Solitary Man

"Solitary Man" clearly is one of those some will like or hate, as it's a complex character study that proves most in life will not give up their vices. As people will always be stubborn and not change their ways. The film also is made watchable by having an all star cast. Micheal Douglas shines as Ben Kalmen a 60 year old man who's complex as it's clear he's going thru a midlife crisis.

The film begins with Ben receiving some bad health news then it flashes ahead six and one half years. And it's clear that this has changed Ben's lifestyle and his personal dealings with his job and family. Ben's now divorced from his wife Nancy(Susan Sarandon)and his relationship with his daughter Susan(Jenna Fischer) is strained. Ben's only satisfaction is his romancing and dating of Jordan(Mary-Louise Parker) an elegant and sophisticated single mother who's attractive and sexy daughter Allyson(Imogen Poots)becomes a conquest of Ben's. That's right when he accompanies Allyson away on a college trip he beds this 18 year old. Also on the trip Ben parties up with a fellow campus student(Jesse Eisenberg). Clearly Ben is trying to live his teenage years all over.

Kalmen can only dream of his past success as a high rolling car magnate in which he threw away due to his crooked dealings. As his complex behavior continues his only comfort is found when he reconnects with Jimmy(Danny Devito) an old school friend who offers Ben a job at his diner. This is a way that Ben can pay off his debts. Slowly you as the viewer see it was just meant for this man to be complex as you have to pay your debts to life and society when you screw up. And clearly as proved with this film when one is in dire straits vices and rediscovering youth is a pleasure of relief. Still you accept the hard ways and see some people don't want to change their ways only you as the viewer root for redemption for complex characters like Ben Kalmen. Overall this was a complex and touching feel good performance from Michael Douglas.

Michael Douglas' character is not a nice guy. Things are not going well for this guy at all. He's a pig. And he looks like hell, disheveled, unkempt, unshaven, and -- the worst thing -- OLD! And the best thing is that Douglas lets us see it all -- every year of wear and tear.

In short, it's one of the best performances of Michael Douglas' career.

The movie revolves entirely around Douglas' character. I often don't like movies where the main character is unlikable, but there was something about this guy, warts and all, that drew me in. His level of denial? His former success? His ability to love and behave badly simultaneously? True, the supporting cast is great. Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, the always wonderful Mary-Louise Parker. But it's also true that they don't have all that much to do. Douglas is in just about every scene. And he pulls it off.

The one iffy part? The ending. Not the very very end, which I liked, but the place Douglas' character was left. Just a bit of a surprise.

But see it for yourself. It's worth it.

It is rare for an American film to give us a despicable protagonist from beginning to end, but that is one of the notable achievements of Solitary Man (2009), the latest opus from Brian Koppleman and David Levien, the talented writers who gave us the very entertaining Rounders (1998) and Oceans 13 (2007). They have created a character who speaks his mind and will not hesitate to harm or manipulate others. I just wish the film lived-up to its quality beginning and ending. The middle of the film has clichés and lulls that could have been ironed-out. Nevertheless, Solitary Man is superior to two other films this year about white men going through late-life crises, Paper Man and Multiple Sarcasms.

The movie starts out very well. Dialogue is crisp and the static, medium-long shots quickly establish the film's clean aesthetic. We are immediately introduced to Ben Kalmen (Michael Douglas), a disgraced, unemployed, womanizing 60 year-old man who ruled a tri-state network of auto dealerships in the 80s and 90s. But now, he carries more pounds and no net worth (as Gordon Gekko might say). His dealerships were caught running a leasing scam that screwed both customers and the auto manufacturer. FTC fine and legal fees have washed him out. But he is no less bitter, cantankerous or cynical. Nor is he willing to grow up, a primary theme of this character study.

No sooner do we see him run away from prescribed heart tests, Ben agrees to escort his girlfriend's 18 year-old daughter, Allyson (played by British starlet Imogen Poots), to his ala mater in Massachusetts to grease her application interview and assure her acceptance. The movie treats us to two excellent scenes that should raise most viewers' expectations. First, Ben and Allyson exchange rapid-fire put downs and flirtations at the airport while other middle-aged businessmen stare at Ben in a mixture of envy and discomfort. Second, we're treated to one of the movie's best lines as Ben gets into a scuffle with a student on the quad. So far, so good. At times, the film has a beautiful mix of comedy, drama, and shamelessness that most guys (myself included) should like.

But the middle of the movie goes soft, it seems. Ben's life begins to tear at the seams, which is well established and directed. But the plot has him going back to his old campus with his tail between his legs. That would be fine if he was going to work for the university (he was a major donor when his businesses were at their peak). But the film chooses the uncomfortable comedy route of the dirty old man on campus. as Ben reconnects with his wiser sage (a refreshingly calm Danny DeVito), takes a job at his diner, and ends up embarrassing himself at more than one kegger. While I agree that the plot required him to go into exile out of New York City, I was a little disappointed to see his ex-wife (Susan Sarandon) disappear for a long stretch in the film, while his daughter (jenna Fischer) gets a boost of screen time in a contrived and somewhat false subplot. Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) makes a few appearances as a sophomore hoping to make Ben his mentor. We see time and again how Ben is a poor role model, and often his own worst enemy. But what could have been a satisfying on-campus subplot seemed to be where the movie ground to a halt, and ended up being as awkward and aloof as Eisenberg's character.

After some thought, I think I know why this film didn't work for me. I don't think Ben's back story was effectively presented. Quite often, he is told (and therefore we are informed) of his past actions by his daughter and ex-wife. We are introduced to Ben well after his late-life crisis has begun. I wonder if the film would have been better served by a prologue scene, or an earlier staring point (with the frat parties cut out towards the end). When Ben speaks to others, the film works. When others describe Ben's past to him (with the notable exceptions of Sarandon and DeVito) the film seems to suffer.

Artists are free to make decisions, of course. But I was a little surprised to learn that Levien stepped-aside and let Koppleman do most of the writing. They had toyed with this story for years. But I wonder if they had reviewed the script enough. They are clearly talented, experienced writers who know how to speed-up stories through the middle act (does anyone remember the blazingly-fast set-up in Oceans Thirteen?). But with Solitary Man, they set out to make a small independent film their way, at their pace. That, plus the non-Hollywood ending deserves a lot of credit. But perhaps such a strong performance by Douglas deserved a firmer and less clichéd second act. His character needed time in exile to build a respectable comeback. But instead he spent most of his time with characters and subplots that diminished his presence and the audience's enjoyment of the film. Having an unlikable character complete a personal journey is no easy task (see Mike Leigh's Naked (1993) to appreciate it done wonderfully). But I fear that Koppleman and Levien set a high bar that they could not reach half of the time in this film.

Solitary Man hit home for me in a few ways. First of all, the stellar cast was in fact...stellar. Michael Douglas is in top form with a role he's familiar with on screen. Michael's character grows on us as a wise, go-get tum, never-mind-the-bollix attitude that we love to see in ourselves. Deep down however, it's apparent he's reaching for his youth. He befriends a young character (Jesse Eisenberg) advising him about college, love and zest for life, but when things begin to fall apart in his own life, he's forced himself to finally make a decision to face the challenges of his own not so youthful life. Only Michael Douglas could pull this off IMHO. He carries his character in such a way that we still care about him, even after his rather devious actions. The film really could be considered a vehicle for Michael, being in almost every scene, yet there stands Danny DeVito, Susan Sarandon, Marie Louise Parker, Jesse Eisenberg, etc to support this fine film.

Solitary Man tells the story of Ben Kalmen (Michael Douglas in a good performance), a formerly successful car dealer now on a downward spiral. Now close to 60 years old, Ben seems to be living a sort of late identity crisis, chasing younger women and trying desperately to start a new business while his personal life goes down the drain as quickly as his financial situation.

The direction and writing, by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, takes a bittersweet approach to this story, chronicling the events while elegantly letting us decide what we think of Ben. In this respect, I felt they were honest and not manipulative. Unfortunately, this will also make it hard for some people to relate to the subject, unless they have contemplated those situations themselves.

The story is quite simple at its heart and tackles issues that are becoming more and more prevalent in our society. That is, we are constantly told we deserve it all, we deserve it now and we deserve it forever. Ben (implicitly and explicitly) would like to be the person he used to be, has a hard time redefining facets of his life.

Viewers will have different takes on Ben, ranging from admirable to pathetic but he is never demonized nor sainted in the movie. Unfortunately, while the themes are strongly driven throughout the film, the story itself looks more like a series of anecdotes, some of which are not stringed in the most elegant way.

The whole cast around Douglas (quite an ensemble) is excellent, except Susan Sarandon who is surprisingly bland and not up to her usually high standards. I felt her characters had few scenes but they were key to invest the audience and something was lacking there.

The film's ending is great and more food for thoughts but overall, Solitary Man falls short of being a classic due to a few writing issues.