The Soloist

"Life has a mind of its own"

2009 1h 57m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🥫

56%

ROTTEN

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 858🥫56%Rotten Tomatoes●61Metacritic★6.7IMDB · 56,402

DramaMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A Los Angeles journalist befriends a homeless Juilliard-trained musician, while looking for a new article for the paper.

“Life has a mind of its own”

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Cast

Robert Downey Jr.
Steve Lopez
Jamie Foxx
Nathaniel Ayers
Catherine Keener
Mary Weston
Tom Hollander
Graham Claydon
Nelsan Ellis
David Carter
Michael Bunin
Adam Crane
LisaGay Hamilton
Jennifer Ayers
Rachael Harris
Leslie Bloom

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Joe Wright
Writers: Susannah Grant
Languages: English
Countries: France, United States of America, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 64% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: France, United States of America, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Joe Wright, shot by Seamus McGarvey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dario Marianelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Paul Tothill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx and Catherine Keener carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Joe Wright directs. Seamus McGarvey behind the camera. Dario Marianelli scores. Paul Tothill cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 64% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 17 years ago.
4International production across 3 countries: France, United States of America, United Kingdom.
5Directed by Joe Wright, shot by Seamus McGarvey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Dario Marianelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Paul Tothill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx and Catherine Keener carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Life has a mind of its own".
10IMDB entry: tt0821642 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 10 themes, including "newspaper", "schizophrenia", "musician", "violin".