‘The Answer Man’

Starring: Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Lou Taylor Pucci, Olivia Thirlby and Kat Dennings

Rated: R for language

Running time: 97 minutes

Released: 2008

Part of what I love most about writing this column every week is getting to write about a newer movie, especially when it’s one I’ve never seen before.

Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats a classic movie, but even those classic movies were new at one point. I’m sure even “The Godfather” had a few pessimists at first who are now kicking themselves.

Being the type I am, I’m certainly not going to write about something you’re going to see advertised during every commercial break on “American Idol.” I don’t write about newer movies that often, so when I do I prefer it to be something that flew under the radar.

That’s why I picked the comedy, “The Answer Man.” Not to be confused with “Yes Man,” because if you watch “Yes Man” you’ll become violently ill.

I watched “The Answer Man” myself for the first time last week and I’m happy to say that it’s all ready become one of my favorite movies. And that’s saying a lot.

Jeff Daniels plays Arlen Faber, the author of one the greatest self-help books ever written (in the movie, anyway), “Me and God.”

His book is to the entire world what “The Secret” was to Oprah fans a few years ago. It’s been translated into over a hundred languages, spawned dozens of accompanying guide books, and turned Arlen Faber into the J.D. Salinger of self-help authors.

Arlen resents his fame and wants to be left alone by the entire world.

Because he wrote such a profound book, the entire world thinks he has all the answers. Truth is, while he does have a lot of answers (some of them mind-blowing), when it comes to everyday stuff, he’s really just as clueless as the rest of us.

Arlen has developed the opinion that everything is meaningless and because of that he hasn’t written a book since. He’s also become a recluse, spending all of his free time reading other people’s self-help books, hoping to be inspired and wanting to be able to cope with his own personal demons that become more and more evident as the movie goes on.

After he finishes book after book, disappointed by all, he tries to sell them to a local used book store. Although, it’s not his first choice, as he states in not so many words, “If my conscious would allow I’d burn them.”

That’s where he meets store owner, Kris (Lou Taylor Pucci), who is fresh out of rehab for alcoholism and has his own set of problems. Problems that he thinks Arlen can help him with, no matter how much Arlen doesn’t want to.

That isn’t all Arlen has to deal with, though. He also has a bad back and ends up throwing it out, giving one of the most painful portrayals of having a thrown back I’ve ever seen.

Thanks to the painful injury, Arlen meets Elizabeth (Lauren Graham), a chiropractor who owns her own healing center. And guess what? There’s chemistry.

Arlen reveals who he really is, world famous author, and when he realizes she’s never heard of him, it endears her to him all the more.

Like Arlen, bookstore owner Kris, and the rest of us, Elizabeth has problems, too. Mainly because she says things like this, “If there’s a strong reason for me to have someone in my life, I’ll fight for them. And I can already tell...never going to fight for you.” Harsh. Honest. But harsh.

As the movie goes on, Arlen, Kris and Elizabeth develop a friendship with each other that certainly is not typical, due partly to the various issues they all have, but more thanks to Arlen being set in his ways.

They’re good for each other, though.

Apart, they all have their own version of being uptight, but together they loosen each other up. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s really, really funny and sometimes it’s a little on the sad side.

And for as much as a jerk as Arlen Faber can be sometimes, you’ll like him. Jeff Daniels gives such a charismatic performance that he wins you over from the very beginning, explicative-laden outbursts included.

Bottom line, “The Answer Man” is a touching, laugh-out-loud look at the questions life asks us and how we embarrassingly and sometimes painfully try to dodge the answers. It’ll make you feel good without all the sappiness and cheesiness of a feel-good movie.

Do yourself a favor and check your local video store or Netflix to give this movie a chance. It would be a shame to let it fly under your radar for a second time.

The Movie Dude, Joe Altomere of Fort Myers, grew up in his parents’ video store in Plantersville, Texas. He owns close to 2,000 DVDs and Blu-ray discs and considers that only the start of his collection. E-mail him at jaltomere@yahoo.com