Occasionally even though you can see a movie coming at you from a mile away, and it tidily fits into a certain trope (think Wonder Boys), somehow the level of quirkiness doesn’t collapse in on itself and you are charmed by all the machinations because of the actors deft handling of the material. Also Philadelphia got the NYC film treatment and looked amazing. The Answer Man felt like an independent movie version of As Good As It Gets with a more overt dash of big questions. Charming, enjoyable & satisfying, but not a must see.