The Soloist (2009)

Summary

A journalist befriends a schizophrenic virtuoso who lives on the street.

Director

Joe Wright

Downey Factor

High.

Character

Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles Times journalist.

Looks

Very short hair, grayish beard, a bit rough.

Performance

Solid, a controlled counterpoint to Jamie Foxx.

Love & Sex

None, although the character works with his ex-wife.

Dies, Gay or Villain

No, no, no.

Cast

Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener, Stephen Root, Lisa Gay Hamilton

Connection

Jamie Foxx in Due Date

RDJ Says

I'd always known and grown up on the east coast in Manhattan and then out [in L.A.] always being kind of a street kid that there's unpanned gold in every soul you run into, no matter what walk of life they're from. I think besides Joe [Wright, the director] I was probably the person who spent the most time with the Lamp members because [my character is] always there amongst the society that exists down on Skid Row. I was just in close proximity [to them] for a long time and kind of felt, it's like anything—it's like being at a new school, first they're wondering, they're mildly interested and want to talk about things that have to do with movies and then they're talking about what's in the newspaper that day or something that actually happened, what they're going through, things they're pissed off about. It's like any culture ... I'm playing a journalist again, which seems to be a bit of a karmic thing for me. It also makes me much nicer in interviews. I just know what a challenging job it is and what a drag it is to make an agreement to talk to someone who then promptly informs you that they don't want to talk ... [We worried] is this going to be one of those self-serving Hollywood feelgood tear jerk junky things? Talking to Jamie helped me ground that and get a sense of what our purpose was. And Joe Wright's take on it was pretty great so we thought we had a good shot at doing one of those quote unquote important movies that sucked.

Lit Reference

The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez
The book sums up the film's story which was originally told in by a series of newspaper articles.

Time & Place

Present day (2008), Los Angeles.

Gossip

Though based on a true story, some aspects of the movie were made up to add tension and drama (for example, Steve Lopez is not divorced in real life).

Availability

Released in theaters 24 April 2009. On DVD in regions 1, 2, 3 and 4, and Blu-Ray.

Foreign Titles

Argentina: El solista
Brazil: O Solista
Denmark: Solisten
France: Le soliste
Germany: Der Solist (The Soloist)
Greece: O virtouozos
Turkey: Virtüoz (Virtuoso)

Rotten Tomatoes

56% Fresh | 195 Reviews

Critical View

Mick La Salle, San Francisco Chronicle: Even when Lopez gets passionate on Nathaniel's behalf, Downey remains plugged into the cannibalizing aspect of the writing life: He portrays Lopez as someone who enjoys caring and enjoys getting involved, because it all makes for a better column.

Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: It's hard to imagine these roles played by anyone else. The co-stars are both virtuosos, and their styles combine to create a harmony of friendship that cannot fix the unfixable, or redeem the irredeemable, but gradually grows into mutual help and a kind of love.

Does It Hold Up

Their performances are solid but Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr have both done better and more memorable movies than this one.

2 Reasons to See It

1. You're way into classical music.
2. Maybe you need a reality check about how serious a problem homelessness is in L.A.

Overall

A rather boring take on what's meant to be a poignant story.

If You Like It

You might also like Good Night & Good Luck (2005), The Singing Detective (2003), Frontline

Photos

Video