Great acting marred by hapless direction

Rating: 5/10 (13 August 2010)

"The Soloist" is the reel adaptation of the real life story of LA Times journalist Steve Lopez (played by Robert Downey Jr) And Nathaniel Ayers (played by Jamie Foxx).Directed by Joe Wright ("Pride and Prejudice" and "Atonement"), there was huge expectations from this movie. But disappointingly, this movie seems very disoriented and stretched too long for comfort. The end result is what was supposed to be an inspiring movie about friendship, faith, music turns out to be a boring, self-obsessed, confused venture for Joe Wright.
Cast wise, one can't expect more. Both lead actors were just too good for their respective role. Special mention for Robert Downey Jr, who was born to play this character. His dialogue-delivery, trademark facial expression, emotions were just pitch-perfect. Jamie Foxx did a good job also, but I personally feel Robert Downey Jr was the heartbeat of this entire movie.
The biggest drawback of this movie was its length. It's okay to make ~2 hours movie, but to stretch it unnecessarily is not worthwhile. The final editing was much disoriented. Even after such a great performance from the lead, one never feels connected and attached towards the story or the characters.
Overall, "The Soloist" was not what everyone expected it to be. This project was just not suited for Joe Wright, who seems to have mastered making period movies. It's a pity that talents of Robert Downey Jr and Jamie Foxx were not able to compensate for Wright's bad direction.
My Verdict: 5/10