The Answer Man
Magnolia Pictures | Release Date: July 24, 2009 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 16 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
13
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
Though his film is a tad choppy and a lot chatty, Hindman elicits sympathetic performances from leads who demonstrate a deep understanding of movie physics. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
The Answer Man is a passable way to kill two hours on a lazy summer afternoon, and perhaps an excuse to get out of the heat. Read full review
58
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
A promising premise and some very good actors are smothered in goo in The Answer Man. Read full review
50
Village VoiceElla Taylor
Hindman is a stand-up comedian with many Turgenev-size issues on his mind--inadequate fathers and troubled sons, overprotective mothers, the search for belief--whose weight this slight picture can hardly bear. But the laid-back charm of Daniels and Graham's bumpy courtship gives the movie a much-needed edge of idiosyncrasy. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Daniels plays Arlen with a kind of cuddly crankiness; he makes him a jerk who just needs a hug. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesGlenn Whipp
Conveniently, everyone wears their symptoms on their sleeves, but because the characters are so haphazardly drawn, their pain remains elusive to the end. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Dull, dreary Answer Man raises this question: Why? Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Never shows enough passion to be interestingly bad. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoanne Kaufman
Its crackly sarcasm and smart talk turn out to be simply coating for a soft, icky, center. Read full review
50
NPRMark Jenkins
A theological trifle that ultimately twists itself into a romantic comedy. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A perfect example of an Intelligent Bad Movie. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
How much more interesting is a film like "(500) Days of Summer," which is about the complexities of life, in comparison with this one, which cheerfully cycles through the cliches. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Unoriginality is the greatest and most flagrant of its many sins. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe Neumaier
This two-bit echo of "The Accidental Tourist" is a preachy pill that wastes the genial, funny Jeff Daniels and the criminally underused Lauren Graham. Read full review
40
VarietyJustin Chang
Jeff Daniels' gleeful misanthropy and Lauren Graham's emotional openness are poorly served by the pic's transparently phony story and therapeutic uplift Read full review
25
New York PostKyle Smith
Brutally banal chitchat about life and love ensues. Read full review
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