REVIEW: The Soloist
The Soloist
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 117 minutes
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey, Jr.
My rating: 3 stars
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There is a scene from The Shawshank Redemption where Andy plays opera music over the public address to the entire prison. It is one of the more powerful moments and best uses of music in all of film.
There are countless scenes similar to that in The Soloist, which, like The Shawshank Redemption is about friendship above all else. But that one defining moment is absent. I can't say I will remember a specific scene 10 years from now.
Music, especially a symphony, is a story all it's own. The crescendos and lulls, the turmoil and the heartbreak all flow smoothly, and the audience just listens.
The wonderful music in The Soloist is worth the admission price alone. The story is based on Steven Lopez's novel The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music.
All I had to do was close my eyes and enjoy the art in this film. The story, while compelling as an idea, sluggishly moves along as we follow Lopez's (Robert Downey, Jr.) developing friendship with homeless, Juilliard drop-out and schizophrenic cellist Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Jamie Foxx).
The Soloist touches on a number of American issues, but doesn't spend enough time on any to make it a great film.
Lopez is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He's pumping out humorous columns, which attracts a wide audience, but not wide enough to save the jobs of fellow employees. With State of Play already commenting on newspapers and journalism, I didn't have a problem with The Soloist only mentioning it in passing.
This film looks briefly at America's obsession with prescription medication when dealing with mental disorders. It doesn't dive into that too much.
It also shows the mass of humanity littering the streets of L.A. It doesn't really show us much below the surface of that or why there are 90,000 homeless people L.A. Yes, 90,000 sleep on the street every night. Ayers is one of them.
I think the only thing The Soloist really explores is male friendship. That movie's been done to the best it can possibly be done in The Shawshank Redemption. This needed to offer more than two people inadvertently helping each other. It doesn't.
It is still highly entertaining for crowds that appreciate the classical music of Beethoven and Bach. The Soloist paces itself perfectly, even showing a cascade of colors during one stretch of music, forcing the audience to simply absorb.
Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice) directed The Soloist and understands the culture surrounding high-level music. He pitted Ayers against it and showed the audience why he doesn't fit in, besides just his mental instability.
There was something missing to this one though, and I think it's because there isn't really a payoff. The film builds and builds, gets to the crescendo, but doesn't finish. That's because it's too soon for this specific story.
The real Ayers and Lopez met only four years ago – three when the movie was filmed. Their story lasts only a year in the film with the mandatory updates on what each is doing today. I was left wanting a final ending. It never came.
The Soloist is decent story, but it lacks the power of other films in the genre. Wright tries to give it more importance through the musical interludes, but without an emotional investment from the audience, those moments are less significant.
They are, however, beautiful on their own, and the truly redeeming quality of The Soloist. The friendship storyline is nothing remarkable, and Downey, Jr. doesn't bring any depth to his character. He seems to just float through life, working on deadline and wanting the story more than the companionship. His character development was minimal, whereas we learn everything about Ayers.
Foxx is brilliant as usual and has completed his trifecta of music movies. He's been Ray Charles in Ray and Curtis Taylor, Jr. in Dreamgirls. Now, he's played a no-name musical genius. If it weren't for Daniel Johnston being white, I would put Foxx in line for a movie about him. (See: The Devil and Daniel Johnston).
The Soloist isn't doing exceptionally well in theaters because it caters to a niche audience: Musicians. I don't know any serious musicians who have seen this, but I suspect many love it. It's an intellectual film worthy of artistic praise, but narrative criticism. There just isn't that knock-you-dead moment it badly needs. Three stars.
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Where it's playing:
Canton/PotsdamSHOWTIMES
Watertown SHOWTIMES
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