With an interesting subject matter, two talented actors starring, Beethoven (one of my favourite composers) featuring heavily in the soundtrack and an impressive trailer, 'The Soloist' had enough to make me want to see it.Joe Wright is somewhat hit and miss for me. 'Atonement' and 'Hanna' especially of his films are great, also liked 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Darkest Hour'. 'Anna Karenina' didn't do it for me though and 'Pan' was a big misfire. 'The Soloist's' mixed reception admittedly created some uncertainty on my part, but the interest points mentioned in the first paragraph were enough to check it out anyway. Seeing it, 'The Soloist' is somewhere in the middle of Wright's films in ranking.Not one of his best, not one of his worst either. Better than reputed, but considering the potential a better film was in there somewhere that didn't quite materialise. 'The Soloist's' biggest strength is the two leads. Robert Downey Jnr. especially is riveting in a performance full of vigour and heart. Jamie Foxx had the more challenging role, and while not as subtle as Downey his acting is incredibly emotionally committed and touching. Catherine Keener also fares well. It's a good looking film too, polished, gritty and elegant. The music is magnificent as one would hope. 'The Soloist' does have its fair share of powerful, poignant and uplifting moments, the chemistry between the two leads strikes all the right notes and the scenes and portrayal of the homeless have a lot of power. The portrayal of schizophrenia, a very complex condition that has been prone to a lot of misconceptions and misinterpretations, is not too inaccurate.However, Wright's direction is fairly unimaginative and sometimes chaotic. While there is nothing amateurish about his images (apart from some over-eager/clever editing) not all of them serve much of a purpose. The script does tend to ramble, even in Foxx's dialogue which is at times slightly annoying, and be too ham-fisted.Similarly, the story is somewhat too thin and tries to cover too many themes and ideas without exploring some of them enough. Consequently, some of the film gets unfocused and over-crowded with a tendency to get melodramatic and be erratically paced. The rest of the acting barely registers, which is a shame because the two leads are so good.Overall, not a bad film but could have been more. 6/10 Bethany Cox

The Soloist (2009): Dir: Joe Wright / Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, Lisa Gay Hamilton: Musical drama about two loners whom connect through common ground. Robert Downey Jr. plays a L.A. Times reporter bent on helping a schizophrenic violinist played by Jamie Foxx who doesn't want to be helped. We know where this is headed and despite the presence of two worthy leads, the material is about as old as rocks. Directed by Joe Wright with terrific music and location shots, which is the one positive highlight. Wright previously scored big with the award winning Atonement, which went beyond its actors and involved them in a compelling plot. That is unfortunately not the case here. Downey Jr and Foxx are two terrific talents that do their best to elevate stale material. We can see the outcome to this twenty blocks away from the theatre we are heading to in order to witness this dread. Catherine Keener and Tom Hollander are underused in supporting roles that really play like space fillers. Keener's character is the ex-wife of Downey Jr whom he now works for. The best element of this film is the two leads, which is great since supporting roles are bland. Despite familiarity the film celebrates music, talent and the graceful presence of friendship that invades the solo lifestyle. Whether that saves the film, is an individual choice. Score: 5 / 10

The Soloist is a brutal movie with a poorly written storyline and a very promising cast that sadly failed to deliver.This films story and its powerful leads seemed like an easily enjoyable two hours for me,but sadly it was actually quite the opposite.It wanted to be an uplifting drama that inspired people grateful for what they have and also feel sympathy for these characters,I think it failed on both of those levels,it tries to be uplifting and inspiring much too early on in the movie,and struggles even more throughout.Robert Downey Jrs performance is not terrible,although he was certainly the movies highlight,but I was thoroughly disappointed by Jamie Foxx.He is easily one of the most talented actors in Hollywood at the moment,but fails to show any of his skills in this movie,to play a character like this Foxx needed to do his research in order to play a truly convincing man who is struggling with his mental health,but it is made very clear that Foxx didn't do this,he said his lines,and went home with his pay cheque,very disappointed by him.All in all,the Soloist is a disappointing drama with characters that I simply didn't care about and I would not recommend it to anyone. An LA journalist befriends a homeless musician and begins writing a regular column on him.Best Performance: Robert Downey Jr.

Jamie Foxx is Oscar worthy in this, simply amazing, was he nominated? The movie itself is good/okay. It follows Steve Lopez, a down on his luck (and hurting) Los Angeles Times journalist who, while looking for a new article to write about for the paper befriends a homeless Juilliard-trained musician. Foxx plays the schizophrenic former violin prodigy and balances well with Downey.Some moments did feel long winded as we (I guess) enter Nathaniel Ayers' mind and listen to the voices and music with him. I was never much impressed with the music here. Downey is...Downey. Good and kinda cocky as per.The scenes with all the homeless people at the shelter was like something from another world and very impressive. I also appreciated that we are allowed to see the violent side of schizophrenia, Steve Lopez didn't just "fix" Ayers for a Hollywood HEA. 06/13