You’d think having a direct line to the Man Upstairs would guarantee someone a little peace of mind.
Not Arlen Faber, the protagonist in the new-to-DVD drama “The Answer Man.”
His bestseller about his conversations with God have made him a superstar in the book world.
He’s a mess all the same, battling back pain and unable to forge a relationship with anyone in his zip code.
As played by Jeff Daniels, one of Hollywood’s most engaging actors, Arlen becomes much more than the blowhard we’re meant to see on screen.
But a stiff wind could blow some of the secondary characters away at a moment’s notice.
Arlen Faber’s book “Me and God” became a literary sensation 20 years ago, but he never does book signings and keeps his neighbors in the dark about his identity.
He’s a hermit, one whose self-created isolation ends when a back injury leaves him on all fours, helpless.
He crawls into the office of a chiropractor named Elizabeth (Lauren Graham), a back specialist with problems of her own.
At the movies, that means they’re perfect for each other.
They form a quick bond, even though the screenplay doesn’t show the math. Thank goodness Daniels and Graham make an appealing couple, two wounded souls desperate for a connection.
“The Answer Man” could have been a spiritual film, but the story side steps any deep religious doctrine in favor of its fractured love story.
And anyone who can’t predict the big “reveal” in the third act hasn’t been consuming Hollywood product for the last 20-odd years.
The supporting players try in vain to add depth to the main story. Lou Taylor Pucci, Nora Dunn, Kat Dennings and the vibrant Olivia Thirlby prove uniformly appealing, but none can distract us from realizing we’re heading toward a familiar conclusion.
“The Answer Man” is more thoughtful, and more credible, than the recent “Love Happens.” Both stories deal with self-help authors whose work hides their own mental anguish, but Daniels’ ability to tease the humanity out of a thoroughly unlikeable lead gives “The Answer Man” the edge in the tortured romance department.
(Photo: Jeff Daniels plays an author who claims to have connected with God in “The Answer Man.”/Magnolia Home Entertainment)
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I'm an award-winning journalist and film critic with more than a decade of experience in newspapers, magazines and the Web. I'm a member of both the Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association and the Denver Film Critics Society.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
(Need to discuss whether direct-to-video still carries a stigma in these tight budget days.)
(Need to discuss why romantic leads are years younger, improbably, than the actors against whom they play.)
(Need to discuss why fine character actors like Daniels appear in these types of works.)
Fine topics for discussion, all.
For me, straight to video (or nearly straight to video) doesn’t have much stigma.I’ve seen too many good films which went that route - “The Answer Man” isn’t one of the, but it’s far from awful and much better than “Love Happens” as I’ve noted.
Lauren Graham is stuck playing against much older dudes … check her out in a tiny role trying to flirt with Jeff Bridges in “The Amateurs.”