The Soloist (2009)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Joe Wright

Writers (WGA):

Susannah Grant (screenplay)
Steve Lopez (book)

Release Date:

24 April 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Life has a mind of its own

Plot:

A Los Angeles Journalist, befriends a homeless Julliard trained musician, while looking for a new article for the paper.

Plot Keywords:

Musician | Journalist | Los Angeles Times | Columnist | Musical Genius

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Jamie Foxx	...	Nathaniel Ayers
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Steve Lopez
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Meggan Anderson	...	Flutist
Halbert Bernal	...	EMT
Matt Besser	...	Commuter #4
Troy Blendell	...	New young editor
Jayce Bradley	...	Brawling Frat Guy
Pete Brown	...	Composer
Michael Bunin	...	Adam Crane
Joshua Cabrera	...	Teenage Musician
Ralph Cole Jr.	...	Enraged Homeless Man
Ingrid Coree	...	Nurse
Paul Cruz	...	EMT
Marcos De Silvas	...	Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
Aurelius DiBarsanti	...	Paramedic
Paul Edney	...	Driver
Nelsan Ellis	...	David
S. Zev Esquenazi	...	Sgt. Hendrickson
Angela Featherstone	...	Commuter #1
Lauren E. Gates	...	Ballerina
Marissa Ghavami	...	Ballerina
Artel Great	...	Leon (as Artel Kayàru)
Paul Greenberg	...	Commuter #2
Lejla Hadzimuratovic	...	Disney Hall Patron
Justin Rodgers Hall	...	Sgt. Harris
Lisa Gay Hamilton	...	Jennifer (as Lisagay Hamilton)
Richard Hansen	...	L.A.P.D
Rachael Harris	...	Leslie
Joe Hernandez-Kolski	...	EMT #1
Tom Hollander	...	Graham Claydon
Pete Ilarius	...	Disney Hall Patron
Catherine Keener	...	Mary Weston
Edward Kiniry-Ostro	...	Craig
Francesca Kortesmaki	...	Twin violinist
Therese Kortesmaki	...	Twin violinist
Kitty Kreidler	...	Skid Row Homeless woman
Heather La Bella	...	ER Doctor
Hallie Lambert	...	Ballerina
Kirsten Lea	...	Awards Presenter
Susane Lee	...	Marisa
Lemon	...	Jeremy
Wayne Lopez	...	Officer Hank
Wally Lozano	...	Sign Spinner
Michael Maddigan	...	Brawling Frat Guy
Ricky Marciano	...	Cop
Justin Martin	...	Nathaniel - Age 13-16
Annie McKnight	...	Linda - LAMPS Advocate
George Meyers	...	Cop
Rob Nagle	...	Neil
Nick Nervies	...	Jennifer's son
Kai Nuuhiwa	...	Brawling Frat Guy
Alejandro Patino	...	Construction foreman
Palma Lawrence Reed	...	ER Nurse
Stephen Root	...	Curt
Franklin Ruehl	...	Homeless man
Esa-Pekka Salonen	...	Conductor
Jules Sanchez	...	Skid Row Porta Potty Dweller
Sharon Savene	...	LAPD Officer
Holly Sherman	...	Juilliard student
Robyn Jean Springer	...	Disney Hall patron
Janaya Sultze	...	Ballerina
Jeff Sutherland	...	Cowboy on Plane with Wife
Valentyna Svyatchenko	...	Julliard Student
Patrick Tatten	...	Paul
David Jean Thomas	...	Jim Trotter
Karmyn Tyler	...	Juilliard Party Guest
Ilia Volok	...	Mr. Barnoff
Maggie Wagner	...	Mrs. Villaraigosa
Charlie Weirauch	...	Atheist
Troy Williams	...	Cop - Hospital Scene

Also Known As:

Imagining Beethoven (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some drug use and language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

UK | USA | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44923) | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:12 | Ireland:12A

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Cameo: [Nathaniel Ayers, Jr.]The subject of the movie is himself seen in the front row of the concert, during the last scene of the movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Lopez pulls over in the tunnel after spotting Ayers, his car blocks the right lane. In subsequent shots, cars are seen in the background cruising through that very same lane, one even merges into it, even though Lopez's car is blocking it just a few yards ahead.

Quotes:

Steve Lopez: I don't give a smooth fart whether or not we go.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009) (TV)

Interesting to know

I am a musician and live in France, where the release date of this movie is scheduled for Sept. 2 2009. I obviously cannot write a review at the present time but have nevertheless read the book.

What no one mentions in all of the above comments is that Nathaniel Ayers was originally a Double Bass student at Julliard and NOT a cellist. That instrument-- along with the violin, trumpet, and piano, all came about later on. Put any instrument into his hands and he'll do his best to master it.

Having attended Yale university, I did not know him personally, even though we studied with one of the greatest bass teachers in the New York area at that time: Homer Mensch. Recently our paths did finally cross thanks to one of our mutual acquaintances, bassist and composer Joe Russo. Nathan likes to write down the names of his long lost good friends on walls, or any writing surface, and Joe's name is always there, scribbled amongst his favorites. This was where Steve noticed Joe's name and Googled him to look up his website. A new and close friendship resulted between them, and the many anecdotes that Joe pulled out of Nathan's past were worth their weight in gold to Steve, enough to devote the entire chapter 8 of the book to Joe!

To me, reading this book made me come to the conclusion that every man has his hour in life, and Nathan's time had come now. The chances of 2 men, one homeless and one not, being pulled together through the sound of a violin in a rush hour tunnel, were undoubtedly written in the stars. Through articles, a book and now a film on Nathan, Steve helped uplift a poor and abandoned part of society to a rank that it never imagined nor asked for, but morally deserved. We all know that the Internet is indeed capable of connecting and reconnecting people in the present, but only music can magically, throughout time, open the doors that connect all of us to one another.