Steve Lopez And The Real Man

Rating: 9/10 (21 September 2009)

If there were ever any doubt that Robert Downey Jr. is one of our best current actors out there, then this film should put them to rest. Still having doubts? Check out his more current resume: KISS KISS BANG BANG, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, IRON MAN, and his amazing TROPIC THUNDER. And these are just a select few that I've cherry picked. This isn't to say that Jamie Foxx (DREAMGIRLS) didn't do a great job. It's just that Downey Jr. is showing up in some awfully great roles and performing them to perfection, as witnessed here in THE SOLOIST.
This is a story close to my heart. Similar in theme to LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, this story doesn't circle around a town coming together to help one man's psyche. This story is about two men who orbit in entirely different galaxies and how a passing swipe ends up creating a lifetime friendship. Yes, there's the mental illness aspect to it and Foxx plays the role of Nathaniel Ayers exceptionally well. His schizophrenia is obvious, and living on the streets hasn't helped. And when newspaper reporter Steve Lopez (Downey Jr.) tries finding a story to write about, he stumbles upon Nathaniel's past as a Juilliard Music School drop-out. Nathaniel plays a violin with only two strings, and as Steve Lopez writes about his newfound friend in the paper, a donation comes floating in: a beautiful cello.
This cello has multiple draws for Nathaniel, and some of them aren't good. The positives are that Nathaniel can play a beautiful instrument beautifully. And that he finally starts forming a friendly tie with someone (anyone!) It just happens to be Steve Lopez. Steve starts showing him around the current musical scene. But with Nathaniel's reawakening comes the remembrance of his past and how he got to where he is. His mental breakdown comes crashing back into current memory, even as Steve, his new friend, tries to help him out more and more.
The side-story of Steve and his wife's reconciliation (Catherine Keener, AN American CRIME) is pretty much fluff for the movie/story and doesn't add much. It is the touching and powerful story of a friendship forming amidst a respect for one another, a love of music, and facing the challenges of an oft-times debilitating mental illness that drives this wonderful film.
And the music ain't too shabby either.