‘The Soloist’

There are many reasons not to recommend “The Soloist,” starting with the fact that the story belongs to Steve Lopez, a columnist at The Times whose work appears just pages from my own. I might recognize him in the elevator, but, like most everyone else, what I know about Steve is what I read. Here’s what I know about the film: Robert Downey Jr. is a miracle to watch, a dramatic creation with roots in the man riding the elevator here, but such a different reality that within seconds I’d forgotten Steve altogether. An extraordinary life was unfolding in that darkened theater of a man trying to be a better man, discovering how difficult compassion can be, learning far more about himself than the subject at hand -- in this case, a former Juilliard musician, played by Jamie Foxx, who’s been lost to the streets and schizophrenia. The movie is sluggish in more than a few spots, it’s overly sentimental and Foxx is not quite up to the very tough role he’s been given. But Downey conducts a master class in emotional nuance. A virtuoso. The soloist.

-- Betsy Sharkey