The Soloist Film Review
Jamie Fox & Robert Downey Junior Star in Joe Wright's New Movie
Sep 27, 2009
Set in 2005, The Soloist tells the true story of the unlikely friendship between L.A. reporter Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) and homeless musician Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Fox). Lopez is a talented journalist with a popular column in The Los Angeles Times but he’s in desperate need of a new story with an editorial deadline fast approaching.
While strolling around Los Angeles looking for inspiration, Lopez happens upon Nathaniel Ayers, an intriguing African-American, busking haplessly with a two-stringed violin. After striking up a conversation, Lopez becomes aware that Ayers is severely mentally unstable, yet possesses an extraordinary talent that doesn’t match up to his down-and-out status. Sensing a good story, Lopez sets about researching Ayers and discovers that he was once a talented musician with a bright academic future.
The story captures the imagination of the L.A. public and earns Lopez widespread praise, but, in typical journalistic fashion, Lopez can’t let a good story lie and finds himself drawn to the idea of helping Ayers get back on his feet. Without realising it, the two are helping each other; Ayers has a friend for the first time in years, and Lopez’s lonely bachelor existence suddenly finds a moral purpose.
The Soloist Suffers from the High Standards of Similar Films
The Soloist is certainly a very touching film, one which extends Joe Wright’s reputation as one of the finest directors Britain has to offer. There aren’t many directors around today who can extract such moving performances from his leading actors, and following up sterling work on both Atonement and Pride & Prejudice, The Soloist marks Wright’s first major Hollywood project.
However, despite being an interesting true story, The Soloist is slightly underwhelming. Heart-warming, yes, but it’s entirely possible that the film suffers from previous explorations on the ‘troubled genius’ theme. For example, Jamie Fox is fantastic as the schizophrenic Nathaniel Ayers, but unfortunately it’s easy to compare with - and be overshadowed by - a similar performance by Geoffrey Rush in the movie Shine, or even Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, both infilms that explored similar stories of brilliant minds marred by mental illness. Also, the quirky, bachelor journalist, portrayed in this instance by Downey Jr., has popped up in so many films that it does (again, despite being well acted) lapse into cliché.
It’s a real shame because Fox and Downey Jr. are two of the best actors of their era, but the cynics among us might suggest that this film appears so Oscar-friendly that at times The Soloist seems like a vehicle for Fox and Downey Jr. to capitalise on the Academy’s penchant for the combination of mental illness and a true story.
Joe Wright Injects Some of his Visual Style into The Soloist
The Soloist isn’t without flashes of Wright’s genius though, scenes which show the musical epiphany that washes over Nathaniel when he can indulge in his passions are realised with gripping orchestral acoustics (credit must also go to the sound design) and close ups which capture the fine details of Nathaniel’s Cello or the rich intensity in his face.
Despite being set in a much less flattering area of Los Angeles than is usually portrayed in the movies, Wright is able to make The Soloist a visually arresting film. Scenes shot around Skid Row incorporated a vast amount of the real-life homeless community in L.A., capturing a shocking realism to the dangers and helplessness of a life on the streets.
Verdict: 3.5/5
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