Review of The Soloist (2009) by Panta O — 30 Jul 2013
This American drama directed by Joe Wright, and starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr. was something different. The screenplay written by Susannah Grant is based on the book, The Soloist by Steve Lopez and it is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who developed schizophrenia and became homeless. Perfect casting, I have to say: Foxx portrays Ayers, who is considered a cello prodigy, and Downey portrays Lopez, a Los Angeles Times columnist who discovers Ayers and writes about him in the newspaper. Their performances were as good as possible with an unevenly developed and presented screenplay and similar directing!
Emotionally, the movie feels pretty dry, and even when we witness the extraordinary events on the screen, we are feeling left out. It seems that director Wright is not very experience in manipulating the audience using the Hollywood techniques, and this is what we get. The film itself is pretty tidy, but sometimes, even with all the homeless people in it, feels too clean and sterilised!
Still, it is worth watching it for the acting performances.
This review of The Soloist (2009) was written by Panta O on 30 Jul 2013.
The Soloist has generally received positive reviews.
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