Teddy Castellucci
Rachel Cohen - executive producer
Daniel Crown - executive producer
Jana Edelbaum - producer
Michael Lesser - executive producer
Kevin J. Messick - producer
Rebecca Rivo - line producer
Writer(s):
John Hindman - screenplay
Cast:
Jeff Daniels - Arlen Faber
Lauren Graham - Elizabeth
Lou Taylor Pucci - Kris Lucas
Olivia Thirlby - Anne
Kat Dennings - Dahlia
Nora Dunn - Terry Fraser
Tony Hale - Mailman
Annie Corley - Mrs. Gold
Max Antisell - Alex
Thomas Roy - Riley Lucas
Music: Teddy Castellucci
Posted on: July 10, 2009
February 8th, 2012
February 7th, 2009
Arlen Faber's life is decidedly unromantic despite his fame andfortune. The person who "changed the face of spirituality for ageneration" doesn't have a clue about God or how to connect with Him.Arlen is crawling physically in the movie because of a back injury, buthe is also crawling spiritually…and for that matter, emotionally andrelationally. The nuggets of truth that I gleaned from this film are asfollows: the more we claim to have God figured out, the farther we arefrom the truth; sometimes we find God in the face of other people; and,God can work through broken people to touch other broken people. Afterall, aren't we all crawling toward the Truth in one way or another?
July 21st, 2009
When drama is rushed it can feel like the slowest thing in the world.The characters never get any time to breathe. The turmoil that they gothrough feels so compact, tidy, and meager that it's like your watchingnothing at all. That's what it's like watching "The Answer Man",writer/director John Hindman's dramedy-romance about trying to find Godand the answers to life's problems. The quest for life's answers seemslike a subject done before and this movie is way too bland, stale, andunbelievable to really find the heart.
Jeff Daniels plays Arlen Faber, who 20 years ago wrote a book called"Me and God", centering around a conversation he had with the big manhimself. The book was a mega-hit but nobody has ever really seen Faberin person. Perhaps because he's a reclusive, angry, stressed outasshole that hates people. He spends his days reading other self-helpbooks and meditating; neither seems to lighten his miserable moodthough. When he throws his back out one day, he meets a chiropractornamed Elizabeth (Lauren Graham), an obsessive single mother trying toraise a young son. She has no idea who Arlen is at first but afterreading the book, she seems to think that he is the one for her.Luckily he likes her too. Kris (Lou Taylor Pucci) completes this tripodof people. He's a recovering alcoholic, just out of rehab, managing afailing bookstore.
The whole thing follows James L. Brooks' "As Good as it Gets", withoutever reaching a great movie, or even a good one. These people will cometogether and help each other but it's all done in such a weak andcontrived way that none of it is effective. Arlen wants to get rid ofsome books so he makes a deal with Kris in exchange for some lifeanswers. But can't Arlen just throw them away and not be bothered withKris at all? And who is Arlen exactly? He changes from miserable crankto charming romantic lead with the snap of a finger. Saying he hatespeople in one scene and then taking on this silly relationship withElizabeth where he shows her his monster action figure collection andbefriends and acts as father to her young son are very schizophrenicand unbelievable. And Kris' failing business, his alcohol problem,Elizabeth's struggles raising a young son, and the daddy issues thatArlen, Kris and the son have are all given short shrift so that we cansee a too-cute romance that never gets off the ground.
If Hindman had taken more risks and allowed us to empathize with thecharacters a little more, this movie would have been much better but itjust feels like everyone is trying to shoot it and then move on. Nocare is given. Daniels tries. He's a good physical comedian and some ofthe movies best lines come at his most cranky. "I hope to find a curefor people who listen to techno" Arlen mumbles at one point. Graham hasa nice smile but she's not called upon to do much. And Pucci tries tograpple with the weight of addiction but he seems more like a fifthwheel than a character and his plot line is just distracting.
"The Answer Man" looked like a mature, adult answer to some of thecrappier romantic comedies coming out this year but it winds up gettingit mostly wrong.
August 19th, 2009
When Shatner told Trekkies in an SNL skit to "get a life" he reallymeant it, and writer Arlen Faber(Jeff Daniels) really meant it in thisfilm too when he said something similar to all the bookstore-signingattendees who were as fervent as any Trekkie, and all waiting excitedlyfor a signed copy of his blockbuster God's Answers book they could thendrool over forever as they savored God's cosmic answers to every littlething in life, as told by God to Arlen Faber, who "actually spoke withGod"(not!). You will have to see it to fully understand this part.
I totally liked this film for about 5/6th of it, as it's story'scleverness reminded me of the unique and quirky magic of Waitress orBig Fish, or even one of the best Woody Allan tales. But, I thought theending was flatter and more forced compared to the rest of it, andneeded a more inspired and extended premise and execution for fullestsuccess. It seemed rushed and inconsistent with the great buildup toit.
Good magic overall but should have had a more fulfilling ending. Itdeserved better.