Life has a mind of its own
In 2005, the only thing hurting Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez more than his face from a recent bike accident was his pressing need for story ideas. That is when he discovers Nathaniel Ayers, a mentally ill, homeless street musician who possesses extraordinary talent, even through his half-broken instruments. Inspired by his story, Lopez writes an acclaimed series of articles about Ayers and attempts to do more to help both him and the rest of the underclass of LA have a better life. However, Lopez's good intentions run headlong in the hard realities of the strength of Ayers' personal demons and the larger social injustices facing the homeless. Regardless, Lopez and Ayers must find a way to conquer their deepest anxieties and frustrations to hope for a brighter future for both of them.
Genre(s): Drama, Biography, Music
Runtime: 117 minutes
Rating: 6.9/10 (6,883 votes)
Release Date: 24 April 2009
Country: UK, USA, France
Languages: English
Company: DreamWorks SKG
Sound: Dolby Digital, SDDS, DTS
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some drug use and language.
Director(s): Joe Wright
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Producer(s):
Rikki Lea Bestall - co-producer
Tim Bevan - executive producer
Josephine Davies - associate producer
Eric Fellner - executive producer
Gary Foster - producer
Eric Heffron - co-producer (as Eric N. Heffron)
Russ Krasnoff - producer
Jeff Skoll - executive producer
Leeann Stonebreaker - co-producer
Patricia Whitcher - executive producer
Writer(s):
Susannah Grant - (screenplay)
Steve Lopez - (book "The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music")
Cast:
Jamie Foxx - Nathaniel Ayers
Robert Downey Jr. - Steve Lopez
Catherine Keener - Mary Weston
Tom Hollander - Graham Claydon
Lisa Gay Hamilton - Jennifer Ayers (as Lisagay Hamilton)
Nelsan Ellis - David Carter
Rachael Harris - Leslie Bloom
Stephen Root - Curt Reynolds
Lorraine Toussaint - Flo Ayers
Justin Martin - Young Nathaniel
Music: Dario Marianelli
Rikki Lea Bestall - co-producer
Tim Bevan - executive producer
Josephine Davies - associate producer
Eric Fellner - executive producer
Gary Foster - producer
Eric Heffron - co-producer (as Eric N. Heffron)
Russ Krasnoff - producer
Jeff Skoll - executive producer
Leeann Stonebreaker - co-producer
Patricia Whitcher - executive producer
Writer(s):
Susannah Grant - (screenplay)
Steve Lopez - (book "The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music")
Cast:
Jamie Foxx - Nathaniel Ayers
Robert Downey Jr. - Steve Lopez
Catherine Keener - Mary Weston
Tom Hollander - Graham Claydon
Lisa Gay Hamilton - Jennifer Ayers (as Lisagay Hamilton)
Nelsan Ellis - David Carter
Rachael Harris - Leslie Bloom
Stephen Root - Curt Reynolds
Lorraine Toussaint - Flo Ayers
Justin Martin - Young Nathaniel
Music: Dario Marianelli
Posted on: April 23, 2009
July 11th, 2009
I will start this review by saying that I am very biased toward thismovie. I am a music lover. I believe it is impossible for any musiclover, especially an admirer of Beethoven, to be disappointed by thismovie. I also adore Joe Wright, the director, and director of suchamazing films as Pride and Prejudice and Atonement. The Soloist isvastly different from those film, but he pulls it together in a waythat I greatly admire.
This is based on a true story about a journalist, Steve Lopez (RobertDowney, Jr.), who finds a talented homeless man, Nathaniel AnthonyAyers (Jamie Foxx), on the streets of Los Angeles. He went to JuliardSchool of Music, but, due to his own personal demons, dropped out andplayed on the streets. Lopez writes some articles about him andattempts to help him. The movie is about their relationship.
The movie has been billed as rather uplifting. But it really is not.It's about a crazy homeless man who remains crazy and homeless to thisvery day. The story does follow an arc, but the ending is not assatisfying as if it were a storybook, unlike Wright's other two movies.And that's what many critics, and everyone else is criticizing. But Ithink that comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of the music.Roger Ebert, the great movie critic himself, said "As for the music,Beethoven of course is always uplifting, but the movie doesn't employhim as an emotional showstopper…" which is completely and utterlywrong. The thing is, Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, specifically the firstand second movements are used many times throughout the movieperfectly, as "emotional showstoppers." Plus, Beethoven isn't alwaysuplifting! Specifically the 3rd Symphony which is basically a tributeto a schizophrenic hero. The first movement is heroic, beautiful. Thesecond is a torrential funeral march. They are used throughout themovie brilliantly, adding meaning to each scene for those who arefamiliar with the music. It runs perfectly with the life of theschizophrenic hero of the movie, one that is doomed to endproblematically, despite all efforts. Joe Wright understood theimportance of the music in this movie, and he picked it perfectly.
Joe Wright is my best friend. He's introducing newness into Hollywoodmovies. He tells stories in a traditional manner, but adds ininnovative and original "camera tricks" in each one. And they all haveso much depth and artistic focus. That's one thing he has, artisticfocus. And it always comes at exactly the right time. He does someamazing things with music and the city in this film, and he's nothingshort of brilliant for doing it.
Downey is amazing. I saw a 60 Minutes special about the real Lopez andAyers, and though Lopez was nothing like the character in this movie, Iwill forever remember him like this. Which if fine. Downey played hischaracter spectacularly. Ayers, however, was exactly like Foxxportrayed him in the movie. Foxx is a brilliant actor; he gets deepinto his characters, and he isn't afraid of what that means.
In all honestly, this may be Wright's weakest film. The editing is abit weak in the beginning. It doesn't follow a natural path for a movienear the end. But for someone who understands the music, it will be oneof the best you are likely to see. I spent several months deeplystudying it, and was greatly rewarded for it by this film. If anyoneelse did the same, they would see how brilliant this movie is.
July 18th, 2009
Summary (Nutshell)
"The Soloist" sets out to be the quest of an LA Times journalist SteveLopez searching for interesting story. Not content with choosing fromthe plethora of mundane topics, he starts looking for the everydayperson, worth writing about. He discovers a homeless man, playing histwo-string violin under a statue of Beethoven, in the middle of LosAngeles. This brief encounter quickly develops into a more intricaterelationship. Lopez finds himself sympathetic to help the homeless Mr.Ayers. Suffering from schizophrenic delusions, Ayers can only expresshimself through one of his many instruments, preferably the Cello.Lopez embarks on a mission to reintegrate Ayers into society, byfacilitating his love for classical music; this proofs more difficultthan he thought.
Comment:
As a fellow musician, I've found myself very compassionate with Ayers'love for Beethoven. When you close your eyes, the music floods yourmind, dozens of instruments play at the same time, but instead ofsuffering from sensory overload, you form a unit with the symphony,resonating with every note, feeling the composer's love, anger andpassion. By playing the piece, we are able to reconstruct and reunitewith an indescribable beauty, so simple in nature, yet which will neverfade, even when the meaning of words left us long ago. Ayers' offers aglimpse into a highly talented musician, who is confined by his socialstatus and medical condition, but yet someone who is able to enchanthis listeners when he plays.
Robert Downey Jr.'s and Jamie Foxx's performance was absolutelystellar. Jamie Foxx is an unbelievable actor, his performance in Raywas already phenomenal, but I believe he has outdone himself as Ayers.He seems to be able to understand the musical mind and can portray theforces that drive/restrict it. I highly recommend watching this music.
Our endless struggle for self-fulfillment is a struggle, we have tofight for ourselves. 8/10
July 20th, 2009
The best parts of The Soloist are the images of the urban homeless andthe chaos of the dispossessed. You would think that a so called"civilized" society, like America would address this epidemic beforecharging off into other countries and imposing "corporate democracy"with the bayonet.
The film itself is cold and somewhat empty. It feels like the budget of60 million dollars would have been better served if it had been donateddirectly to the homeless of Los Angeles and the film had never madebecause the cost of the picture is not evident on the screen. Maybe thestars took most of the money in pay-checks?
The documentary feel of the homeless, so expensively recreated, mighthave worked better if it was shot for real but then again, maybe it wastoo dangerous for these stars to enter real poverty stricken locations.
It also feels strange and slightly cynical to have one of the richestand most successful black actors play the part of someone homeless andrejected by their country. Fox carries the stigma of success and hisperformance is just that, a performance. Never for a moment was Iconvinced that this was a real person, it simply felt like an actordoing his best for some sort of accolade.
Downey Jr. gives a smaller performance but it is unremarkable andunengaging.
Even with the use of Beethoven's music (edited, adapted, abridged andre-worked) cannot not help the picture gain any warmth or real emotion.Where Beethoven's music is beautiful, intense and extra-ordinary, thisfilm is vapid, cold and listless.
America's disenfranchisement of it's own people is an important subjectbut other than some impressive imagery this picture shoots itself inthe foot by playing to Hollywood rules.
August 6th, 2009
The Soloist is another example of a movie that starts with theassumption the audience knows who then characters are & what the moviewill be all about.
There are only two main characters in this sad tale of a reportertrying to find a story when he meets this talented but mentally flawedhomeless man playing a violin with missing strings.
Robert Downey Jr. is Steve Lopez a reporter for the Los Angeles Timeswho writes human interest stories. Since I live in Los Angeles & readthe Times every day I am familiar with Mr Lopez & his writings. I ambeing very picky here, The do show a 'pic' of Mr. Lopez with his column& his hair seems very white. Mr. Downey has very dark hard & to me itdid not help his characterization. I felt he was not convincing in hispart.
Jaime Foxx is Lawrence Ayers, an ex-Juliliard student, homeless & withmental problems,He was a fine cello player.
We do see the plight of the homeless people vividly portrayed. Sincethis plight is basically the crux of the film,it is not a happy orenjoyable movie.
There is some beautiful music played, BUT to be truthfully honestString music does nothing for me. I am a piano man. Mr Foxx was RayCharles a few years back,Mr Charles was a troubled man as well. Themusic made that film very exciting & interesting to me. To me Violin &Cello music does not excite me at all.
Thusly I found the film a big bore.
It was supposed to be released for last years Oscar race,Wisely theydid not,as was not worthy of any award consideration.
Joe Wright directed from Susannah Grant's screen play which she adaptedfrom Steve Lopez' book.
Filmed on the streets of downtown Los Angeles. Running time is a long117 minutes,
Ratings: **1/2 (out of 4) 66 points (out of 100) IMDb 5 (out of 10).
NOTE: 66 points is at the bottom range of the 2-1/2 * rating.
July 11th, 2010
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