THE SOLOIST review by Gary Dean Murray

Jamie Foxx has slowly built a reputation for giving standout performances. His Ray Charles was a textbook example on how to perfect a character. He had not only every movement down perfectly, but he also had every mood. At the end of the bio-pic when Ray takes off his glasses, just about every audience member went 'When did Jamie Foxx get on screen?' It was that perfect of a capturing of an icon. Well, his newest character is a mentally damaged musician in the 'based on a true story' tale The Soloist.

The film starts with a narration by journalist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.). He is a Los Angeles Times columnist trying to find the next story. All around him, we see the ravages of the downturn to journalism business, with layoffs being the buzz word of the day. One afternoon he hears music coming from some unknown corner. Following the sound, he comes across Nathaniel (Jamie Foxx) playing a violin that only has two strings. Our journalist is fascinated by how well this man can coax so much melody from so little. He decides to write a story when Nathaniel states that he was once at Julliard in NYC.

This starts a dual plot. Steve goes into Nathaniel's world, working on different angles about not only the musician but the world of the homeless. He sees that the services for down and out people are not as wonderful as portrayed. These are people on the edge, sleeping on the sidewalks and keeping their belongings in a shopping cart.

Things change when a reader of Steve Lopez's column sends a gift. It is a cello for Nathaniel. Steve feels that this gift could be the item that pushes his new friend toward help. The struggle becomes internal for Nathaniel, with his love of making music in direct opposition to the fear of LA County social services.

The other story is Nathaniel's descent into his madness. We see him as a young man, discovering the love of music. There are his early days at Julliard and the voices that take over his entire existence. We watch him obsess over the cello, his instrument of choice. A nice detail is that the creators do not try and give an easy explanation to the psychosis, it is just something that happens.



But, to be honest, this film is more of a showcase for Robert Downey Jr. really. The film is more his story. He has the bigger burden in making this film, showing a range of emotions. In trying to understand one man, he sees a much wider world and a problem that affects everyone.

The performances reminded me in so many ways the film Rain Man. In that film, Dustin Hoffman found his mentally challenged character and stayed there. The harder role was the Tom Cruise one, where we become one in the sympathy game. Here Robert Downey Jr. has the difficult role. He has to filter a number of emotions during his journey of acceptance and love. As he becomes our eyes and ears, we become a part of his soul search.

Jamie Foxx shows some chops in bringing this role to the screen. He is a solid actor giving a solid performance, but once he finds the character, he's done. There is little growth with Nathaniel. Once there, we are just observers in a life.

The Soloist is in no way perfect. The style is a cross between student film-making and experimental works from the late 1960s. The camera, in trying to set a tone succeeds in only making confusion during some montages. Director Joe Wright, in attempting to show music and the effect it has on man, uses some very dated techniques. He would have done a better job by not being flamboyant and just let the orchestra play. It is powerful enough without all the techniques.

In the final analysis, The Soloist is one of those early, long-shot Oscar hopefuls. One will hear from promotion arm of the studios that some have called it “The first Oscar film of the year”. But by the time the actual nominees are listed, this movie will be no more than a footnote for 2009.

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