THE SOLIST -REVIEW
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Director: Joe Wright
Cast:Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener
Rating: ****1/2
Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Jr. is special. He is a musical genius who attended Julliard School of The Arts. He plays violin and in his youth played Cello. He is obsessed with Beethoven. He has schizophrenia. He is homeless.
Robert Downey Jr. plays Steve Lopez an LA Times journalist who meets Ayers in a park, befriends him, and uses his as material for his column Points West in the Times. Through this exposure, Ayers is given a Cello from one reader who played it for 50 years before arthritis forced her to give it up.
Nathaniel is accustomed to the streets and has fallen in love with its sights and sounds. He uses theses sounds to augment his orchestra as he plays, in parks, in tunnels, and on street corners. When Lopez is able to arrange accommodation for Ayers in a bed sit, Ayers is more than hesitant. He believes that the Cello best fits the acoustics of the city and not the box that has been thrust upon him. It is a testament to his ability as a musician that he would chose a better life for his instrument, than for himself.
Director Joe Wright brings grace to this feature. Coming of the back of critical acclaim for Atonement he captures the essence of Ayers beautifully and we are drawn into his disjointed existence, albeit uncomfortably.
This was not a Downey Jr. story. In that I mean, it was not equally leveraged between both main characters or skewed in favour of Lopez. It was clear that this story took its focus from the Angelenos and their plight. As much as this feature was a humbling experience for Downey Jr. after the dizzying highs of Iron Man fame, it was a realisation of where he had come from, given that the homeless people involved in the making of the film, at the shelter where much of the film was set actually remembered Downey from his own experiences when he so publicly dabbled with drug addiction and spent time in rehab.
The supporting cast, particularly Catherine Keener as ex Mrs Lopez,were well chosen. They were simply placed to add a fullness to the story and abet the composition that played out before us.
Music was critical. Although there was repetition of one piece, there could have been more musicality to the story. The cityscape provided much of the soundtrack, though more could have been done with the orchestral side of things.
Immediate comparisons are drawn between this and Ray the story of Ray Charles in which Foxx played the titular role. That scored him an Oscar. It was said that the release of the soloist was pushed back from its original February release date so it would be in contention for an Oscar. This reviewer is not sure that either of the two performances from Downey or Foxx would be enough to get them over the line. The directionfrom Wright although beautiful for much of the piece, goes a little awry in some instances, particularly in the scene where Ayers is treated to a rehearsal of the Las Angeles Philharmonic and the scene snaps from Ayers to what we are lead to believe his the interpretation of how his mind/body is responding to the sounds.
This review stands by his ****1/2 rating as the actors were solid enough and the performance moving and engaging enough to leave you wondering, though you are told in the closing credits, how both Lopez and Ayers are doing now. It is always nice to see real people depicted on screen. We all have a story wether it be a rise to greatness or a fall from their. Downey Jr is currently on his rise, and Jamie Foxx may languish their for some time. Both actors are musicians, though Foxx is more adept. Music is the Universal language so this story should have reach across a greater audience. Though it is up to the listener and indeed the viewer to let it carry you away.
