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The Soloist (2009) |
| Summary | A journalist befriends a schizophrenic homeless virtuoso. |
| Genre | Drama |
| Direction | Joe Wright |
| Downey Factor | High |
| Character | Steve Lopez, an L.A. Times journalist |
| Looks | Very short hair, grayish beard, a bit rough. |
| Performance | Solid, a controlled counterpoint to Jamie Foxx |
| Love & Sex | None, although the character works with his ex-wife. |
| Dies, Gay or Villain | No, no, no. |
| Other Actors | Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener, Stephen Root, Lisa Gay Hamilton |
| Connection | Jamie Foxx in Due Date |
| Location | Los Angeles |
| RDJ Says | I'd always known and grown up on the east coast in manhattan and then out [in L.A.] always being kind of a street kid that there's unpanned gold in every soul you run into, no matter what walk of life they're from. I think besides Joe [Wright, the director] I was probably the person who spent the most time with the LAMP members because [my character is] always there amongst the society that exists down on Skid Row. I was just in close proximity [to them] for a long time and kind of felt, it's like anything--it's like being at a new school, first they're wondering, they're mildly interested and want to talk about things that have to do with movies and then they're talking about what's in the newspaper that day or something that actually happened, what they're going through, things they're pissed off about. It's like any culture ... [We worried] is this going to be one of those self-serving Hollywood feelgood tear jerk junky things? Talking to Jamie helped me ground that and get a sense of what our purpose was. And Joe Wright's take on it was pretty great so we thought we had a good shot at doing one of those quote unquote important movies that sucked. |
| Lit Reference | The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez The book sums up the film's story which was originally told in by a series of newspaper articles. |
| Hot Link | Official Site |
| Release | 24 April 2009 |
| Availability | Currently available on DVD in regions 1, 2 and 4, and Blu-Ray. |
| Foreign Titles | Argentina: El Solista Brazil: O Solista Denmar: Solisten France: Le Soliste Germany: Der Solist (The Soloist) Greece: O Virtouozos |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 55% Fresh | 183 Reviews |
| Critical View | Mick La Salle, San Francisco Chornicle: Even when Lopez gets passionate on Nathaniel's behalf, Downey remains plugged into the cannibalizing aspect of the writing life: He portrays Lopez as someone who enjoys caring and enjoys getting involved, because it all makes for a better column. Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: It's hard to imagine these roles played by anyone else. The co-stars are both virtuosos, and their styles combine to create a harmony of friendship that cannot fix the unfixable, or redeem the irredeemable, but gradually grows into mutual help and a kind of love. |
| 2 Reasons to See It | 1. You're way into classical music. 2. Maybe you need a reality check about how serious a problem homlessness is in L.A. |
| Overall | A rather boring take on what's meant to be a poignant story. |
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