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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
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Since 1996 |
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
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The Soloist Stars: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey, Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander and LisaGay Hamilton Director: Joe Wright Scriptwriter: Susannah Grant and based on the book by Steve Lopez Composer: Dario Marianelli Cinematography: Seamus Garvey DreamWorks Pictures/Universal Pictures Rating: PG 13 for themed material, language and drug use Running Length: 125 minutes I have noticed over the years that, like music, movies need to have a rhythm in order to truly work. Maybe not a rhythm you hear but one you certainly must feel. I first realized this a few years back in a phenomenal film called Little Miss Sunshine. When I asked the filmmakers about this rhythm they told me that they had used certain drum beats throughout and had focused as much on the rhythm as they did on the look of the film. Did it work? Considering it was one of the highest nominated films in 2007 I would guess, yes. The Soloist needed this inner rhythm but instead relied mainly on the solo performances of its two lead actors. This makes for well played out scenes but there is nothing to mold them fluidly together; producing a choppy film full of staccatos and no syncopation. The script is based on the book written by LA Times columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.). It is the true account of his friendship with a homeless man named Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx). Lopez discovered Ayers playing a busted up violin in the park then after a little investigating he soon learns that Ayers was a student of Julliard School of Music until a mental breakdown forced him to life on the streets. This is a wonderful story and I am sure the book makes for a truly decent read. Just not so sure it maid the transition to the big screen. It is hard to chronicle such a friendship as theirs in 190 minutes. We see Lopez as he deals with the homeless crisis and does all he can to try and help Ayers. What he has to come to terms with is that often, so says the story, the best you can offer someone that is schizophrenic is just your time and friendship. Lopez wants to fix the situation and get Ayers back on the concert stage. It is not a possible task as Lopez soon finds out. Along the way he has to also examine his own life and destination. The film makers seem to have built their movie on the foundation of RDJ and Foxx. Both guys knock it out of the park but never seem to be playing on the same team. I can sense them soloing these performances like a symphony audition instead of listening to each other and making it an unparalleled duo. This is the main thing that throws off the rhythm and may cause them to lose out in the end. The Soloist is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some drug use and language. It is a mature film in how it deals with the homeless issue and shows their existence in stark display. There is not much that a young person 16 and under could grab onto in this film. The trailer is a little deceptive in its depiction of the focus of this project. They do a nice bait and switch with some of the scenes you see. That said I do think that if you go into it knowing what to expect you can take many things from it. Those who are content with acting alone will find this a perfect film I am sure. I just wanted a little more. I give The Soloist 3 out of 5 bass clefs. Neither the musician nor the film lover in me walked away very satisfied.
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Review copyright 2009 Mungleshow Productions. Used by Permission.
Los Angeles journalist Steve Lopez (played by Robert Downey, Jr.) found a gold mine when he discovered cellist Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Jamie Foxx) playing a two-stringed instrument on a sidewalk. What began as a story of the plight of the homeless and mentally ill, turned into a rescue mission that involved Lopez and governmental agencies. The film depicts one case, but we see from the shelter that Lopez visits, there are thousands of people on the streets needing help. Lopez, as portrayed by Downey, Jr. is your typical reporter. Scruffy, slow with deadlines and a perpetual day-old beard. In order to get a story, he has to offer some assistance to Ayers, whom he finds on the street and is entranced by his playing of classical music. It doesn’t take a pinch to the arm to figure out that Nathaniel Ayers has mental problems, perhaps schizophrenia, with moments of lucidity and moments of spacing out. Lopez tries to get him into a shelter and off the streets, but finds that Ayers has been on his own for almost 30 years and is more comfortable pushing a large shopping cart with his belongings than sleeping in a bed. Responsibility is one thing Ayers does not understand. It is at this point, that the script becomes a bit heavy-handed with the camera lingering on people who sit at the door of the shelter hoping to get inside. From physically crippled to mentally crippled, each person has a story, but can anyone help them all? The head of that shelter is shown as all-knowing, but over-worked, with a desk as overloaded as Steve’s. We see that one thing Steve wants to do is have Nathaniel continue cello lessons, as it is clear this man is talented. Enter a symphony cellist (Tom Hollander) who helps with lessons, but it is, also, at this time that Nathaniel feels threatened and has a sort of break-down with violent tendencies. What to do? Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx inhabit their characters, so much so that no one else need appear in the cast. The title of the film should have been "The Soloists." Foxx shows what it is like to continually hear voices in his head. His illness became apparent when he was a music student. Music is the constant in his life and if you don't know what "constant" is, check out television's "Lost" sometime. Mistakes in judgment occur, and Downey’s character rolls with the punches when things don’t go his way. Robert’s body language is eloquent here. Foxx learned how to finger the cello so he looks natural with the instrument and his first look at a cello with all its strings to practice on, is like a man who came in off the desert and sees water for the first time. It is total awe. The film seems to have an editing problem, as some characters are brought into with the movie and we don’t know who they are. Steve to Nathaniel, “Jennifer will take over as your guardian.” Who is Jennifer is an example. The Soloist could have been told in 90 minutes. I could have done with one less scene in the shelter and one less scene of pushing Nathaniel’s cart around the city. Photography by Seamus Garvey is well done and gives Los Angeles a sort or attractive surreal ambiance. Of course, with a classical music soundtrack by Dario Marionelli, you can’t go wrong, but sometimes, this works against the film and adds a softness that is awkward. Copyright 2009 Marie Asner
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