Friday, June 4, 2010
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Friday, June 4, 2010
MOVIE REVIEW
Solitary Man
A Heart Condition, And
Life's Audition
Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Douglas in "Solitary Man". Millennium
Films
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Friday, June 4, 2010
Early on, New York salesman Ben Kalmen (Michael Douglas) receives news he'd
rather not. He tunes it out. Six years later he's living life,
defying reality, doctor's orders and reliving his youth in post middle-age.
A divorcee and serial philanderer, Ben impacts several women. His ex-wife
is weary and wary. His girlfriend asks Ben to accompany her daughter to
her new college campus and his alma mater in Boston.
"Solitary Man", Brian Koppelman and David Levien's comedy-drama which opened
today in San Francisco, can be read as a tribute to past Michael Douglas roles,
if not a somewhat autobiographical take on the actor's personal, private
struggles. Mr. Koppelman writes the screenplay, full of decent lines
augmented appreciably by Mr. Douglas.
And like great sports team superstars, Mr. Douglas is an actor who raises the
games of those around him. The younger actors in "Solitary Man" benefit
immensely, just as Tobey Maguire and Katie Holmes did in "Wonder Boys", which
this film feels like in both its intimacies and misadventures. Generous
and considerate, you see the mentoring effect Mr. Douglas has on others,
especially when interacting with Jesse Eisenberg, Jenna Fischer and relative
newcomer Imogen Poots. You see this charity unfold before your eyes on the
big screen, and it's even more joyous to watch than "Solitary Man" is to see.
A producer at heart, Mr. Douglas often choreographs scenes as they are shot or
employs subtle cues. We see this in many of his films (including
"Fatal Attraction", "The War Of The Roses", "Basic
Instinct".) One scene in "Solitary Man" resembles the choreography of a
scene in "Basic Instinct", only on the opposite side of the frame. Another
scene early on where Ben looks in a mirror, echoes an initial shot in David
Fincher's "The Game".
Mr. Koppelman and Mr. Levien have written several screenplays (including
"Oceans Thirteen") and wisely play to the actors'
strengths in the film's direction. Mr. Douglas' trademark physical
affectations gives later scenes a poignancy and openness that makes "Solitary
Man" a mature, grounded work. The film, with Michael Penn's musical
accompaniments and co-produced by "Traffic" collaborator
Steven Soderbergh, avoids easy exits or huge tonal shifts, letting its
performers dictate the film's changes with their acting. All in all,
"Solitary Man" maintains a polite distance from its main subject, with the
camera a more or less objective presence.
Throughout, the film's character study, neither stale nor spectacular, is
enjoyable. I had a great time observing the characters and the actors
playing them. None of the characters is foolish, but none of them is too
smart for their own good either.
In the later stages of Michael Douglas' storied career, now with a family to
take care of, the iconic performer has taken smaller roles in Hollywood films
like "You, Me And Dupree" and
"Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past". He's also doing more major or sizable
work in smaller, character-driven independent films like "King Of California"
and the forgettable "Beyond A Reasonable Doubt". (Later this year Mr.
Douglas reprises his Oscar-winning role as Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone's sequel
to his 1987 film "Wall Street", a Tinseltown production.)
Here in "Solitary Man", Mr. Douglas does some of his best work in years, playing
Ben as a charming, carefree man rooted in self-denial. Ben may be on a
thrill ride to hell thinking he's on a stairway to heaven, but that won't stop
him. We see that deep down inside he knows better -- and he has -- all
along.
With: Mary-Louise Parker, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Richard Schiff and Bruce
Altman.
"Solitary Man" is rated R by the Motion Picture
Association Of America for language and some sexual content. The film's duration is one hour and
33 minutes.
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