The Soloist

[thepaulo]

This is not a perect movie by any means, but it is the most rewarding movie so far this year.
The performances are good to very good but not transcendent. The direction by Joe Wright (Atonement) is a hodgepodge of interesting ideas and at other times seems fairly pedestrian. The script seems to jump in different directions and make the story about many things (homlessness, journalism, loyalty).
It's imperfection makes me think about it more in retrospect because the missed connections the film makes are tantalizing.
On one level it seems a cheap grab for Oscar gold on Jamie Fox's part because of it's showy and somewhat hammy Rain Man antics. On the other hand, Robert Downey Jr.'s somewhat restrained and thankless part is almost as full of confusion and lonliness as the mentally ill character he bonds with.
If I take parts of the movie and focus on them, it is very fufilling. But taken as a whole, it doesn't really seem to fit together.
I'm also confused by the relationship Downey has with his editor(Catherine Keener) at the LA Times. They have some kind of kinship and connection that is never resolved. There is an uneasy mix of comedy in a stew of weighty ideas.
All of this had me leaving the theater somewhat uneasy but has left me with a very favorable lingering aftertaste. There will probably be better movies this year but I am so glad to have this now after an almost constant diet of swill and garbage.

[hammersavage]

I thought this was the story of JerseyRich's sex life. Ayyyyy yoooooooooooooo

[thepaulo]

The Soloist is actually a better performance than anything he did for James Toback...who is kind of a low rent Robert Altman.

[badorties]

i saw a great piece on them last month on 60 minutes, and i have no desire to see jamie foxx hamm it up

a documentary might have been more interesting, although the twenty minutes piece seemed more than enough to tell their story

[Snoogans]

you still just "reviewing" reviews you read Paul?

[ToiletCrusher]

you still just "reviewing" reviews you read Paul?

But only the first few sentences.

[thepaulo]

you still just "reviewing" reviews you read Paul?

not doing bits anymore...there's no percentage in it....from now on, I'm just a real person.

[drjoek]

They did a piece on this guy on Real Sports or 60 Minutes last month very interesting

[hammersavage]

Saw it this afternoon.

The story is inherently sappy but I think Wright did a fine job of not beating the audience over the head with it.

Foxx was good, never saw the real guy so it may have been over the top. Downey was fantastic as always.

The relationship with Keener is the weakest part of the movie, you're right on that Paul.

I thought Wright took some chances that other directors wouldn't have taken. They weren't all perfect but, for example, the scene when Nathaniel first see's the philharmonic and during the performance the light just shines on him and then goes to the color scheme for 2 minutes or so until its over. I thought that was superb, really made you experience the music on a different level and appreciate it more.

So again, I think this movie is a bit melodramatic, the acting is well done and message seems to be sincere.


I think Joe Wright is a pretty strong director. Pride and Prejudice was solid, I thought Atonement was excellent and well crafted, and this movie wasn't perfect but I liked the chances he took as a director and he got great performances. I look forward to his future work.

[Pestz4Evah]

Isn't this the same basic story as that "Resurrecting the Champ" with Samuel L. a few years ago?

White journalist writes story on down and out black guy who used to be on top, white journalist learns something about himself in the process......

[Gvac]

from now on, I'm just a real person.

Welcome!

Just a warning, though - you'll be in the minority around here.

[thepaulo]

Saw it this afternoon.

The story is inherently sappy but I think Wright did a fine job of not beating the audience over the head with it.

Foxx was good, never saw the real guy so it may have been over the top. Downey was fantastic as always.

The relationship with Keener is the weakest part of the movie, you're right on that Paul.

I thought Wright took some chances that other directors wouldn't have taken. They weren't all perfect but, for example, the scene when Nathaniel first see's the philharmonic and during the performance the light just shines on him and then goes to the color scheme for 2 minutes or so until its over. I thought that was superb, really made you experience the music on a different level and appreciate it more.


So again, I think this movie is a bit melodramatic, the acting is well done and message seems to be sincere.


I think Joe Wright is a pretty strong director. Pride and Prejudice was solid, I thought Atonement was excellent and well crafted, and this movie wasn't perfect but I liked the chances he took as a director and he got great performances. I look forward to his future work.

The film is maddening. It has so many good things going on yet it doesn't quite come together.

[KnoxHarrington]

I guess I'm just annoyed with how these movies always seem to be about how the "sane" one in the pair Learns A Life Lesson from the "crazy" person he or she is charged with protecting.

A really good movie that truly does get into the head of a schizophrenic and helps you see how a mind like that works is the Cronenberg movie "Spider". There's no "sane" person to help lead us through -- we are in the head of a profoundly disturbed person the whole time. And I found that far more illuminating and able to help me sympathize with the mentally ill than this movie will.

[Gerald]

I liked it a lot and I was one of the biggest Jamie Foxx detractors out there during his Ray victory tour. I thought most of the time he was very subtle and understated.

Ron should see this to feel better about post-Iron Man RDJ. He's really outstanding in his second great role as a real-life Los Angeles journalist.

Even though the symbolism was often very heavy I thought the film was a sterling display of Joe Wright's directorial prowess. This guy has real ability to compose imagery.

There's a great film somewhere in here that never fully emerges but I'm appreciative of the effort it took to try to realize it.

[thepaulo]

I guess I'm just annoyed with how these movies always seem to be about how the "sane" one in the pair Learns A Life Lesson from the "crazy" person he or she is charged with protecting.

A really good movie that truly does get into the head of a schizophrenic and helps you see how a mind like that works is the Cronenberg movie "Spider". There's no "sane" person to help lead us through -- we are in the head of a profoundly disturbed person the whole time. And I found that far more illuminating and able to help me sympathize with the mentally ill than this movie will.

I love putting myself in the mind of a crazy person...it's one of my favorite things.
What did you think of Tideland?