Entertainment, Movies - Army Times

Cinematic broccoli

Aside from paying $6 for a tiny bag of stale popcorn, nothing at the octoplex can make you feel guiltier than a painfully well-meaning message movie that garbles its message.

Such is “The Soloist,” an unwieldy mix of themes — the limits of friendship, the tragedy of homelessness, the frustration of mental illness and the transformative power of music — that never quite gels.

It’s the true-ish story of Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.), who meets a raggedy street person coaxing beauty from a battered violin with just two strings.

The man is Nathaniel Anthony Ayers Jr. (Jamie Foxx), a former child music prodigy who fled the prestigious Julliard School after developing schizophrenia.

As Steve tells Nathaniel’s story in the paper, he becomes obsessed with helping his new friend find his way back. But to where? Normalcy is not a place Nathaniel wants to go. And since he’s not a danger, he can’t be forced.

The film itself is a bit schizo; it feels like chunks of the story are missing. In one scene, the mayor of Los Angeles vows to devote $50 million to revitalize the skid row where Nathaniel spends his nights. A few scenes later, with no context of the larger political forces at work, the police sweep in, collaring the lost souls on charges like “possession of a stolen milk crate.”

The film’s big problem, though, is that after two hours, it can’t offer any emotional payoff — Nathaniel regains a modicum of functionality, but he’s just as damaged as when Steve first met him.

Downey and Foxx turn in routinely strong performances. But ultimately, “The Soloist” feels like the film equivalent of broccoli — you know it’s really good for you, but it doesn’t pack much of a thrill.