A solid and engaging film in the main that only hurts itself when it does give way to sentimentality (although this is not too often)

Rating: Null/10 (17 February 2010)

When it came out in the UK (which was sometime after it came out in the US) there was still some lingering talk of Oscars which is sort of par for the course in any film where a famous actor is playing a character with a mental illness etc. As it transpired, the film wasn't there when the names were called and in some areas (acting) I think that is a shame because while the film has its problems it is actually a very engaging piece. The plot follows a journalist (Steve Lopez) as he finds a homeless man (Nathaniel Ayers) playing violin on the street with a skill far in excess of that which his appearance would suggest him capable of. As he tries to help this man and get a story out of it, Lopez finds out more about the plight of the homeless in LA.
The film never quite becomes as smug and curt as my potted plot summary makes it sound but I will say that there is an atmosphere of hand-wringing to the film that it never totally loses – it is not overpowering but it is in the air and you never forget it is there for very long. This manifests itself in the nature of the telling as we very much have Lopez as the main character but it also comes from the unnecessary excesses when it comes to the wider issues of homelessness. This is most evident in the terrible clips over the end credits (talk about overegging the cake) but it is also in the main film when it goes all hand-wringing over "what's to be done" and also visually and audibly gushes over the healing power of music. It is a shame because otherwise the film does maintain a fairly even keel and manages something close to restraint, particularly when the scenes are squarely in the hands of the lead two actors – scenes where director Wright actually does well to be as matter-of-fact as he is.
Ignoring the liberties taken with the fact (which will not even occur to most casual viewers – myself included) we actually have a very solid story in this odd relationship. The characters are not excessively polished and nor are the performances pushed out in the hope of an award. Credit to Jamie Foxx because this is the sort of thing where it could all be played out over soft music and where there could have been several "big" scenes where the Oscar clip is in the mind. On the contrary, Foxx is restrained and convincing and you feel for his character all the more for it, he doesn't have one "big" scene where everything is laid out but both he and the film are better for it. Downey benefits from the material not leaving Lopez as either a blank plot device or as some sort of saint, rather his motives are always questionable and his ability to do anything is not exaggerated. This gives Downey more to play with and he does very well with it – again he is never showy or give "one big moment" but he is consistently good and he works very well with Foxx. Keener has a small role without too much to do (but still manages to be a quality presence as ever) while Hollander and Hamilton are both good but also rather odd finds for viewers of The Thick of It and True Blood respectively.
Overall The Soloist ironically may have been more successful had it really turned up the sentimental music and gone the whole weepy route, but it would have been a lesser film. As it is, it is not perfect and does give way to sweeping generalisations and slight sentimentality when it comes to the music and the wider issues, but in the main story it is sturdy, reliable and quite emotionally balanced. It is also helped a great deal that both Foxx and Downey are happy with this approach and pitch their engaging performances accordingly. Not a brilliant film but certainly one worth seeing.