There comes a point in The Soloist where I very nearly walked out of the theater in total resignation, forsaking any chance that there was a credible story with a salient point to be made. In fact, I'm having a hard time figurint out what I was supposed to get out of this thing, other than the fact that Jamie Foxx doesn't know how to differentiate between schizophrenia and going full retard. The Soloist represents everything I hate about these Oscar bait films. It's over dramatic, unfocused, and altogether too serious for it's own good.
Robert Downey, Jr. plays Steve Lopez, a columnist for the LA Times. Steve's the type of wandering, self absorbed character that you typically find in a film of this sort. He's the kind of guy who's just waiting for an epiphany, or a life changing event to happen. He gets that when he meets Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless man playing a broken violin on the city streets for money. Nathaniel's pitiful situation only makes his obvious musical talent more pronounced, and Steve decides to keep track of him in order to do a series of columns on this unexpected genius. Steve and Nathaniel become something like friends, something like scientist and lab rat. Steve is unprepared for the burden that Nathaniel's schizophrenia would become to him. Steve's a selfish guy who's concerns begin and end with the subject of his next story, and taking care of a mentally ill musician doesn't easily fall into his list of priorities.
If I could pinpoint one thing in particular that I loathe about this movie, it's the portrayal of the homeless in LA. I get that a lot of them have mental issues, but The Soloist paints them out as background crazies from Penitentiary 3. Joe Wright, who most recently directed the Keira Knightly led Atonement, is a talented director who has a flair for the dramatic. Unfortunately that's exactly what this film doesn't need. It needs to be grounded in reality, but unfortunately it's as if Wright got a little too swept up in the Beethoven and felt the camera needed to follow. In one of the sequences I like least, Nathaniel plays a cello for Steve out in the city streets, and the camera takes flight into the air like a bird, and from out of nowhere there's this crazy orchestral accompaniment. I thought this was supposed to be about Nathaniel's ability? Give me a chance to hear it, okay? Better yet, don't bother.
The Soloist takes itself far too seriously to be enjoyed. The music that is supposed to be so inspirational and moving never seems to be a source of anything but heartache and pain for the one character we want to root for most. And we never really get any true resolution of that fact. There's simply no narrative focus here, sacrificed in favor of oppressive melodrama. I do like to have a little fun at the movies from time to time.
4/10
Fighting
On the other hand, Fighting is a film that knows exactly what it is. It's a gritty, urban tale of an underdog trying to overcome the odds life has placed before him. Modern day heartthrob, Channing Tatum, plays Shawn McArthur. Shawn lives on the streets of New York, selling random merchandise like CDs and counterfeit Harry Potter books to get by. Shawn seems to adhere to some strict moral code unbefitting a person in his position. When he realizes that the Harry Potter book he just sold to the attractve Zulay, he tries to give her the money back before he's jumped by a few thugs. Shawn handles them with relative ease, impressing Harvey Boarden(Terence Howard), a two bit thug who set the whole attack up in the first place.
Harvey entices Shawn with an offer to make $5000 fighting in an underground street circuit, an offer too sweet for Shawn to pass up. At first glance, Harvey appears to be little more than a pimp, hustling Shawn's fighting prowess for his own mutual gain, but as the two become fast friends we see that he's a little more than that. Shawn's battles bring him instant notoriety amongst the city's fringe element, the people who secretly run things but remain unseen. His fights take him from the back alleys to a lush Asian brothel, and against men who appear to be in a situation similar to his own. All except one: Evan Hailey(Brian White). Evan is a fighter who managed to make his way up into the legit fight game, battling for real money. He and Shawn share a history that has made them bitter rivals. A big money showdown is inevitable.
My initial fear for Fighting was that it would turn into Step Up with a few bare knuckle brawls thrown in. Granted, I thought that based solely on Tatum's presence and the somewhat sappy trailer that was pushed around. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Fighting knows exactly where it's bread is buttered, finding a way to combine hard knuckle fighting action with just enough of a love story to add some dramatic weight. Tatum is the perfect actor for the role, showing a charisma that I never previously felt. He handles the lead with genuine ease, but still maintains an air of mystery and yes a little danger. He is somone you want to be victorious. You want to see him succeed. Terence Howard's role is a little more standard. It's nothing we haven't seen, but Howard manages to make us actually give a damn a little about this petty hood just trying to make it big. On the other end of the spectrum, what the hell was up with Roger Guenvere Smith's cadence? Was he doing his worst Christopher Walken imitation? It's not as if they couldn't get Walken to play the part if that's what they wanted. I don't think the man's ever turned down a gig.
Amongst a bangin' hip hop soundtrack, Fighting hits strikes most of the right chords. It moves around at a steady pace from brawl to brawl, all with enough stakes to keep you interested. I'm not saying this will suddenly turn me into a Channing Tatum fan, but there's something here worth checkin' out. Ironically, Fighting surprised me just like a swift kick to the gut.
7/10
