The Soloist film review

Here’s a review of the new Jamie Foxx/Robert Downey Jr. film The Soloist, by long-time contributor Sir Charles Maye.

Ok, so this is pretty tricky. This review is kinda like Lindsay Lohan – it goes both ways, so bear with me.

The Soloist is about homeless, Julliard-trained cellist/violinist Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) who’s suffering from schizophrenia and he encounters L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey, Jr.), who tries to get Ayers’ story as well as get him some much needed help.

On one front, I have to give it props for delving into a taboo subject in the African-American community: mental health. Having worked in the field for almost 15 years, I could definitely relate to trials and tribulations that accompany mental illness.

The other side to this is, I’m not sure if it was the classical music or I was already tired or the movie moved slowly or a combination of the three, but I kept dozing off every now and then for the first fifteen minutes or so, but I eventually knocked the sleepiness off and was cool after that.

As expected, Foxx and Downey, Jr. give excellent performances and have some pretty intense moments between each other, but I just don’t think it should have been a theatrical release. Showtime or HBO? For sure. It’s a very compelling story, especially considering they used actual homeless/mental health patients in the film, but this may be one to see if you’re a die-hard Foxx or Downey Jr. fan. If neither, wait for it on DVD/On Demand.