The Soloist is the true story of Steve Lopez, a self centered journalist whose world would open up after befriending Nathaniel Ayers, a schizophrenic street musician with unbelievable talent.

The Soloist is an odd little film. The trailer suggests that this picture might be in the same vein as Mr. Holland's Opus with it's inspirational tale of a man rising up against all odds through the power of music. Actually, The Soloist is more bittersweet than sweet which would be fine if the film weren't so darned meandering. When the movie was over, I found myself strangely unaffected by it. This, despite Robert Downey Jr.'s strongest effort at trying to convince me I was watching something important. To Downey Jr.'s great credit, he tries awfully hard here, and quite often he is able to elevate the material. Jamie Foxx by contrast didn't quite get there for me which is strange given he had the showier role. I applaud Foxx for taking a low key approach, but the fact remains, I never really bought into him as this character.

Director Joe Wright (Atonement) does some interesting things with the camera here. His theatrical nature serves him well. There are cool birds eye aerial view shots that perfectly capture the sights and sounds of Los Angeles, and I really loved a scene in which Wright literally puts you inside Nathaniel's head so we the audience can see and feel first hand what music means to this man.

Unfortunately though, The Soloist suffers from not knowing what it really wants to be. Is it a story about friendship? Is it as tale of compassion? Is it a social commentary piece on the homeless issue here in the states? Is it about the importance and power of music? Some would argue that The Soloist is about all of the above, but from my standpoint, the film's lack of focus hinders its overall impact.