Starring Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey, Jr., and Catherine Keener
Written by Susannah Grant
Directed by Joe Wright
This flick was supposed to come out last year and delays in the film industry typically signal an inferior product. Unforunately, that rule reigns true in the case of The Soloist.
The plot's simple. Reporter Steve Lopez stumbles across homeless guy Nathaniel Ayers playing a violin. Friendship blossoms.
And that is all.
The problem with this film didn't necessarily come from the actors, although I never once got a sense that Downey, Jr., was playing anyone other than himself (Foxx, on the other hand, gives a surpringly strong turn as the schizophrenic musical "genius").
Half of the problem comes from the script (nothing really happens in the film when you look back on it). There was humor and pathos in the main storyline, but when some of the subplots take the front seat -- the L.A. Times newspaper in economic trouble, the difficultly in providing care to L.A.'s homeless population -- the movie just falters.
The other major issue with the film is Joe Wright's shoddy direction. There were shots that had me flabbergasted as to why they were in the film at all -- a scene where we follow birds as they fly over L.A. while classical music plays; a Fantasia-esque light show to "symbolize" (I guess) what Nathaniel "feels" when he's listening to an orchestra. These shots in particular were there simply to "show off," and the rest of the film, if anything, is rather stodgy in how it's presented (the complete opposite of "show-off," to me). The film jumps back and forth from feeling like a PBS Masterpiece Theater piece to an ABC afterschool special from the 90s. Granted, that's just as much the screenwriter's fault as it is the director's, but the film was just too flat and "blah" too much of the time for me to recommend it.
The plot's simple. Reporter Steve Lopez stumbles across homeless guy Nathaniel Ayers playing a violin. Friendship blossoms.
And that is all.
The problem with this film didn't necessarily come from the actors, although I never once got a sense that Downey, Jr., was playing anyone other than himself (Foxx, on the other hand, gives a surpringly strong turn as the schizophrenic musical "genius").
Half of the problem comes from the script (nothing really happens in the film when you look back on it). There was humor and pathos in the main storyline, but when some of the subplots take the front seat -- the L.A. Times newspaper in economic trouble, the difficultly in providing care to L.A.'s homeless population -- the movie just falters.
The other major issue with the film is Joe Wright's shoddy direction. There were shots that had me flabbergasted as to why they were in the film at all -- a scene where we follow birds as they fly over L.A. while classical music plays; a Fantasia-esque light show to "symbolize" (I guess) what Nathaniel "feels" when he's listening to an orchestra. These shots in particular were there simply to "show off," and the rest of the film, if anything, is rather stodgy in how it's presented (the complete opposite of "show-off," to me). The film jumps back and forth from feeling like a PBS Masterpiece Theater piece to an ABC afterschool special from the 90s. Granted, that's just as much the screenwriter's fault as it is the director's, but the film was just too flat and "blah" too much of the time for me to recommend it.
The RyMickey Rating: C-
This is disappointing! That's the one movie I've seen previews for and was actually looking forward to seeing when I get back to the theater; I haven't heard of anything else decent (then again I have no idea what's going to be playing).
ReplyDeleteThomas liked it (at least, I think he did...his review isn't posted yet).
ReplyDeleteIt's not that it was awful, it's just that I think it tried to be more than it was...if that makes sense.
And, you're right...there's nothing else decent out right now...
I was just thinking the same thing after reading yours...essentially the same review, with the same rating, but I'm more harsh on the film as a whole, with you not as harsh.
ReplyDeleteAll that tells me is that I'm too damn nice with my ratings.
I will say that I enjoyed the multiple references to Walt Disney in the movie. I'm sure the Fantasia-ish sequence was totally due to the fact that it was taking place in the Disney concert hall. If I remember correctly (which I may totally not be remembering correctly), I feel like Jamie Foxx's character even said something about Fantasia at some point in one of his rambles (although that might have been me thinking "This is just like Fantasia").
Note: I didn't dislike the Fantasia scene at all...in fact, it was really the only scene that showed any type of directorial pizazz. My problem with the scene is that it felt so out of place with the rest of the by-the-book direction of the film.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't fit in with everything else. If the whole film was a rather daring look at how a schizophrenic sees the world, then that'd be something different. As it stands now, that scene is unnecessary despite the fact that it was probably my favorite scene in the film.
It does kinda seem like I'm trashing it...but I really wanted it to read as if they didn't fit in at all with the rest of the film (that being said, the bird thing didn't need to be there one bit).
ReplyDeleteAs for the voices...at first, I literally thought someone in the theater was talking...it took me off-guard. But I agree that it was a neat device. I just wish they had gone further with it. Similar to the way I feel about the movie in general. It felt very "tv" and bland, when it could've been insightful and different.