Soloist, The

Aroview: Downbeat drama sees Robert Downey Jnr. play a journalist who discovers a homeless, mentally ill musician (Fox) on the streets of Los Angeles, and proceeds to take him under his wing.

The first-time American film for Brit director Wright (ATONEMENT), this never quite finds its footing as a Hollywood drama, falling somewhere in between weighty Oscar-bait and intellectual arthouse, with its message lost in the struggle. It does, however, feature uniformly plausible performances from the three key players as mental patient, journalist, and editor respectively, which is to be commended.