The Soloist
Robert Downey Jr. plays LA Times reporter Steve Lopez looking for that one big story and finds it in Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless schizophrenic who also happens to be a music prodigy.
Film making 17/25
Cinematography 17/25
Audio 18/25
Bonus Features 13/25
Total 65/100
Steve Lopez, played by Robert Downey Jr., is looking for more stories to keep his career afloat during the turbulent times of newspapers competing with the internet. In his hunt for the next big story he runs across Nathaniel Ayers, played by Jamie Foxx, who is homeless as he plays a broken down violin.
Steve is intrigued by the possibilities behind Nathaniel and his playing and soon discovers that Nathanial was in Juilliard for a few years but dropped out. Steve writes his first column about Nathaniel after doing some research and talking with his family and people are intrigued.
One person even donated a cello when Steve had written that the cello was the instrument that Nathaniel had played while attending Julliard. Steve brings the cello to the bridge Nathaniel enjoys playing under and promises he can play on the cello if they go to a shelter where he can keep the instrument when he’s not playing.
Steve is determined to find Nathaniel a home and works toward securing a place for him at an apartment building that houses the indigent. Nathaniel cannot handle the idea of living in a building but tries it out and the two create a tentative friendship.
Steve has also found a teacher who will work with Nathanial getting him back into music but Nathaniel is still not mentally prepared when Steve and the music teacher arranges a small concert. Nathaniel breaks down and rushes out of the concert and Steve cannot find him at any of his old places but finally goes back to his apartment to find him there.
Steve tries to get Nathanial some medical and mental treatment and gives Nathanial some papers to sign stating he has schizophrenia. Nathanial does not want to sign the documents and attacks Steve who rushes out of the apartment and for several days stays away from Nathaniel.
Steve ends up returning to Nathaniel and shaking hands in friendship when Nathaniel meets him at the shelter after Steve brings Nathaniel’s sister to visit him. Nathaniel was surprised Steve was there and wanted to be his friend after he attacked him but Steve found out that friendship is accepting people as they are.
Steve tried too hard to change Nathaniel and found out that he only had to be his friend and not change his life which also changed Steve’s own life in immeasurable ways. The Soloist is a good movie and an inspirational film that was also a true story.
The twist of Steve trying to change the life of a homeless man only to find out that he did not really have to change his life like he wanted to make it better. Steve tried to get Nathaniel back into music by having him play at concerts or go back to school but Nathaniel did not really need these things.
Steve discovers that Nathaniel really only needs someone to be there for him and be his friend, accepting him as he is and not for who he could be. This kind of stuff could not have been written better and having it occur in real life makes for a great basis for a film.
Both actors, Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. give great performances that show just how far an actor can take a performance. The Blu-ray edition is great and has the usual great lineup of video and audio with a good amount of extra content.
The video is well done with a good transfer that did not have many problems but was also not the best I have seen on Blu-ray. Colors are very good and skin tone is great without any real problems at all for video with an overall well done transfer to Blu-ray.
The audio is very good but not great using Dolby TrueHD with a mention for the orchestral pieces which seem to be a bit better than the rest of the audio. They took great care to bring out the most in the music scenes, especially the ones in the Disney Music Hall so that you can really appreciate the surround sound of a Beethoven piece.
The Blu-ray edition has the usual commentary and deleted scenes with four other very short making of and a bit on the homeless. The fifth bonus feature The Making of The Soloist is the one longer feature at 19 minutes that shows the process from proposal to final filming.
The extra content gives a little more insight into the film and the real people behind the story but not all that much more. The extra content is alright but does not add all that much more to the film for an average bit of extras and some insight into Juilliard.
The Soloist is a good film and well worth watching at least once but maybe not as a purchase, the true story behind the film makes it even more of a worthwhile viewing.