THE SOLOIST

Review: A newspaper columnist discovers a homeless musical genius and does his best to improve his situation. By working and helping each other they both find they are transforming their lives.
Director: Joe Wright
Actors: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, LisaGay Hamilton, Nelsan Ellis, Rachael Harris, Stephen Root, Lorraine Toussaint, Justin Martin, Kokayi Ampah, Patrick Tatten, Susane Lee, Marcos De Silvas and Ilia Volok
Year: 2009
Genre: Biography, Drama, Music
Conclusion: 2/5
I thought that both of the actors gave fantastic performances. When Jamie Foxx got the part for this he was already a classically trained pianist but just had to learn to play the cello for the film. It did fall a bit flat in the middle of the film but then they pulled it all back together at the end. I felt there were a lot of pieces in this that just didn’t add up or actually fit into the film. Both actors reunite together a year later in Due Date (2010). Several things happened which actually were not explained or bought to a conclusion. It is directed by the same director who directed Pride and Prejudice (2005) and also Atonement (2007). All of the scenes with the homeless people in are actually mostly homeless. After watching this I wasn’t sure what this story was trying to get across or whether I was supposed to feel sorry for the characters. The predictable plot is lifted by the quality of the two central performances.