The Soloist is a touching film that stars Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx. The film is based on the book of the same name, which tells the story of Nathaniel Ayers who was considered a musical prodigy until he developed schizophrenia during his time at the world-renowned Julliard School. Ayers (played by Foxx in the film) is homeless when he is “uncovered” by a newspaper columnist (played by Downey, Jr.) who took his story to the masses and became a friend to Ayers in the process.
It’s hard to knock a film like this. The Soloist is all about heart. It’s the story of what we should be, and what some people have wonderful moments of. It’s about caring for each other as people and that is ALWAYS a story worth telling. Robert Downey, Jr. is superb here. He’s been on a hot streak the last few years but this is easily as convincing a performance as in Iron Man or even Less Than Zero. Foxx is maybe less convincing in the role but the story is so beautifully played out that it almost doesn’t matter. The story is the centerpiece here and it’s delivered superbly.
The extras here include an interesting Making Of documentary as well as standards such as deleted scenes and commentary tracks. The commentary by Joe Wright is worth a once through (something I rarely suggest) though because there were so many interesting things to know about this film and how it came to be and evolved. Overall this film is well worth your time. It’s a heavy subject matter for sure but it’s also something we can all take to heart and learn from.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
