Guy Meets Girl. You Know the Rest.

Even when judging by the relatively low standards of formulaic romantic comedies, "The Answer Man" is particularly terrible. Here is a film that recycles every cliche known to man, including the inevitable closing scene in which the guy wins over the girl by chasing after her in the streets to deliver one of those schmaltzy monologues that we've heard a thousand times before. Worst of all, "The Answer Man" is dreadfully dull and unfunny. The so-called humor in this movie is far too bland and timid. Don't let the R rating fool you. "The Answer Man" is as tame and harmless as a puppy dog.

Jeff Daniels stars as Arlen Faber, a renowned author whom everyone assumes has all the answers to life's most challenging questions. He is a beloved figure in the literary world, yet Arlen Faber is a prickly jerk. That is one day until he meets Elizabeth (Lauren Graham), a charming and attractive single mother who also happens to be Arlen's chiropractor. Arlen immediately falls in love. Do I need to explain the rest? Their relationship hits the obligatory bumps in the road that is to be expected in films like this, but in the end they live happily ever after. Oh yeah, there is also a subplot involving an alcoholic, down-on-his luck book store owner. I suppose that this subplot is meant to tug at your heartstrings, but it just feels treacly and manipulative. All this is set to a shamelessly corny soundtrack that acts as its own annoying character.

There are a lot of talented people involved with "The Answer Man". Jeff Daniels is a brilliant, under appreciated actor whose filmography includes such great films as "Terms of Endearment", "The Purple Rose of Cairo", "Pleasantville", "The Hours", "Good Night and Good Luck", and "The Lookout". I'm guessing he just did this movie for the paycheck. And Lauren Graham is effortlessly lovely and charming in every film in which she appears. But there is nothing that Daniels and Graham can do here. The screenplay by writer-director John Hindman is so tired, the dialogue so predictable, that Daniels and Graham are forced to overact.

There is, however, one line in "The Answer Man" that made me laugh. Arlen Faber is asked if he believes in hell. He replies that he has been to hell, and it is called Reno, Nevada. I laughed. Granted, it's kind of a cheap joke, but in a movie as bad as "The Answer Man", you take what you can get.