Based on a true story, a musical genius who suffers from a mental illness is aided by a compassionate journalist who needs some help of his own. It is revealed at the end that Ayers is still a member of the LAMP Community – a Los Angeles nonprofit organization that seeks to help people living with severe mental illness – and that Lopez is learning how to play the guitar. Through additional examination Steve Lopez finds that Nathaniel was a talented trainee at Julian– a school of the carrying out arts in New York. The film is set in Los Angeles, California where an L.A. Times writer, Steve Lopez, has his life changed forever. The lessons go well, though Ayers is shown to be getting a little too attached to Lopez, much to the latter's annoyance. Unable to handle the voices, Ayers dropped out and ended up on the streets due to the delusion that his sister wanted to kill him. The screenplay by Susannah Grant is based on the book, The Soloist by Steve Lopez. The film (and the book) The Soloist tells the true story of an unlikely friendship between Steve Lopez, a reporter for the L.A. Times, and Nathaniel Ayers, a talented musician and homeless schizophrenic living out of a grocery cart. Nathaniel Ayers is the main character in the Soloist, a book that is based on a true story about a press reporter who befriends a homeless street musician. The screenplay by Susannah Grant is based on the book, The Soloist by Steve Lopez. But when Ayers learns what Lopez is up to, he throws Lopez out of his apartment and threatens to kill him. A biking accident lands Lopez in a home. Get this from a library! Lopez writes his article. The story begins featuring Lopez at his job frustrated with a dose of writer's block. Unfortunately, his tendency to wander puts both Ayers and the cello in danger, so Lopez talks him into leaving it at a shelter, located in a neighborhood of homeless people. One reader is so touched that she sends him a cello for Ayers. "The Soloist"'s story is so well-known at this point -- grizzled newspaper columnist befriends once-promising classical musician whose schizophrenia has left him long homeless -- that there's little need for me to recount it here. He is divorced and now works for his ex-wife, Mary, an editor. Joe Wright: 'The Soloist is not a genre film' The director of Atonement and Pride & Prejudice tells Jason Solomons why he couldn't make a film like The Maltese Falcon, how his work is … His latest effort, The Soloist, is, by contrast, a mostly true story based on a book by Los Angeles Times journalist Steve Lopez. The Soloist is a 2009 drama film directed by Joe Wright, and starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. The film was released in theatres on 24 April 2009 and on DVD and Blu-ray August 5.. Drama. The film was released in theatres on 24 April 2009[3] and on DVD and Blu-ray August 5. Though at first figuring a man with schizophrenia who's talented with a cello isn't worth his time, Lopez soon realizes that he has no better story to write about. Menu. The Soloist is the true story of Steve Lopez, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, and Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless musician with schizophrenia who had dropped out of the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. You may click on “Your Choices” below to learn about and use cookie management tools to limit use of cookies when you visit NPR’s sites. Ayers still hears voices, but at least he no longer lives on the streets. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 57%, based on 205 reviews, with an average score of 5.95/10. Investigating, he encounters Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless man with schizophrenia, who is playing a violin when Lopez introduces himself. The Soloist tells the story of Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless cellist who has schizophrenia. Lopez (Downey), a Los Angeles Times columnist, discovers and writes about Ayers (Foxx) a cello prodigy who, after developing schizophrenia, now lives on the streets. Ayers and Lopez make up. On its opening weekend, the film opened #4 behind Fighting, 17 Again, and Obsessed, grossing $9,715,000 in 2,024 theaters with a $4,800 average per theater. [12] Many felt that the project was a bit of a "mismatch" for Wright, and felt it was one of his weakest films to date, following the success of his adaptations of Pride & Prejudice and Atonement. A newspaper journalist discovers a homeless musical genius and … Later, while they all watch an orchestra, Lopez ponders how beneficial their friendship has been. In 2005, Steve Lopez is a journalist working for the Los Angeles Times. The Soloist, directed by Joe Wright, was written by Susannah Grant, based on a series of columns[4] written by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, who chronicled the plight of Nathaniel Ayers, Jr., a musician with schizophrenia, and eventually was chronicled in Lopez's book, The Soloist,[5][dead link] which was published in the spring of 2008. Getting nowhere, Lopez finds and contacts Ayers' sister, who gives the columnist the information he needs: Ayers was once a child prodigy with the cello, until he began displaying symptoms of schizophrenia at Juilliard. The life of Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, 65, is the true story behind the 2009 film, The Soloist, staring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. The film is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who developed schizophrenia and became homeless. Finding Ayers the next day, Lopez says he wants to write about him. [6] The film was budgeted at $60 million, twice the budget amount of Wright's previous film, Atonement. [8] The film went on to only recover about half of its total budget bringing in $31,720,158. STARRING. [10] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+ on scale of A to F.[11]. Lopez eventually talks Ayers into moving into an apartment by threatening to abandon him. The film is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who developed schizophrenia and became homeless. Curious as to how a former student of such a prestigious school ended up on the streets, Lopez contacts Juilliard but learns that no record of Ayers graduating from it exists. Without a cello, he has resorted to playing a two-string violin. If you click “Agree and Continue” below, you acknowledge that your cookie choices in those tools will be respected and that you otherwise agree to the use of cookies on NPR’s sites. NPR’s sites use cookies, similar tracking and storage technologies, and information about the device you use to access our sites (together, “cookies”) to enhance your viewing, listening and user experience, personalize content, personalize messages from NPR’s sponsors, provide social media features, and analyze NPR’s traffic. A concerned Lopez tries to get a doctor he knows to help. See details. Academy Award nominee Robert Downey Jr. and Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx star in an extraordinary and inspiring true story of how a chance meeting can change a life. Premise. The story is compelling, the actors are in place, but I was never sure what the filmmakers wanted me to feel about it."[13]. The Soloist is a movie based on a true story and book of a Los Angeles Times news reporter, Steve Lopez. DIRECTOR. Hears him play great music? [2] This was blamed on the film's initial release date being postponed,[3] as well as the film's release coming one week before the 2009 summer movie season. The site's consensus reads, "Though it features strong performances by its lead players, a lack of narrative focus prevents The Soloist from hitting its mark. Ayers doesn't appear to be paying attention. The Soloist—Just Show Up and Be a Friend. Synopsis Based on the true story of musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers, who developed schizophrenia in his second year at Juilliard and ended up homeless on the streets of … He also tries to talk Ayers into getting an apartment, but Ayers refuses. The soundtrack to The Soloist was released on April 21, 2009. With Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander. Inspired by his story, Lopez writes an acclaimed series of articles about Ayers and attempts to do more to help both him and the rest of the underclass of LA have a better life. In the movie The Soloist, Robert Downey, Jr., portrays a LA Times reporter Steve Lopez and Jamie Foxx portrays the once gifted musician Nathaniel Ayers. Sadly, he loses his temper, attacks Graham, and leaves. Academy Award®-nominee Robert Downey Jr. and Academy Award®-winner Jamie Foxx star in an extraordinary and inspiring true story of how a chance meeting can change a life. Determined to make amends, Lopez brings Ayers' sister to L.A. for a visit. This convinces Lopez's doctor friend to get Ayers help. After seeing a reaction to music played at an opera house, Lopez persuades another friend, Graham, a cellist, to rehabilitate Ayers through music. Ayers is later seen playing for the homeless. The Soloist on its part is a film that is based upon the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who suffers from schizophrenia and Steve Lopez, journalist for the Los Angeles Times, who befriended Ayers amid concerns of the severe and debilitating signs and symptoms associated with the mental condition (The Soloist). Luckily, he soon learns that Ayers did attend Juilliard, but dropped out after two years. Lopez brings it to him and Ayers shows he is just as proficient as with a violin. The recently and ubiquitiously released The Soloist tells the true story of an unlikely friendship between a journalist, Steve Lopez, and a homeless, schizophrenic musician, Nathaniel Ayers. Directed by Joe Wright. The Soloist is a 2009 drama film directed by Joe Wright, and starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. PG-13. Movies. Joe Wright. [7] Production began in January 2008 and was filmed mostly in Los Angeles,[5] with some scenes shot in Cleveland. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "The Soloist has all the elements of an uplifting drama, except for the uplift. You can adjust your cookie choices in those tools at any time. "The Soloist," based on a true story, tells how Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, played by Robert Downey Jr., discovered the homeless Ayers and … The screenplay by Susannah Grant is based on the book, The Soloist by Steve Lopez. One day, he hears a violin being played beautifully. Based on a true story, “The Soloist” tells the story of Steve’s (Downey) friendship with Nathaniel (Foxx). The 65-year-old is … In addition, Ayers has helped improve Lopez's relationship with his own family. During the conversation that follows, Lopez learns that Ayers once attended Juilliard. There are thousands of Nathaniel Ayers out there, says … All a lay person can do for the mentally (and even physically) ill is to befriend them, show them a bit of kindness. The Real Story Behind 'The Soloist' The friendship between Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles Times columnist, and Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless musician, has inspired newspaper columns, a … Mr. Lopez is pressed for a column deadline and for story ideas, but continues to come up empty handed, until he runs into a homeless man named Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, Jr., a notably talented violinist despite only having two strings, who claims to have attended Julliard. The Soloist is a 2009 American film based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a Juilliard musical prodigy who has schizophrenia. The Soloist stars Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel Ayers and Robert Downey Jr as a fictionalised version of Steve Lopez. Soloist, The (DVD) Academy Award® nominee Robert Downey Jr. and Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx star in an extraordinary and inspiring true story of h ow a chance meeting can change a life. While speaking with Mary, Lopez realizes that not only has he changed Ayers' life, but Ayers has changed him. Academy Award nominee Robert Downey Jr. and Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx star in an extraordinary and inspiring true story of how a chance meeting can change a life. The portrayal by Downey and Foxx brought a sensitivity to this tragic, yet moving true story. Based on a true story, it stars Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless man who was once a musical prodigy, and Robert Downey Jr. as Steve Lopez, the Los Angeles Times columnist who writes a column about him, bonds with him, makes him famous, becomes discouraged by the man's mental illness and -- what? “The Soloist” is so compelling in its humanity. 1 hr 57 min. Theatrical release poster with original release date, "Weekend Box Office Results for April 24–26, 2009", "The Soloist movie review & film summary (2009)", Nathaniel Ayers Performs July 2009 NAMI Convention, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Soloist&oldid=998786363, Articles with dead external links from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 January 2021, at 01:16. Music. Catherine Keener. Reviewers generally praise the performances by Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx, but comment on the film's lack of narrative focus in attempting to tell a convincing or engaging story due to the somewhat "uneven" direction by director Joe Wright. This information is shared with social media, sponsorship, analytics, and other vendors or service providers. Robert Downey Jr. Jamie Foxx. "The Soloist" is apparently based on a true story of a relationship of a journalist and a schizophrenic musician and discloses the other side of the American Dream in Los Angeles with 90,000 homeless people. "[9] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on reviews from 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Through Lopez's article, Ayers gains so much fame that he is given the chance to perform a recital. The film is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who developed schizophrenia and became homeless. "The Soloist," a film starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., is tough and touching. Based on a true story, The Soloist tells the tragic tale of Nathaniel Ayers, a once promising Julliard student who ends up on the streets of Los Angeles' skid row. It's based on the true story of a mentally ill musician and the newspaperman who crosses his path. 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