Actor Jeff Daniels plays Arlen Faber, the “Answer Man,” a
writer who supposedly has had an encounter with God. He wrote it all down in
the book called Me and God. The book becomes a
towering best seller and there are spin-offs, including The Me and God
Cookbook. His books are everywhere, but where is the author? The author has
become a reclusive curmudgeon with a bad back. Finally, crippled with a back
spasm, he crawls on hands and knees to a new local chiropractor, played by
Lauren Graham. As you might imagine, the chiropractor is young and beautiful. They fall in love; he is redeemed by her faith–well, you get the picture.
The Answer Man
has gotten tepid reviews from the mainstream media for being clichéd and having
too many unlikely coincidences. This is
all true, but sometimes we don’t need to watch a movie of earthshaking
originality. Not only do we not mind the clichés, but we can find them
comforting, especially when a good actor like Jeff Daniels takes them and has
fun. Graham is genuine and likable as
the love interest. There are many small
chuckles in The Answer Man, and a
few big belly laughs, especially when it pokes fun at New Age mumbo-jumbo. This
is a cheerful, low-key movie that has its moments, and that contains no
unpleasant surprises. This movie and a glass of warm milk will send you off to
bed for a night of the sweetest of dreams.
