The Soloist

For our movie date night we watched The Soloist. I think this movie was brilliant. It was not the most entertaining movie I have ever seen and parts of it were painful to watch but it has some great lessons to teach. Both Robert Downey Jr, and Jamie Fox were amazing. I couldn't help thinking how this movie must have impacted Robert Downey, Jr., especially the parts that focused on addiction, something he has battled most of his adult life. It wasn't a main theme in the movie but it must have hit pretty hard as they worked closely with the real inhabitants of the LA slums. There are times in this movie when his countenance portrays something beyond acting.

Jamie Fox was brilliant as Nathaniel. I know I am using that word too much but seriously, he was brilliant. The fact that he actually learned to play the cello for the movie was so good. He was so convincing in this role. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some Academy Award nominations for both of them.

The fact that this is a true story gives me a lot to ponder about the homeless and how most people view them and often ignore them and the sad stories of their ending up where they are. It just made me feel so much more compassionate and willing to look a little deeper and give a little more.

The thing I liked best about this movie is the reality that there are just things you cannot fix. I think many of us just want to fix what is wrong with the world (in our opinion.) Sometimes the fixes we conjure up are not the fixes that are wanted or needed. Sometimes it is just enough to care about them and be a friend. It is not even our stewardship to fix most things beyond ourselves. It is our stewardship to learn to love, serve and be compassionate and I think that this movie portrays that beautifully! If you haven't seen, we recommend it. If you did, what did you think about it?