Ed's Review Dot Com

Millennium Films, Smartest Man Productions

Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Mary-Louise Parker, Jenna Fischer, Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg

Solitary Man is a very sad film.  Michael Douglas’ Ben is a sad guy.  In his prime, he was a mover and shaker.  He was on the cover of Forbes, wealthy, powerful, and on top of the world.  But he’s a scumbag.  He chases young girls and tries to sleep with someone different every night.   He neglects his family, and commits a crime which takes away his income.  He’s a pitiful loser at this point.  What happened?  Well it’s a matter of wanting too much all the time.  Used to always getting his way, he has no fear in stamping on people in his way and as a result no one cares about him anymore.  He’s just about lost everything.

This film has a lot of other excellent characters, but Douglas is in almost every scene.  It’s his story.  He’s as unlikeable as they come, but you end up feeling sorry for him, kind of.  Not totally because he brought it all on himself.  Scared of dying, we know there’s a little boy inside who’s scared to death.  Afraid of hearing bad news from the doctor, he’s hiding out from the hospital.  When it comes down to it, he was hooked on the feeling that every time he walked into a room, the room changed.  Over time, he’s nothing, and nobody cares, and that’s the main problem.

The ending is a bit strange, and a lot unexpected, but after it’s over, and you think about it, it makes sense.

It’s definitely not an easy film to watch.  There’s so much pain and suffering and stupidity.  But there’s some redeeming qualities that make even jerks human.  Certainly you’ll ponder the main question of the movie?  Is sleeping with a 19 year old worth it or not?   Certainly that’s the ultimate theme.  Everyone has a slightly different opinion and it makes for an interesting discussion.  Likely you’ll be thinking about this long after the credits roll.   And to the makers of the film, thanks for the title song “Solitary Man” sung by Johnny Cash.  I love Neil Diamond, but Cash’s version is hauntingly beautiful in it’s own way.  I guess I’m not familiar with that version, but it fit perfectly with the film.  Probably one of Michael Douglas’ best works.  A lovable, hate-able jerk.   Very interesting film.

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