Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

TheLittleSongbird With an interesting subject matter, two talented actors starring, Beethoven (one of my favourite composers) featuring heavily in the soundtrack and an impressive trailer, 'The Soloist' had enough to make me want to see it.Joe Wright is somewhat hit and miss for me. 'Atonement' and 'Hanna' especially of his films are great, also liked 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Darkest Hour'. 'Anna Karenina' didn't do it for me though and 'Pan' was a big misfire. 'The Soloist's' mixed reception admittedly created some uncertainty on my part, but the interest points mentioned in the first paragraph were enough to check it out anyway. Seeing it, 'The Soloist' is somewhere in the middle of Wright's films in ranking.Not one of his best, not one of his worst either. Better than reputed, but considering the potential a better film was in there somewhere that didn't quite materialise. 'The Soloist's' biggest strength is the two leads. Robert Downey Jnr. especially is riveting in a performance full of vigour and heart. Jamie Foxx had the more challenging role, and while not as subtle as Downey his acting is incredibly emotionally committed and touching. Catherine Keener also fares well. It's a good looking film too, polished, gritty and elegant. The music is magnificent as one would hope. 'The Soloist' does have its fair share of powerful, poignant and uplifting moments, the chemistry between the two leads strikes all the right notes and the scenes and portrayal of the homeless have a lot of power. The portrayal of schizophrenia, a very complex condition that has been prone to a lot of misconceptions and misinterpretations, is not too inaccurate.However, Wright's direction is fairly unimaginative and sometimes chaotic. While there is nothing amateurish about his images (apart from some over-eager/clever editing) not all of them serve much of a purpose. The script does tend to ramble, even in Foxx's dialogue which is at times slightly annoying, and be too ham-fisted.Similarly, the story is somewhat too thin and tries to cover too many themes and ideas without exploring some of them enough. Consequently, some of the film gets unfocused and over-crowded with a tendency to get melodramatic and be erratically paced. The rest of the acting barely registers, which is a shame because the two leads are so good.Overall, not a bad film but could have been more. 6/10 Bethany Cox

grantss Steve Lopez is a journalist for the LA Times. He is on the lookout for new story ideas when he stumbles across Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless man with extraordinary musical talents. Lopez is eager to improve Ayers's situation, while writing a story on him, but the biggest problem may be Ayers himself.Good but not great. Emotional journey, but somehow something is lacking. I just didn't feel as engaged as I normally would for a story like this. Maybe it was that it seemed to drift in the middle section or that it ultimately didn't have a point, or, at least, it's point was wasn't strongly put.Can't fault the acting - Robert Downey Jr, Jamie Foxx and Catherine Keener are excellent.

blanche-2 "The Soloist" from 2009 is based on a true story and stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. An LA Times columnist, Steve Lopez (Downey), is in need of a story in 2005, shortly after smashing his face up in a bicycle accident. One day he discovers Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx), a homeless man who plays the violin. Steve decides he would make a good story.As he writes his articles, Lopez learns more about Ayers. He has a sister who loves him (LisaGay Hamilton) and is concerned about him; his original instrument was the cello. The stories bring all kinds of attention to the problem of homelessness, to Lopez himself, and to the gifted Ayers, and a cello is actually donated to him. He loves to play his music in the tunnels, doesn't like to be inside, and idolizes Beethoven. In flashbacks, we see bits of his life which appear to be a loving mother and no father, and we see a truck on fire, which was part of his trauma.Nathaniel's plight does a lot for Steve Lopez, and though he is someone who shies away from commitment, he wants to help him. But in reaching out, he experiences the hurt and pain that often comes from dealing with the mentally ill, in this case, schizophrenia.The film asks a few questions: can a person who refuses medication be forced to take it; does every homeless person want to be in a home; and why in such a rich country do we have so many homeless (90,000 in Los Angeles as of 2009).Lopez works to understand the talented Nathaniel, and Nathaniel begins to see him as a true friend. Both are needy people and not particularly trusting. But true freedom comes in facing one's demons.Wonderful film about courage and understanding.

Zakir Shikhli I will describe this movie shortly. I watched it just now it touched me so much. I think this movie should have higher IMDb rating and should get at least one Oscar for Best movie. Pro's and Con's by my opinion. Pro's: Realistic scenario, Realistic characters, Good actor work, Good ending. Con's: Only one - Too often close shot shows the main characters. Recommend to everyone for watching it at least once. It can be watched with family too. __I really don't have to say more than it, to fill the review until 10 lines, regarding to the guidelines, so beginning to write these lines. I think, every review must be moderated and published, not only ones, which are larger than 10 lines. Now You can ban me, I don't care :) P.S. Sorry for bad English.