Lopez starts to investigate the man, who he learns was from Cleveland, Ohio originally. At first, Julliard has no records of Ayers, but when someone from the school realizes he never graduated, they realize that Ayers was indeed a musical virtuoso, who played the Cello with such skill, but who left in his second year due to hospitalization for paranoia and schizophrenia. After returning home to Cleveland, Ayers grew paranoid due to the constant voices, and he began to feat safety in his own home. His only salvation (in his mind) was an unsafe life on the streets.

When his mother died he headed out to L.A. and became one of the many homeless people. Lopez attempts to get him help at LAMP, but it takes many conversations and nudging (bribing even) to lure Nathaniel into the apartment LAMP is offering him. He also gets a new cello from one of the readers of Lopez’ story he writes on him. Of course, this is more than just a story to Lopez. He has become Nathaniel’s friend and cares very much about him.

Due to a past that involves electro-shock treatment therapy, Ayer is unwilling to seek treatment. He continues to have erratic behavior and continues playing on the street. When Lopez invites him to a practice at the Disney Music Hall, Nathaniel is floored. Despite their very different lives and Nathaniel’s very severe problems, the two develop a heartwarming friendship; the kind you expect to last a lifetime.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
The Soloist is presented in anamorphic widescreen with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. For a DVD there are little complaints about the visual quality. The detail is clear enough to show constant devastation. The coloring is clear, flesh tones are natural, and black levels are fair. There are not too many flaws to be found. There are small amounts of occasional blur and minimal edge enhancement from time to time. In some ways, this quality just made it harder to watch with such good quality. With a lesser quality, the streets of Los Angeles might not have been so hard to take.

Dolby Digital 5.1 takes care of the audio and includes the options of Closed Captioning and Subtitles. The music is the most important feature of this film and it is represented well. In the cases of the solo pieces and the concert ensambles the music is full and rich. The sound effects cover things like the bustling LA streets, the impoverished homeless community wandering the streets, and the small things that blend in as they occur on a daily basis. Dialogue remains easy to hear through the entire movie. The audio is the better of the two options, though they are both well handled. Tracks are also available in French and Spanish with additional subtitles in Spanish.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The Soloist offers a few special features that fans of the movie should enjoy. Like the movie, some of these were hard for me to stomach because I just couldn’t handle the outcome on a logical level. There is a making of, some smaller featurettes, and a set of deleted scenes and previews. The Making of, “An Unlikely Friendship: Making The Soloist” is a 20 minute featurette that includes all of your standard making of moments. You have some interviews, the obligatory clips, and information as to why the film was made and what the motivations for said film were. Mild amounts of back patting make this feel like a lesser project than it is, but it gets the job done on the making of level.

“Kindness, Courtesy, and Respect: Mr. Ayers + Mr. Lopez” is a small featurette, just over five minutes in length. If you’re interested in seeing the real life pair from the film this is your chance. This is short, and if you’re not happy with the fact that Ayers is still living in poverty and not getting help then you won’t like watching this, no matter how short it is.

“One Size Does Not Fit All: Addressing Homelessness in Los Angeles” is part PSA and part featurette. It talks about the LAMP community and includes Steve Lopez, a selection of the crew, and even some folks from LAMP. It promotes the cause, which is an important one, but at the same time it’s not a means to solving the problem. A similar, but animated featurette is “Beth’s Story,” a two minute look at a homeless child and how it feels to be in that situation.

Deleted scenes are available to the tune of about ten minutes and some previews finish up the collection of special features.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
The Soloist is not a bad movie if you like Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. However, prepare for it to tug on your heartstrings. Be prepared, this story has no true, happy ending. This story will be hard to watch. Sure, the acting is superb, and the story is interesting, but the overall outcome and the realization that this is truly some man’s life will make this a movie you won’t want to watch very often. I recommend renting this one before committing to a purchase merely because it might not be the kind of film you truly want to own.