Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Rijndri Load of rubbish!!

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

erick-palacios04 Lots of times i see a film after i see the rating on Rotten Tomatoes or maybe reading a review without spoilers. I did it with this film and saw it already thinking it's bad, and that's the last time i do that, i really enjoyed this film, not a 10 but maybe re-watchable. Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr. give solid acting, even when particularly i don't like Mr. Foxx to much, except for Ray of course, i think he should keep playing real life musicians, and Mr. Downey, Jr. had just started with the MCU, so ironically he's playing a guy who helps another guy (Mr. Foxx) to get back on his feet when himself is starting to do so in real life in 2008-09, and does it really great (in the movie and in real life). Also with a good script and good secondary acting by Mrs. Keener. I give it a 7, it's not that high but it's really good compared to the other critics. Please see it, you won't waste your time.

krocheav Interesting based on fact film directed by dyslexic British filmmaker Joe Wright. Wright seems like an odd choice for this film considering his success with high caliber romantic and literary movies like "Pride and Prejudice" '05 ~ "Atonement" 07 ~ and "Anna Karenina" '012. Perhaps, the at times uneven style of "The Soloist" harks back to Wright's earlier days as a Video clip director but might also be partly due to Susannah Grant's screenplay. Somewhere between the two, this production has a couple of seemingly disjointed scenes that to some, could seem misplaced. The story is a powerful one, with Jammie Foxx perfectly cast playing the mentally afflicted and volatile Cello prodigy Nathaniel Ayers. Ayers, while living on the mean streets of Los Angeles playing broken down instruments, attracts the interest of L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez - Robert Downey Jr delivers one of his more sincere performances as Lopez. Foxx, who has been known for having some difficulty working with cast members on other projects, works hard at this difficult role and impresses.Italian composer Dario Marianelli is at home with his work on several Beethoven and Bach classics and Irish director of photography Seamus McGarvey (The Hours '02) together with his director delivers a mix of pop art and dramatic images.This is thoughtful film making that offers many inspirational moments - it's strength lies in it's fact based and tormented subject. Recommended viewing and definitely one that has much to offer a wider audience - as well as its insight into the care of the mentally unstable and the impact they bring to family and friends.

g-bodyl The Soloist is one of those films I remember not living up to its hype, especially when it came to Oscar season. Perhaps that is why I skipped that film until now. It's really not a bad film at all, led by two central performances from Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. Granted, the film moves at a snail-like pace at times, but this melodrama brings to light some important issues such as mental disorders and homelessness. These two subjects should not be said in the same sentence, but in the case of Nathaniel Ayers, it unfortunately is the case. Based on a true story, Joe Wright's film is about a LA Times reporter named Steve Lopez who has a chance encounter with a homeless schizophrenic named Nathaniel Avery, who is incredibly gifted with the cello. Steve decides to use him as a story topic and in the process, a friendship was forged. The film is well-acted because of the two incredibly gifted actors in the lead. Jamie Foxx showed dramatic acting chops in 2004's Ray, and now he does so again in the Soloist. This may not be the best portrayal with this subject (Russell Crowe was better in 2001's A Beautiful Mind), but it was still a powerful performance nonetheless. Robert Downey Jr did a great job as the reporter who introduced this man to the world. Overall, The Sololist is a solid melodrama, although it's nothing special. The performances were excellent and I liked the story itself. The screenplay is a little weak and a little confusing at times, so thank heavens for Foxx and Downey! Poverty has always been a big issue in LA, but it seems like LA is the homeless capital of the world. A very important theme of this movie. A good, watchable melodrama. I rate this film 8/10.

SnoopyStyle It's 2005. Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) is looking for his next subject to write about. He discovers mentally ill Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) playing his broken violin. He befriends the homeless musician and begins to write about him as well as the homeless of LA. Nathaniel showed some skills as a child and concentrated on music and nothing else. He got as far as Juilliard but dropped out in his second year.There are two good performances from two great actors. It's too bad there isn't something more compelling or that the story isn't told better. I wonder if Nathaniel's life story told straight up wouldn't be better. This is based on the real newspaper columns. Maybe there is too much Steve Lopez. The movie is more about him than Nathaniel. There is way too much about coyote urine which is marginally amusing at best. The story just needs to find that compelling flow.The best part of the movie are the LA skid row scenes. The mass of mentally disturbed is quite shocking and seems like an unreal creation. That's something different at least.