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 insulting 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 dramatic moments 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 forced to hide inside his Philadelphia brownstone to avoid the throngs of worshippers begging for his wisdom. When his back goes out, he's forced to leave his home and crawls on all fours to see 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. Pucci rounds out their trio as Kris, a bookstore owner just out of rehab who seeks the answers he thinks Arlen can provide. R for language. 95 min. One and a half stars out of four.