rivergirl301 Very lovely and sweet movie. I had rented it a while back and caught it on satellite today and glad I did so. Jeff Daniels is uproarious, so afraid he'll be recognized as the author who had "80 percent of the God market" 20 years previously, it never dawns on him there are those who don't have a clue who he is. After agonizing over revealing his phone number to his chiropractor's receptionist for their records out of fear he'll be inundated with phone calls 24/7, he tells her, "I've thought about it and I'm going to give you my number." She thinks he's hitting on her and stops him cold with, "I've got a boyfriend." And don't assume he's a nice guy, either, just because he wrote a book about God. He dumped water on his mailman's family who showed up to serenade him.Humiliated that his book was based on a fraudulent claim, that he talked with God, he doesn't give himself that enough credit for the quiet wisdom he does possess ("You know what's cool about shaking a little kid's hand? They don't know to squeeze your hand so they just end up holding your hand for a little while.") While coming to his own truths, he helps a reformed alcoholic keep his book store (it's the only place the reformed alcoholic doesn't feel afraid) and a single mother who worries every day that she isn't doing a good enough job.My only beef with this movie is with Lauren Graham's character. They try to make her kooky but she ends up not kooky enough, so you don't really know what to make of her. And I think she was made to look horrible in this movie with weird dowdy dumpy clothes and matte flat black hair that was too harsh for her. She certainly didn't look her best. Someone dropped the ball on Miss Graham!

imdb78 It's called Asperger's Syndrome. Adam (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185836/) wasn't the only one to bring it to the movies in 2009. This time, just like your favorite movie-time snack, it got snuck in using less obvious packaging. Jeff Daniels' portrayal of the gifted, if paradoxical Arlen Faber feels a bit truer to how the condition can manifest itself in real life and how it can hide behind the most unassuming of appearances. See both movies and see that there's a reason they call it "on the spectrum" for those of us who are like Arlen or Adam.Don't think for a moment that men are the only ones who have this condition. The ratio varies according to some sources, but a healthy number seems to center around 4:1; that is, for every 4 men with Asperger's, there is only 1 woman with the condition.We don't mean to be rude or awful (okay - well, not always, anyhow), we just are. Many of us can't help it. Part of this comes from a lack of tendency to engage in or tolerate any kind of dishonesty. Another part comes from our difficulties engaging in social interactions and situations in general.Next time you come across someone like Arlen Faber, realize that you are being faced with an opportunity from God to suspend anger, hatred and judgment.

bobbobwhite When Shatner told Trekkies in an SNL skit to "get a life" he really meant it, and writer Arlen Faber(Jeff Daniels) really meant it in this film too when he said something similar to all the bookstore-signing attendees who were as fervent as any Trekkie, and all waiting excitedly for a signed copy of his blockbuster God's Answers book they could then drool over forever as they savored God's cosmic answers to every little thing in life, as told by God to Arlen Faber, who "actually spoke with God"(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's cleverness reminded me of the unique and quirky magic of Waitress or Big Fish, or even one of the best Woody Allan tales. But, I thought the ending was flatter and more forced compared to the rest of it, and needed a more inspired and extended premise and execution for fullest success. It seemed rushed and inconsistent with the great buildup to it.Good magic overall but should have had a more fulfilling ending. It deserved better.

C-Younkin 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 go through feels so compact, tidy, and meager that it's like your watching nothing at all. That's what it's like watching "The Answer Man", writer/director John Hindman's dramedy-romance about trying to find God and the answers to life's problems. The quest for life's answers seems like a subject done before and this movie is way too bland, stale, and unbelievable 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 man himself. The book was a mega-hit but nobody has ever really seen Faber in person. Perhaps because he's a reclusive, angry, stressed out asshole that hates people. He spends his days reading other self-help books and meditating; neither seems to lighten his miserable mood though. When he throws his back out one day, he meets a chiropractor named Elizabeth (Lauren Graham), an obsessive single mother trying to raise a young son. She has no idea who Arlen is at first but after reading the book, she seems to think that he is the one for her. Luckily he likes her too. Kris (Lou Taylor Pucci) completes this tripod of people. He's a recovering alcoholic, just out of rehab, managing a failing bookstore.The whole thing follows James L. Brooks' "As Good as it Gets", without ever reaching a great movie, or even a good one. These people will come together and help each other but it's all done in such a weak and contrived way that none of it is effective. Arlen wants to get rid of some books so he makes a deal with Kris in exchange for some life answers. But can't Arlen just throw them away and not be bothered with Kris at all? And who is Arlen exactly? He changes from miserable crank to charming romantic lead with the snap of a finger. Saying he hates people in one scene and then taking on this silly relationship with Elizabeth where he shows her his monster action figure collection and befriends and acts as father to her young son are very schizophrenic and unbelievable. And Kris' failing business, his alcohol problem, Elizabeth's struggles raising a young son, and the daddy issues that Arlen, Kris and the son have are all given short shrift so that we can see a too-cute romance that never gets off the ground.If Hindman had taken more risks and allowed us to empathize with the characters a little more, this movie would have been much better but it just feels like everyone is trying to shoot it and then move on. No care is given. Daniels tries. He's a good physical comedian and some of the movies best lines come at his most cranky. "I hope to find a cure for people who listen to techno" Arlen mumbles at one point. Graham has a nice smile but she's not called upon to do much. And Pucci tries to grapple with the weight of addiction but he seems more like a fifth wheel than a character and his plot line is just distracting."The Answer Man" looked like a mature, adult answer to some of the crappier romantic comedies coming out this year but it winds up getting it mostly wrong.