Review: The Soloist

Review: The Soloist

Rating: **1/2

Nonna's Rating: $$

Rotten Tomatoes: 55%

My, how I wanted to love this movie. It had two marvelous things going for it: Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey. And they do deliver. I couldn't take my eyes or ears off Foxx whenever he began to speak. His verbal gymnastics recalled for me painful, frustrating experiences with two homeless schizophrenics whom I had known from their youth: there again was the brilliant connectivity of seeming gibberish describing the world through the lens of mental illness. And Downey inhabited his role as a reporter the way he always does -- with subtle nuances and doubtless sincerity.

Ironically, the problem with the movie is its verisimilitude, its unrelenting attestation that life is just more complicated than that. Downey's character (Lopez) sets out to rescue Foxx's (Ayers), a brilliant cellist derailed by his schizophrenia. Lopez's intentions are good; he does everything he can. He believes he can make a difference. But, in the course of the film, he learns that he has no control of the outcome of his actions: Ayers is not "fixable." Finally, Lopez recognizes that all he can really do is simply be there for Ayers with no hidden agendas, no desire to fix him. The film is worth watching for that insight alone, but, unfortunately, that story doesn't make for compelling drama. So, be prepared for a somewhat unusual movie-going experience. Instead of being entertained, you will be asked to ponder and learn. And is that so bad?

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price
$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it