The Soloist (2009/DreamWorks/Paramount Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture:
B-/C+ Sound: B-/C+ Extras: C+ Film: C+
Homelessness. It is a huge problem, yet no one wants to
deal with it and since the 1980s in particular, it has been used as a weapon
against the vulnerable by certain political interests. Still, stereotypes about it, myths and other
“excuses” people make up so they don’t think it could happen to them perpetuate
the problem. The first best denial line
is “some of “them” like it” or “they let it happen to themselves” or “it’s
their fault” or “if only they were not involved in (fill in the vice)” and many
more. Joe Wright’s The Soloist (2009) is the latest of few films to even admit the
problem exists.
Robert
Downey Jr. plays a reporter who runs into a sad young man named Nathaniel
(Jamie Foxx) who may have an interesting story to tell when he accidentally
runs into him on the streets. He can
tell Nathaniel is disturbed and also finds out he was once at the prestigious
school Julliard, so how is he where he is now?
Then he becomes more involved as we see flashbacks of how a younger he
became mentally ill and his life fell apart.
Based on
the book by Steve Lopez, the film was due out late last year as an Oscar
contender, but was pushed back and when it finally did arrive, did not do well
commercially or much critically. Fans of
the book felt the film had butchered that material and that was the end of any
hit accolades, but the film is saved by the seriously good work by the
leads. Downey is back in full control of
his facilities and Foxx has found a new approach to do “down and out” that he
perfected with ironic comedy years ago, but there is nothing false, phony or
humorous about his fine work here.
Unfortunately,
the film is still choppy and uneven, due to the limits of Director Wright
(whose Atonement and Pride & Prejudice are the kind of
stuff period pieces that make a director too laid back for something like this)
and Writer Susannah Grant (whose several scripts since Erin Brockovich have been big disappointments), yet the moments
that do work besides those of the actors are the montages of the flashbacks
that try without words to communicate Nathaniel’s plight in a smart, visual,
cinematic way that speaks to the problems with mental illness (like
schizophrenia, among others mind states) that shows this film was on to
something. Too bad those behind the
scenes could not handle the depth of the material.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image is softer than it should be and though
consistent for what it is, disappoints throughout. The problem is not just one of styling. The anamorphically enhanced DVD is even
weaker still. Seamus McGarvey, B.S.C.,
A.S.C., supposedly shot this in real anamorphic 35mm Panavision, but someone got
carried away with the 2K digital master in the worst way. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix is on the quiet and
weak side, with sound too much towards the screen, a problem even more apparent
with the Dolby Digital 5.1 on the DVD, but did the soundmix have to be this
weak? What makes it worse is that the
great music conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen shows up with non-audiophile sound.
Extras include
a feature-length commentary by Wright, four featurettes (An Unlikely Friendship, Kindness,
Courtesy & Respect, One Size Does
Not Fit All, Beth’s Story) and
Deleted Scenes that show more of the fine performances.
- Nicholas Sheffo
