‘Soloist’ appeals to all types

“The Soloist” occupies a strange middle ground somewhere between an artistic, independent cinema-house mainstay and a six-week run at a mega mall’s 24-screen multiplex.

It oddly satisfies patrons of the former with an in-depth and intellectual look at classical music pasted against a modern setting while giving customers of the latter two big Hollywood names – Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr.

Its notions about the plight of homelessness may fall on the slightly more idealistic side, but it still serves to be inspirational nonetheless. Even though some of its cogs and bolts come across as a bit cliché individually, the end result is greater than the sum of its parts, and “The Soloist” succeeds on most levels.

Based on a true story, Downey stars as Steve Lopez, a writer for the Los Angeles Times, whose regular column “Points West” chronicles life in the L.A. area. Through a chance encounter, Lopez meets Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx), a disturbed, homeless violin player from Skid Row. Dressed in a wild combination of clothing and crowned by a yellow visor with Stevie Wonder’s name written across the brim, Ayers is bubbling with conversation, though Lopez is more interested in his violin playing.

After crossing paths, Lopez decides to prominently feature Ayers in his next column, which generates a buzz around town about Ayers and his plight. When a reader sends Lopez her old cello after arthritis has rendered her unable to play, he brings the instrument to Ayers on the condition that he move into a homeless shelter to protect both himself and the valuable cello.

Ayers, who was a student at The Julliard School until the onset of schizophrenia forced him to drop out, has been relegated to pushing around a janitor cart filled with odds and ends collected from all over the city, all the while trying to remember the notes to a Beethoven opus that he played while still in school.

The narrative of Lopez and his growing relationship with Ayers is so involved that a few of the subplots just seem extraneous.

The issue Lopez faces of raccoons tearing up his yard comes across as almost inconsequential when compared to the story he’s telling for the paper.

The film also narrowly avoids an “I fixed you, you fixed me” formula – it opens with Lopez in a bicycling accident after which half of his face is covered in bruises and scabs with his right eye swollen fully shut, but he heals quickly and his “wounds” are not made to be a major issue.

The most fascinating element of the “The Soloist” is its dialogue, which is an art form of its own. Ayers’ schizophrenia is personified by audible voices in his head, but more importantly, his rambling, stream of consciousness-esque dialogue. Throughout the film, he and Lopez constantly fight to talk over one another, and to arrive at the right place where the dialogue makes sense (or at least to a point where enough of it does) requires heavy verbal blocking between the actors.

It’s also worth mentioning that a film like this has the potential to be incredibly political, which “The Soloist” cleverly avoids.

While there is a jab at California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the film remains rather objective and simply serves to shine a light on the condition of homelessness in the Los Angeles area, and to an extent, the problem in general.

Given that they were only a month and a half ago, it’s difficult to start throwing around the phrase “Oscar material” quite yet, but when looked at solely in comparison to what’s already been released this year, it’s hard not to think that “The Soloist” could be a contender come award season next year.

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