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Last fall’s movie release schedule was like one big game of Fruit Basket Upset. For instance, on the morning of the roundtable interviews with the cast of The Brothers Bloom in Toronto, I got an email from the publicist, letting me know that the film had been bumped to December (and it was later bumped to this May). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was bumped to July. And buzz-heavy The Road was bumped a year or so.
Meanwhile, the equally buzz-heavy The Soloist, director Joe Wright’s follow-up to his Golden Globe-winning drama, Atonement, was bumped to spring—and it certainly makes for an unusual spring release.
Robert Downey Jr. plays Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles Times columnist who stops one day to talk to a homeless man who’s playing a two-string violin in front of a statue of Beethoven. The man introduces himself as Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), and, in the course of their conversation, Nathaniel mentions that he was once a student at Juilliard.
Intrigued by this talented man and his mysterious past, Lopez makes some phone calls and learns more about Nathaniel’s past—from his childhood in Cleveland to his challenges at Juilliard. Then he shares the stories with his readers. But, instead of using Nathaniel for a story and walking away, Lopez finds that he can’t just turn his back on this fascinating yet troubled man. He wants to help Nathaniel. So he starts where he can—by being Nathaniel’s friend.
Based on Lopez’s columns (which he later compiled into a book), The Soloist is a challenging drama that covers a wide range of topics. It’s about music and friendship, but it’s also about more complicated issues—like homelessness and mental illness.
The Soloist isn’t a sweet and light-hearted story, nor is it the boilerplate inspirational fluff that you might expect. It isn’t a film with easy answers or the typical smiley, happy ending. Wright doesn’t gloss over the unpleasant stuff, and, as such, The Soloist isn’t always an easy film to watch—especially when Lopez wanders through the homeless community where Nathaniel resides or in those moments when Nathaniel’s illness rears its head. It’s pretty heavy, in-your-face stuff, but it’s also beautifully done.
That’s not to say, though, that Wright always makes the best of decisions. At times, he leans a little too far on the “artsy” side. As much as he loves those gritty, eye-opening shots of life in the homeless community, he also seems to love B reel shots of pigeons and aerial shots of busy LA freeways. And I’m still rather perplexed by his decision to include a psychedelic light show in the middle of the movie.
The focal point of the film, though, is its performances. Downey is solid as Lopez, but Foxx is phenomenal as Nathaniel. He’s charming, he’s entertaining, and he’ll bring tears to your eyes. It’s an extremely demanding role—but Foxx gives an award-worthy performance.
If you go into The Soloist expecting a heartwarming, inspirational story, you’ll be in for a surprise. It’s a challenging and often troubling film—definitely not the typical April fare. But the complex, thought-provoking situations and the stunning performances make it worth watching.
DVD Review:
Director Joe Wright’s The Soloist tells a story of friendship and hardship—so it’s only fitting that the extras on the film’s DVD release cover a little bit of both. On one hand, there’s Kindness, Courtesy, and Respect: Mr. Ayers and Mr. Lopez, a short feature in which the real Nathaniel and Steve tell their story and talk about their friendship.
On the other hand, though, there’s One Size Does Not Fit All, a powerful and eye-opening feature discussing the ever-growing homeless population in LA. And, in the same vein, there’s also Beth’s Story, an animated short depicting one woman’s struggle with homelessness.
Other features on the disc include a making-of feature, five deleted scenes (including a beautiful scene in Steve’s car in the middle of Skid Row), and a commentary with Wright, who discusses everything from the film’s motifs to the talented cast.
The Soloist is a challenging film to watch, and the DVD offers some equally challenging extras. But as difficult as some of them may be to watch, they still deserve a few extra minutes of your time.
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