The Soloist (DVD)

The Soloist (2008) starring Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx. Los Angeles newspaper reporter Steve Lopez (Downey) discovers brilliant street musician Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx) and decides to write about him. Their lives become intertwined when Lopez tries to rescue Ayers from life on the street. But Ayers does not want to be rescued, and Lopez must come to terms with his own limited ability to change the world. Ultimately, this movie becomes an indictment of the plight of the homeless, and why shouldn't it? The homeless section of Los Angeles is depicted as a kind of hell on Earth. Lopez may have been able to help Ayers in a limited way, but what about the rest of the 90,000 homeless in Los Angeles alone? Who will help them? Grade: B+