Answer Man' tells us what we already know

It isn't hard to guess, from a comedy with a title like "The Answer Man," that the man in question probably doesn't have any answers at all. But the cliches and overly familiar plot points don't end there.

The debut from writer-director John Hindman features a premise that sounds an awful lot like "As Good As It Gets," except the script isn't as sharp.

Jeff Daniels stars as an anti-social misanthrope, Lauren Graham co-stars as the struggling single mom who magically softens him, and Lou Taylor Pucci plays the young man in need of spiritual guidance. Together, this motley threesome forges an unlikely support system.

The actors tend not to overplay their emotions in the film's poignant and dramatic moments; Daniels has enough normal-guy accessibility to pull them off, and Graham is always likable in a no-nonsense way. But then the overbearing score by Teddy Castellucci jumps in to prompt us to feel one way or another.

Daniels stars as Arlen Faber, an author who became an international sensation 20 years ago with "Me and God," in which he detailed conversations he supposedly had with the Almighty. From the profane tirade he unleashes when we first see him, we know he's a fraud.

Nevertheless, Arlen feels he must hide inside his Philadelphia brownstone to avoid the throngs of worshippers begging for his wisdom.

When his back goes out, he's forced to go outside and crawls on all fours to see local chiropractor Elizabeth (Graham). The obvious irony is that she's the true healer of the two of them, and he's instantly, if awkwardly, smitten. Could he really like her that much, that fast? Or is it just that his back feels better?

All of a sudden, he's a nice guy _ he actually responds when strangers speak to him on the street _ and he even admits to his fawning letter carrier (an underused Tony Hale) that he is indeed Arlen Faber, and not some flunky assistant as he's pretended all these years. The transformation is dizzying.

Pucci rounds out their trio as Kris, an owner of a bookstore right near Arlen's home and Elizabeth's office. Just out of rehab for alcoholism and in danger of losing his store to foreclosure, Kris seeks the answers he thinks Arlen can provide. Arlen indulges him with patience, kindness and insight _ showing genuine glimmers of the grace he'd previously faked for profit.

This all sounds too pleasant, of course, so Hindman cooks up some obligatory obstacles and misunderstandings to separate his characters before their ultimate feel-good reconciliation. Somewhere in this mix are up-and-comers Olivia Thirlby as Elizabeth's shy office assistant and Kat Dennings as the flighty cashier at Kris' bookstore. Neither of them gets a whole lot to do, unfortunately; Max Antisell, the little boy who plays Elizabeth's 7-year-old son, has a bigger part.

"The Answer Man," a Magnolia Pictures release, is rated R for language. Running time: 95 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.