Photo by: Dreamworks
The plight of the homeless is one uncommon to the silver screen, probably because there are no clearly defined villains to face down or solutions to be embraced.
On the other hand, stories about crusading journalists fighting for truth and justice have been consistent box office draws as of late.
The two concepts combine into an emotionally powerful film in “The Soloist.”
The story follows Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.), a columnist for the Los Angeles Times struggling to find interesting stories in a world becoming more and more disinterested in newspapers.
Lopez finds his story in a homeless man he meets, Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx). Ayers spends his days playing the two remaining strings on his violin, drowning out the sounds of traffic with the music of classical composers.
As Lopez digs deeper, he discovers that Ayers was a prodigal music student at Julliard who was forced to drop out due to severe schizophrenia.
As Lopez digs deeper and deeper, he finds himself more involved in Ayers’ life than he ever really wanted to be.
Director Joe Wright has a reputation to maintain, and he does
He was responsible for “Pride and Prejudice” in 2005 and the Oscar nominated “Atonement” in 2007.
Moviegoers will be glad to know that his shift from classic British stories to this more contemporary tale has not impacted the overall quality in the least.
“The Soloist” is a technical achievement that pushes the envelope just enough to impress without alienating audiences. Even more impressive is that this is Wright’s third film based on a book. He continues to be one of the few directors capable of a decent “book-to-film” transition. Wright definitely knows what it takes to make a good movie.
The acting is superb. Downey Jr. does a fantastic job of portraying Lopez as a flawed and believable human being that anyone can relate to. Foxx, however, steals the show as the schizophrenic Ayers. One can’t help but feel a profound mixture of pity and marvel at the musical prodigy turned homeless man in Los Angeles.
This film is not without its flaws, though.
While deep characters and a quick moving story do go a long way in proving the quality of the film, the political aspect definitely means that some viewers are going to end up feeling left out.
Whether or not the issue is important enough to merit this alienation is up for debate. And, while rare, there are at least two instances of pee jokes that seem out of place against the overall dramatic backdrop of the film.
“The Soloist” shows definite signs of being an awards season contender. It’s a political and emotional story of human frailty that audiences will definitely be able to identify with. It has all the right elements. The only question that remains is whether or not critics will find it appealing or preachy.
