'The Soloist' review

Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx (Credit: Francois Duhamel/Paramount)

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Compelling and true: A few years ago L.A. Times reporter Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) focused multiple columns on Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a homeless ex-Juilliard student with undiagnosed schizophrenia, and helped spur the allocation of funds towards assisting the homeless and people with mental illness in L.A.'s Skid Row area. A less compelling, fictional subplot: Steve's boss is his ex-wife (Catherine Keener), with whom he shares a distinct love-hate relationship.

The buzz: Kudos to the casting director, since Downey Jr. and Keener are rock solid, and Foxx has Oscar-winning experience ("Ray") tapping into the heart of a troubled musician. Less confidence-inspiring: "Atonement" director Joe Wright—who has no background with stories in this century or outside Europe—and writer Susannah Grant, whose work on junk like "Catch and Release" doesn't suggest she can handle a heavy tale about mental illness, homelessness, journalism and social action. P.S. "The Soloist" was delayed from a scheduled release during the '08 Oscar season—not a good sign.

The verdict: Why is "The Soloist" so centered on Steve's ambivalence about being the only person looking after Nathaniel, rather than about Nathaniel's alienation and the social function of Steve's stories? The film suggests that all homeless people have mental illness and vice versa, presenting them not as a valued, overlooked part of the community but people who are different and difficult to understand. Foxx is good enough and Downey Jr. anchors moments of hard-hitting observation, but Wright struggles to visualize the elevating spirit of music and the crushing weight of hearing voices. Early on, Steve remarks that his goal is to understand how and why a person can go from Juilliard to the streets. If only "The Soloist" had the same intent.

Did you know? Apparently coyote urine can be used to keep away small animals, with Steve's inability to repel raccoons employed as a pretty bad metaphor for the difficulty of treating mental illness. As for Steve's two incidents of winding up with pee in his face? That's not symbolic, it's just, uh, comic genius.

Video: Watch Matt's review of 'The Soloist'

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