Review of The Soloist (2009) by Jason F — 25 Jun 2010

I expected far more from this movie, but the pacing of it killed what should have been a phenomenal story. 60 Minutes did a story on Nathaniel Ayers around the time of this movie's release that was deeply moving and left the movie deeply wanting. If I had not seen that story, I would have been completely lost in this movie, whose story-telling is sometimes as unintelligible as Ayers's schizophrenic babble. The pacing and constant flashing backwards and forwards leaves the viewer with no sense of timing. It was completely confusing, even though I already knew the story. I found it also weighed down by drawn out musical episodes that seemed to last far longer than they should have. And, as much as I honestly like Jamie Foxx, it was distracting watching him try to play someone that I know is supposed to be about 20 years older than he is. Foxx's character attended Juilliard in the early '70s when Foxx was about 5 years old. What - you couldn't find another talented black actor who was actually age appropriate for the role?

It also suffered from an awkward, forced message on homelessness in Los Angeles. I can appreciate bringing that kind of awareness to a serious issue. But if you're going to do it, then it should actually be a central theme to the movie, not something that seems painfully thrown in to give it lasting purpose.

It was still mildly interesting because it's an intriguing story at its core, but I mostly felt like the writers and director just screwed it up.