A newspaper columnists and a musically gifted homeless man forge an unlikely friendship in "The Soloist."
The true story is headlined by Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx.
This drama was originally scheduled to come out last December as a potential awards contender but was pushed back to this April.
That's an early clue that the film is less than spectacular.
While the actors are top notch and the message is meaningful, there's nothing all that special about the presentation.
"The Soloist" is a compassionately crafted but dramatically bland experience.
Robert Downey Jr. plays Steve Lopez, a writer from the L.A. Times who meets a homeless violin player in the park.
It turns out Nathaniel is a brilliant musician who studied at Julliard before mental problems forced him to drop out.
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The Soloist
News 8's Victor Diaz shares his review of the new film.
 
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Lopez chronicles Nathanial's situation in a series of articles and eventually becomes Nathaniel's friend and advocate.
The film is sympathetic to the plight of poverty and mental illness, but you get the feeling the original newspaper columns may be more interesting than the film turned out.
"The Soloist" is the first American movie made by British director Joe Wright, who's most famous for "Pride and Prejudice" and "Atonement."
His heart is in the right place, but without a compelling plot, the result is an average film about a two guys with different problems just doing the best can.
On the News 8 Scale of 1-8, "The Soloist" composes a ho-hum 5.
