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I never thought the day would come that
I could put the image of Jamie Foxx playing
the cross-eyed Wanda on “In Living
Color.” Never during that time did
I think that Jamie Foxx would eventually
become an Academy Award winning actor…
well… that and the fact that he was
from Terrell, Texas (known more for its
mental institution than anything else).
However, Foxx slowly started climbing the
movie roster ladder, eventually winning
that Academy Award for his portrayal of
Ray Charles in “Ray.” This caused
me to take notice of his burgeoning career
and to be honest I have found almost all
of his performances to date to be pretty
strong. This brings me to his most recent
film, “The Soloist”, in which
he portrays Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless
man scarred by mental illness… but
gifted with the magic of music.
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It seems in Hollywood there is an unwritten rule
that every Academy Award winning actor has to,
at one point, try out a portrayal of someone with
a mental illness. It could be mental retardation,
simply being slow, or schizophrenic (which is
a real popular one…). It is schizophrenia
which haunts Nathaniel Ayers, yet he is able to
shut out his demons while playing stringed instruments.
It is a rather amazing story to see how a man
goes from being a Julliard trained musician to
living on the streets.
The film also stars Robert Downey, Jr. as Steve
Lopez, a Los Angeles Times journalist who discovers
Ayers out on the streets and decides he must ‘help’
him… whether that help is needed…
or desired. Lopez writes a series of articles
about Ayers (on which this movie is based) and
brings his plight to national attention. Yet for
all of his attempts to ‘cure’ Ayers,
he misses the simple fact that perhaps he only
needs a friend. Downey is positively riveting
in this role.
Paramount is releasing “The Soloist”
this week into the home video market and I recently
took a look at the Blu-ray edition. As expected,
the presentation of the film in both audio and
video is flawless. The sound especially as it
is so dialogue and music heavy maintains a perfect
balance throughout.
As for extra features, they are much better than
I initially expected. There is a commentary by
director Joe Wright, which gets right to the heart
of the matter of the film’s subject and
how it compares to the real life story. You’ll
also find several featurettes, which include a
look at the making of the film (which is really
too short) and a feature on homelessness in L.A.
(also a little too short). Most notable is another
short feature on the real Nathaniel Ayers and
Steve Lopez. Additionally, there are some deleted
scenes and a Blu-ray exclusive that focuses on
Julliard. All are really good features, but I
do wish they had been longer.
“The Soloist” is an amazing film,
but not one that will appeal to everyone. There
is no action to speak of as it is an emotionally
intense, character driven story. One that I understand
was a bit Hollywood-ized (as all ‘based
on a true story’ movies are), but nonetheless
powerful to watch. I highly recommend “The
Soloist”, then go out and read the series
of articles on which the movie is based and learn
more of the whole story.
Directed by: Joe Wright
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine
Keener, Tom Hollander, Lisagay Hamilton
Extras: Commentary by Director Joe Wright, An
Unlikely Friendship -- The Making of The Soloist
, Kindness, Courtesy and Respect -- Mr. Ayers
and Mr. Lopez, One Size Does Not Fit All - Addressing
Homelessness in L.A, Beth's Story, Deleted Scenes,
Juilliard -- The Education of Nathaniel Ayers
Specifications: 1080p High Definition, English
5.1 Dolby Digital
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 8/4/2009
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Thematic Elements, Some
Drug Use and Language)
http://www.takepart.com/thesoloist
We'll give The Soloist (Blu-ray) an A.
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