The Soloist

Originally set to be released in the fall so it could hopefully earn some Award nominations, The Soloist is instead being dumped at the end of April. More specific, it's landing exactly one week before the summer movie season officially kicks off, meaning it doesn't stand a chance at the box office. Normally, this would spell trouble, but when you think about it, it probably wouldn't have stood much of a chance in the fall either up against such heavyweights like Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire. Despite two electric lead performances, The Soloist is laid back and kind of wandering in its storytelling, but not in a bad way. If the movie doesn't quite reach the greatness it desires, it's certainly not due to a lack of effort by the cast and director Joe Wright.

Wright, you'll recall, is best known for British period films like Atonement and Pride and Prejudice. He switches gears here, telling the story of real life Los Angeles Times columnist, Steve Lopez, and the strange relationship he struck up with a homeless Julliard drop out named Nathaniel Ayers. The film is based on Lopez's autobiographical novel, and although a few details have been changed (in the movie, he's divorced, but he's married in real life), the movie more or less follows what happened. Lopez is played in the movie by Robert Downey Jr, and he brings the right note to the character. He does not portray Steve as a saint, even though he is helping out this homeless man who is suffering from a mental illness that has prevented him from truly using his musical gifts to the success he used to dream of as a young man. Steve Lopez seems to be the kind of guy who specializes in destroying his closest personal relationships. He still talks to his ex-wife (Catherine Keener), but we get the sense it's mainly because they both work at the same paper. As his relationship with Nathaniel deepens, and he begins to realize that he is all Nathaniel has, he doesn't seem to know what to do. He played the Good Samaritan, hoping to get some articles out of the guy, but he didn't seem to expect an actual friendship.

Steve first meets Nathaniel when he sees him playing a violin with only two strings underneath a statue of Beethoven in a park. As played by Jamie Foxx, Nathaniel is a man suffering from schizophrenia. His mind seems to move at a mile a second, his mouth barely managing to keep up with the thoughts entering his head, so much of his speech comes out as a jumbled collection of statements, observations, and random musings that fly one after another. He mentions to Steve that he once studied at Julliard until his mental illness completely overtook his talents and destroyed his life. After doing some digging to see if the story checks out, Steve writes a column about Nathaniel, which becomes an instant hit with readers. One reader even mails a new instrument to Steve's office for Nathaniel to play. As the two spend more time together, Steve truly starts to understand the world Nathaniel comes from. He sees the world of the homeless first hand, and also sees just how far detached from reality Nathaniel can be. Sometimes, he comes across as intelligent and intellectual as a scholar, but often, he is as scared and confused about the world around him as a young child.

If Downey's performance as Steve is gritty and uncompromising, then it is Foxx's performance that truly resonates. This is a natural portrayal, never once coming across as scripted or calculated. He does not play up Nathaniel's quirks, nor does he try to make him "loveable". He is a man ravaged by disembodied voices that only he can hear, and by his own mental shutdown. In flashbacks, we witness the young Nathaniel's mental fall, and his performance here is truly terrifying, as he can't seem to explain to himself what is happening. We witness his confusion, his fear, and it allows him to sympathize with him without sugarcoating his condition or simplifying it like in some movies dealing with characters suffering from mental illness. (A Beautiful Mind springs to memory.) It is the performances of Downey and Foxx, and the chemistry they share, that gives The Soloist its effortless charm while we watch it. They are both realistic individuals, and we can sense the uneasy bond that grows between them. Usually when actors do dramas about illness, there is a tendency to get mawkish or overly sentimental. Both of the actors here never let this happen, and it helps add to the realism of the film.

Another plus is the film's sense to steer away from cheap sentiment or manipulation. The movie is frequently gritty and very real. So real, in fact, that the people inhabiting the scenes set in the homeless shelters and slum neighborhoods are not actors. They are real people of the street, and when they tell their stories, it hits home. Director Wright also throws in some stylized touches, such as a beautiful sequence when Nathaniel is listening to a live concert, closes his eyes, and we see flashes of bold colors representing the music against a black background. It's equally a touching and stunning moment. Its moments like this that hint at the greatness the movie strives for, but the screenplay by Susanah Grant (Erin Brokovich, Catch and Release) never quite keeps its momentum going when it steps away from the two lead characters. The supporting characters are well performed, but not as strong as they should be. There's a subplot concerning Nathaniel's sister (who has no idea what's become of her brother until Steve gets in touch with her) that never resonates as strong as it should. Likewise, Catherine Keener as Lopez' ex-wife never seems to come into her own. Also, for all the movie's realism, it can't help but throw in a couple sentimental moments that ring false. A scene that tracks birds taking flight while Nathaniel plays a lovely classical piece seems forced in its imagery, and the closing sequence depicting the characters dancing to music for no reason seems tacked on and pointless.

It's the uneven tone that ultimately holds The Soloist back from the movie it's trying to be. This is a very good movie, but you get the sense that with a little more effort, it could have been great. You think back fondly on the stuff that works, but don't remember a lot of the stuff that came in-between. It's a mixed work, but a strong one thanks to the performances of Downey and Foxx. It's also the second movie in a row that I've seen (after last weekend's State of Play) that's voiced frustration over the printed newspaper losing ground to electronic media. It's always a worthy message, and one that I was happy to see again.

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