No, it’s not Iron Man versus Electro; it’s this week’s Movies You Have Not Seen But Should!

The Soloist

It’s time for another installment of Movies You Have Not Seen But Should. This week, we will take a look at the 2009 drama The Soloist. The film stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx.

The film is based on a true story. That story is about the life of Nathaniel Ayers (played by Foxx). Ayers is a musical prodigy. However, he suffers from schizophrenia and is homeless. It also shares the story of journalist Steve Lopez (played by Downey Jr.) who is working at the Los Angeles Times under his ex-wife (played by Catherine Keever). An unforeseen accident lands Lopez in the hospital and grants him the chance opportunity to hear Ayers playing the violin. After some investigating, Lopez meets Ayers and finds out that Ayers at one time attended The Julliard School.

The more investigating that Lopez does reveals more about Ayers’ life and how someone so talented in music is in the place he is now. This includes hearing from Ayers’ sister Jennifer (played by Lisa Gay Hamilton) and getting the backstory as to how Ayers went from prodigy to dropout of Juiliard. Lopez then begins to write a series of articles on Ayers and from this develops a friendship with Ayers. This is not easy as Lopez struggles to help Ayers get the help he needs and showcase the musical talent that Ayers has. But slowly and surely, Lopez helps Ayers and in turn Ayers affects Lopez in a way that is unforeseen. You’ll have to watch the film to see how it all plays out.

The film also stars Tom Hollander, Stephen Root, Rachael Harris and Octavia Spencer. Like I mentioned earlier, it is based on a true story. The material is based off of a book written by Steve Lopez entitled The Soloist, which was based off of the newspaper columns where are portrayed in the film. The book was published in 2008. The film opened in theaters in the U.S. on April 24, 2009 and later in the U.K. on September 11, 2009.

The Soloist is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and Amazon Instant Streaming. If you’re a fan of RDJ or Jamie Foxx, you’ll enjoy their performances in this film. It’s a film that that you may not have seen, but you should.