The Soloist Review

Isn’t it a shame when a movie is ALMOST really good? Unfortunately, that’s the case with "The Soloist."

It’s especially disheartening when all the elements for a really good movie are there.

In the case of "The Soloist," you have a very talented cast (led by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, as well as Oscar nominees Robert Downey Jr. and the underused Catherine Keener), a skilled filmmaker (Joe Wright of "Atonement") an inspirational true story and an even more inspirational trailer. It’s not a good sign that, all things being said, the movie’s trailer had more of an impact on me than the feature film. (On the bright side, "The Soloist" is an early front-runner for "John’s 2009 Movie Trailer Awards.")

"The Soloist" tells the true story of damaged journalist (is there any other kind?) Steve Lopez (Downey) who, in search of fodder for his latest column, meets and befriends Nathaniel Ayers Jr., a Julliard-trained musician who is now homeless and mentally ill. Lopez’s series of columns on Ayers brings prominence to both men and threatens to break each man out of his comfortably miserable life.

To me, that would’ve been an interesting movie in its own right. Watching two exceptionally talented actors tackle wildly different, but thematically-parallel characters -and seeing how the two characters relate to each other - would’ve been worth the price of admission for me.

However, in adapting Lopez’s book, Wright and screenwriter Susannah Grant attempt to cram too many other ideas into what was already a pretty solid concept for a movie. These include the decline of newspapers in an online world and the incredibly high rate of homelessness in Los Angeles. Either of these two topics would make for an excellent movie in their own right, but watching them get jammed into "The Soloist", makes them come off as incomplete.

Another missed opportunity is Wright’s direction. I admire the filmmaker for taking some stylistic risks in trying to liven up a conventional drama. However, he ends up with more misses (using colors to dramatize the way Nathaniel hears music) than hits (dramatizing Nathaniel’s scary mental illness) and most of the misses end up coming off like second-rate Stanley Kubrick. I also think we probably could’ve done without the bits involving the raccoons and coyote urine.

At least the acting is top-notch. Foxx does a great job of creating a convincing, mentally-unstable character without coming off as completely indulgent. He also conveys both the softness and the unpredictable danger of someone like Nathaniel. (I’ll let the music experts out there let me know if his cello/violin playing was legit). Downey is equally as good as the (literally) beat-up, wounded journalist whose goodness may only be a flicker. Still, thanks to Downey, that goodness is definitely there, despite the character’s initial selfish motives. Curiously enough, though Foxx and Downey are excellent in their own performances, I found their chemistry to be a bit lacking.

Keener, who doesn’t have enough screen time, is VERY good as Lopez’s editor/ex and, in her few scenes, is able to portray a good deal of the damage Steve caused in her life, thereby enhancing both characters. (Never mind that the real Lopez is happily married.)

In the end, "The Soloist" is a missed opportunity because it bites off more than it can chew. Then again, I’m the guy who gave "Obsessed" a higher grade, so what do I know?

The Soloist...B-