Even before the hyperemotional “August Rush” graced theaters, my threshold for sentimental musician films had been extremely low. Seeing the trailer for “The Soloist” did not really help my preconceptions of the film with its enthusiastic swells of Beethoven, a teary-eyed Jamie Foxx obviously pretending to play the cello, and twirling pigeons flying into a big blue sky. However, this cynic was pleasantly surprised, as the film never travels too far into the cheap sentimentality zone and attempts to shed an honest light on the story of an artist who has been devastated by mental illness.
It’s based on the story of Steve Lopez (Robert Downey, Jr.), a columnist for the Los Angeles Times who meets a homeless schizophrenic named Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Jamie Foxx), who just so happens to be a former Julliard student. His mental illness has taken everything away from him except for his love of music, and Ayers now haunts the tunnels and street corners of LA struggling to express this love on a two-string violin. The visible talent of this man sparks curiosity in Steve, and what starts out as another good idea for a column unintentionally ends becomes a crusade to bring justice to Nathaniel’s broken life.
The film explores how our devotion to the things we love can be inhibited by the struggles of life and, in turn, how that devotion can inhibit our ability to recognize and deal with those struggles. Nathaniel lives music, but his illness stops him throughout his life from pursuing what he loves most. As a child, he experiences a hazy, delicate world interrupted by hallucinations; after entering Julliard, these hallucinations become extreme and terrifying, forcing him out of school and into a life of desperation he can never escape.
Nathaniel lands in Skid Row, surrounded by those like him that live each day hanging by a thread. There are an estimated 90,000 homeless living in Los Angeles, and their existence is anything but sugar-coated in the film. Skid Row looks like hell on earth, and as Steve follows his new friend into his backyard, his face reveals the fear, discomfort and astonishment that arises when one realizes that right next door are those living in constant pain. While some of these scenes are soured by their political tone, the honest faces on the screen make a compelling case for activism within our own community.
Steve lives with a different kind of hopelessness in the midst of a dying newspaper industry. His cool, cynical demeanor only acts as a cover for a man that really needs to rediscover passion for what he does, rather than continuing to live in the routine of a job that’s pretty thankless. While Nathaniel provides a source for a much needed story, he also demonstrates a joy that creates an itch in Steve he cannot ignore. The visual indulgences of the film show the beauty to be found alongside the terror of Nathaniel’s mind, including a “Fantasia”-esque clip that represents his interpretations of music in fantastic bursts of color.
However, the reality of Nathaniel’s situation grounds their relationship. Compassion can often be a one-way street, and Steve feels the weight of helping a friend that cannot help himself. He is simply a writer that sought out a good story and never wanted to be held responsible for the wellbeing of his subject. His guilt prevents him from leaving, yet it only leads to resentment and distrust from Nathaniel and those around him. The truth is that Steve cannot cure Nathaniel’s illness, and Nathaniel cannot cure Steve’s aimlessness. What they can offer each other is accountability and encouragement to make the most of what they’ve got.
If any of the film’s many subject points was made its focus, it might have been wonderful; unfortunately, it spreads itself too thin by trying to tackle them all. Their exploration is only partial, leaving the viewer wondering what this story was actually supposed to be about. Is it a documentary on homelessness? Is it an extravagant newspaper subscription solicitation? Is it a story about Ayers? Or is it a story about Lopez? The answer is all of the above, and yet not really any of the above. My advice is to choose what you will take away from it, just as Steve chooses simply to try helping a friend in need. Like the mind of Nathaniel, the story is a bit chaotic, but its moments of honesty are beautiful.
