The Answer Man (2009)

Jeff Daniels plays Arlen Faber, a guy who writes an inspirational book about a conversation with God and spends the next couple of decades running away from the public whose idea of spirituality he has helped to shape.

I've always rather liked Jeff Daniels. I think he's a smart actor who chooses interesting projects. This film was, actually, just like him: smart and interesting, but veering off into the predictable every so often -- most obviously (and depressingly) at the very end of the film. It felt as those the filmmakers suddenly got in a hurry to wrap it up so they did it in the most "duh" way possible.

Another complaint: sticking both Olivia Thirlby and Kat Dennings in this movie -- they're both young, quirky actresses playing offbeat overly-familiar assistants. That's more than simply unnecessary, it's redundant.

B-