More the cello than the violins

Rating: 10/10 (7 May 2009)

It was a rainy day and a good day to go to a movie. I'm not a fan of the action "franchises". I prefer what I call "people" movies- movies that are about human beings, their lives and relationships. I'm willing to check them out whether or not they got great reviews or won awards, (which they often do because they stand out so much against the video-game dreck). "The Soloist" has gotten some very negative reviews from some sources but I decided to give it a shot. It turned out to be one of the best movies I've seen in years.
The key to it is that it doesn't try to be sentimental. There is a cello but not much violin music and that seems symbolic of the approach: it tells the story and presents the characters without sentimentality or lectures. The film allows us to determine our own reaction to it. Robert Downey Jr. gives his best ever performance as Mr. Lopez, the reporter who starts out looking at Mr. Ayers as a way to fill a column but comes to realize he was exploiting him rather than trying to be his friend. He then realizes that to be his friend he has to accept him as he is rather than forcing him to someone else. Jamie Foxx, who is amazing in the way he loses himself in his roles, avoids overplaying his part or asking for sympathy. He just acted what he saw. Together they are the best movie acting tandem I've seen in a long time.
The film is brilliantly made, with just a hint of what Mr. Ayers has gone through trying to sort out reality and imagination and his triumph over the tragedy by finding a way to keep playing his music even if he was unable to continue his formal career. The editing is wonderful, jumping back and forth between Ayers and Lopez's stories without ever being confusing.
I couldn't help but compare this to "A Beautiful Mind", which also deals with schizophrenia but is full of inaccuracies. That was a good film despite that but this is a much better one.