The Soloist

This weekend I saw the film The Soloist, based on the true story of the life of Nathaniel Ayers, a Julliard dropout, and LA Times reporter Steve Lopez. The story is mainly based around the two characters' interactions who are played by Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. The film as a whole was good, but it lacked one essential element which I can't decide exactly what it was, but it made me decide that this movie was only a mediocre or good movie and not a great movie. The storyline was intriguing, interesting, and emotional, but much of the story beyond Downey and Foxx's interaction was lacking substance and excitement.

This film was moved back three times for release and was originally slated for release in December 08, then March 09, and finally April 09, and during that time, I feel that it kept going through changes and ended up with a relatively ineffective film. Some of the emotional elements of streetlife in Los Angeles, was beautiful and depressing and very well done, and the people who played the homeless people were likely homeless people in reality or portrayed it very effectively.

However, the story and the acting of the other characters lacked substance and meaning and the storylines were poorly developed. The supporting actors who often interacted with Robert Downey Jr. were ineffective and slowed the movie down terribly.

The best part of the film was unquestionably the interaction between Downey and Foxx, and especially the acting of Jamie Foxx which was absolutely outstanding, and probably a reason to see the film solely (I accidentally made a pun) for that. Although he will not be recognized by anyone because the film came out in April and not November or December like all of the Oscar nominated performances, he will not be remembered come awards season, but to me, he was fantastic. The way he acted and spoke flawlessly really captured the essence of the character and made the film.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed in this film, not because it was bad, because it was not terrible, but because it could have been more. It could have delved deeper and the characters could have been better developed. It was also surprising because the director of the Soloist was Joe Wright who directed Atonement which was Oscar nominated. The film either tried too hard or just walked you through the journey without allowing you to figure anything out by yourself.

So in the end, the Soloist was a good film, but nothing special or memorable except for Foxx and Downey, and it is possible that it was difficult to tell a good story since it was based on true events, but in large part the story falls flat. Therefore, I will recommend this film for the acting of the stars but not for the storyline or any meaningful moviegoing experience.