User reviews

Ben (Douglas) got caught in a car scam when he owned numerous car dealerships and paid a hefty fine for his role. He lost his wife and is trying to get his life back by setting up another car dealership.

The title of this could have been Scorpion because a scorpion does what a scorpion does regardless of circumstances and anyone and anything around it. Ben is a womanizer and that seems to be on his mind all the time despite everything else going wrong in his life. And, that never seems to change.

Ben is likable to all, but when we see him we do not like him and wish he would do the right things. There is a moment, in the beginning, when we feel Ben has it all together, has all the answers, but then we discover we were wrong. He has the gift of gab, but even though still likable, the people around him do not trust him and don't believe him either…..yet they hope the best for him.

This was a great job by Douglas so much so that I felt his pain when he reflected from time to time. A great supporting cast brings everything home to us and we are helpless to do anything but hope Ben finally realizes what he is up against. An Oscar nomination for Douglas may be in the works, but Jenna Fischer who played Ben's daughter, Susan, may get a Best Supporting nod. She was us watching Ben and hoping.

The real winner in here is the dialogue throughout. It was honest and effective.

In the beginning, Johnny Cash sings the song Solitary Man in a slow rhythmic way to let us know Ben's plight, but the song is about women who did him wrong and that was NOT the case here. Did I hear someone say, "Ooops?" It is Ben's sexual nature that does him wrong, not any woman. The ending to this story leaves us with a choice as to what we would like to see happen, but remember the scorpion.

Violence: Yes, some, not much Sex: No. Nudity: No. Sexual Content: Yes, almost throughout Language: Yes, but not much.

"You can't cheat death, Benny. Nobody can, no matter how many 19-year-olds you talk into your bed."

The topic of the mid-life crisis and men losing their identity and sense of self as they get older has been fertile ground for movies in the past, and Solitary Man is another entry into that sub-genre. 

It's a drama with slight comedic elements. Michael Douglas stars as a once powerful man who lost his wealth and position when he was caught running a scam. He fills that void with ill-advised trysts with young women and depending emotionally on his exasperated daughter. When his last-ditch attempt to regain his past career is derailed because of another poor decision, he has to confront what his life has become, his own self- destructive behavior, and how his choices have affected the people around him. This isn't a ground-breaking story, but it's certainly watchable and occasionally emotionally involving. 

The real reason to see Solitary Man is the cast. Along with Douglas, the movie stars Mary-Louise Parker, Imogen Poots, Danny DeVito, Susan Sarandon, Jesse Eisenberg, and Jenna Fisher. Some of the parts are bigger than others (I really wish Sarandon would have been a larger part of the movie), but fans of any of them will want to see this. 

For everyone else, Solitary Man is a movie you should watch if it piques your interest. Will you be adding it to the list of your all-time favorites? Probably not. It's definitely worth ninety minutes on a Sunday afternoon, though.

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.

This movie is unlike any you are likely to see this year or the next few years. It seems somewhat like a French or Euro remake in that the story revolves around a man who "flaunts convention" and sleeps with any young woman who pleases him, even though his family (ex-wife, adult offspring) are well aware of his bedroom adventures and taunt him about his behavior.

His current girlfriend, who apparently knows something of and tolerates his loose standards, presses him to go with her daughter to a college admission interview over a weekend out of town. When he seduces the daughter, it is a shocking turn of events that marks this film as strikingly different. When she reveals the blatant transgression, the shocks continue. (Am I in Paris here?) So much for the first third or so of the film, which really amounts to the set-up. Disaster follows Michael Douglas' character around like a bad haircut. His chance for a comeback in business, and life, is squashed by the influential relations of his now ex-girlfriend and he descends farther into a world only he would want to inhabit.

With a more traditional storyline, this is where he would either become some sort of psycho killer or pull himself up and out to rebuild his life. Nothing doing here. There is a lot more down and self degradation to follow. He's on a mission.

I was wondering what could trigger not just a moral collapse, but that of a human being who, were are told, was one day the toast of the business world in New York and made so many millions that he had a college library named after him. You see, Ben Kalman, the main character, behaves like someone with no moral backbone at all, someone who either knows no limits or is bent on self destruction.

Fearing that the audience couldn't figure this thing out for themselves, the movie serves an explanation up complete, as if Ben Kalman, victim of himself, could somehow suddenly understand why he was doing what he was doing and consider the idea of change. All too pat, and not believable to boot. We are made to, forced to, care about a deeply flawed character and given an explanation that just doesn't hold water. If he were capable of this level of creepiness, it seems very unlikely that he would have risen to such heights and been loved and adored by so many. Obviously, there must have been some deep character flaw in him all along, but we have no idea what it might have been.

Otherwise decent people do, every day, go off the deep end. Some people commit acts of unkindness, even violence, for which friends and family can never forgive. How can one bit of unfortunate news about possible health problems send a man so far away from his grounding on planet earth and cause him to ruin everything in his life? I don't know, which is one reason, although this is a startlingly original movie with good to great acting all around, that I ultimately don't care about it and wish I could forget it.

There was one truly wise scene with DeVito discussing why he never chases young women that was almost worth the price of admission.

Doug Terry

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.

From my early childhood I admired Michael Douglas. There were so many movies I watched purely because of his performance. "Solitary Man" is an excellent insight into the male ego slightly after the peak. At some point in our lives, we all felt the need to adjust our age, lifestyle or interests to see "whether we still have it". The lead character tries to go back in time with a visit to his alma mater, mentoring a younger man and hanging out with young girls. The consequences of his behavior are the essence of this movie.

You might get through Life pretty much Unscathed if You Indulge in One of the Seven Deadly Sins (Lust), but Two (Greed), probably Unsurmountable. Such is the Case with Michael Douglas in this Character Study about a Very Successful Businessman in the Winter of Discontent.

He is on His way Down and Out, but the Silky Charm is still there and a Complete Embrace of Self Confidence. In the Film, He never "looks" like He is Suffering much. However, His Life is in total Freefall.

It is a One-Note Movie but its Resonance is Profound and the Cast of Aging Stars and some Quality Newcomers aid a rather Thin Script and Story. It is a Quality Film, with Professionalism and a certain Wit without Cynicism. It is not Layered and is right there on Screen for the Viewer to take in and it is a Smooth Operation to say the Least.

The Movie Glides along its way Effortlessly and is Charm with a bit of Bite. In Fact, it is so good You may want more of it. But that is not to be. Its like the best cut of Steak possible, but only Served in 4 ounce Proportions.

The enjoyment of this will depend on the amount of Self-Reflection You engage, and will undoubtedly appeal to an Older Audience and the Movie and its Cautionary Tale will most probably be Overlooked by those who would benefit the Most. Those Folks, especially Men, who are still Young Enough.

Michael Dougls plays a great role here, as the 60 year old who refuses to accept the consequences of aging. He does all kinds of risky things, chases skirts, but he is slowly falling down. Why is Douglas so good at movies where his character falls hard? :)

The cast is very good, but let's face it, neither Danny de Vito nor Mary-Louise Parker or Susan Sarandon have detailed roles. This is a one man show, appropriate for its title, and a show it is.

Now for the bad parts: the film is pretty boring. Sad to say, but even the bright meteoric crash of a Michael Douglas character is not that interesting when it happens at the age of 60. There are lessons to be learned, that's for certain, but not that many. You don't even see how he manages to convince 30 year olds to have sex with him, you just see them in his bed, the script being (too) focused solely on his internal struggle.

Bottom line: I think no person under 30 could really enjoy this film, even if it is a good movie. It is targeted at aging men and, maybe, some of the women, as a social learning opportunity. It is one of those descriptions of a situation or a man that you take with you as a life lesson, rather than a story with twists and turns. A movie photograph.

What is the point of this movie? We basically watch the slow disintegration of a truly reprehensible and despicable character. Ben Kalmen has no redeeming features whatever, and his decline never seems to have a larger point to it. And the script that tells this tale is leaden and sluggish. It is also a problem that Douglas' performance seems to lack the nasty edge that this vile character requires; there is too much of the "nice guy" we have come to know from Douglas' other roles. He should have brought to the part some of the nastiness he showed as Steven Taylor in "A Perfect Murder." Also, the miserable way he treats his daughter and her family needs to elicit more rage from that character; Jenna Fischer's performance is flat and lacking the required anger. A music score might have helped, but it's in absentia. And the ending is simply completely unbelievable.

I was sorry to hear about Michael Douglas's recent bout with cancer. The character he portrays here has similar issues. In this film, Douglas portrays a man who has ruined his life through short-sightedness and greed and womanizing. He is smug and full of advice. He even sleeps with a college freshman, the daughter of his girlfriend. He has no morals and no restraint. As a moviegoer, should I judge the film based on his despicable character. A man who never changes. What he does is ingratiate himself time after time, seeking only selfish ends. He is broke and needs money and leeches off his daughter. His ex-wife helps him not starve but realizes that there is no future with this guy. He is just one of the most self-centered characters every portrayed. He betrays everyone and still keeps up the excuses, schmoozmaster supreme. Douglas does a superb job portraying this man, but I never felt acceptance or compassion for him.

It reminds me the classic Russian literature. A character with deep traits of looser.And the world around him. A splendid performance from Michael Douglas. And the right atmosphere. A film who you know. In each detail. Maybe, except the end. Short - bitter, honest, cruel, ironic.

'SOLITARY MAN': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Michael Douglas stars in this comedy / drama written by Brian Koppelman and directed by Koppelman and David Levien. The team has previously co-written such films as 'OCEAN'S THIRTEEN', 'THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE (both directed by Steven Soderbergh), 'RUNAWAY JURY', 'ROUNDERS', 'WALKING TALL' and 'KNOCKAROUND GUYS' (Which they also both directed). The film features an impressive supporting cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Danny DeVito, Mary-Louise Parker, Susan Sarandon and 'THE OFFICE's Jenna Fischer. Despite all that talent the film only got a limited theatrical release (in which it made $4.35 million), some film festival play and is now dumped on video. The direct to video market is a lot bigger business than it used to be though and just about every major film star has appeared in a direct to video release. It no longer has anything to do with the film's quality it's just a matter of whether the studios think they can market the film to a theater going audience and even films with such high profile filmmakers and as many A list celebrities as this end up playing to a mostly home video audience!

Michael Douglas plays Ben Kalmen a once highly successful automobile businessman who was caught using unsavory business tactics and has now fallen greatly down the business ladder. He's also divorced and despised by his son-in-law. He keeps in contact with his ex (Sarandon), daughter (Fischer) and grandson (Jake Siciliano) but on uneasy terms due to his questionable behavior and known womanizing ways. He's now seeing a woman (Parker) due to her father's business connections and still sleeping with as many women as he can. He's asked to escort his girlfriend's daughter (Imogen Poots) to a Boston college campus which were his old stomping grounds. Due to his troubles with temptations he gets in more trouble and ends up alienating himself from almost all of his friends and family.

The movie is well directed and an interesting character study but the lead character is just too unlikeable for my taste. He's so despicable that it's almost impossible to root for him but that's what the movie wants you to do. They make him a very charismatic and likable guy in other ways and they do bring in a storyline that somewhat explains why he feels he needs to act the way he does but I still find his actions too hard to forgive. Douglas does a great job playing the guy and his performance is interesting. The supporting cast is all adequate and the directing and writing as well. The problem is that were left with no one to relate to and root for, as all of the other characters are underdeveloped, and it does feel like the film wants you to like and forgive Kalemen. Not a bad film but by no means a very good one either.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YDpWRaEnYQ

Ben Kalmen (Michael Douglas) is divorced from Nancy (Susan Sarandon). He is loved by daughter Susan (Jenna Fischer) despite his womanizing and the mess from his corrupt car dealership empire. He had come close to prison for fraud. He is trying to rehabilitate his reputation and buy a dealership with the help of his connected girlfriend Jordon Karsch (Mary-Louise Parker). He takes her daughter Allyson (Imogen Poots) for a college interview at his alta-mater and ends up sleeping with her. He befriends awkward college student Daniel Cheston (Jesse Eisenberg) and reconnects with Jimmy Merino (Danny DeVito) who owns the family deli.

The central performance is great. Ben is not sympathetic but Douglas infuses him with humanity. He's a terribly flawed and damaged character. The drawback is the constant turnover of character which doubles back. It would have been more effective staying with the mentorship with Eisenberg or the perverted relationship with the mother and daughter. Doubling back does feel awkwardly manufactured. There is a possibility that he's going back for Allyson but that's not the case. It's just weird although reconnecting with Daniel does give fruit to a good turn.

Solitary Man

The reason older men gravitate towards younger women is because, unlike older women, they cannot tell the difference between 8-carat and 24-carat.

And while the smarmy dingo in this drama isn't buying precious gems for his Lolitas, he is sleeping with them.

When his doctor tells him that he doesn't have long to live, Ben (Michael Douglas) begins philandering.

Divorced from his wife (Susan Sarandon), he shacks up with Jordan (Mary Louise Parker). But when he beds her daughter (Imogen Poots), he is ostracized.

Destitute, he turns to his daughter (Jenna Fischer). But when that fails, he returns to his old college, in search of his youth.

A lamentable account of a midlife Lothario learning life lessons too late, Solitary Man features a poignant plot and a first-rate performance from Douglas.

Nevertheless, older men do fulfill the needs of younger women, i.e. paternal love and the desire to change diapers. (Green Light)

I attended the World Premiere of "Solitary Man" at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. This is clearly a vehicle for Michael Douglas and fans will fall in love with the film. It's hard to imagine these names as supporting cast members but Douglas is joined by Mary Louise Parker, Danny Devito, Jesse Eisenberg, Susan Sarandon, and Jenna Fischer. These wonderful actors could have been used to a greater extent and I found myself wanting more ensemble interaction, but kudos to all for being willing to take a back seat to Douglas. Written by Brian Koppelman and co-directed by Koppelman and David Levien, "Solitary Man" is chock full of dialogue and essentially a one-man show.

Directors David Levien and Barry Kopelman (from Kopelman's script) give the best possible thing they could for Michael Douglas: to play someone who makes a living at playing. In a sense this is a return to a character like Gordon Gecko, who is a bigger than life guy, only this time he's knocked down by a bunch of pegs. He's done some criminal things as "The Only Honest Car Dealer" around, and he's let down his daughter and grandson in more ways than one (mostly by, as usually the case with family, not being there), and he's a hopeless womanizer, who uses his skills as a car salesman to hone in on what makes woman, uh, want him I guess. And this gets him in more hot water, especially when he seduces family friends and even the 18 year old daughter of his current girlfriend. His daughter thinks he has a psychological disorder and needs help. In reality, I think he's just an aging Casanova, way in over his head after years of skating on success.

Douglas plays this guy, Ben Kalmen, a man who has his name on top of a library at a university up in Boston as he donated all that money, like a man who knows everything and nothing at the same time. He's a consummate people person, can charm the pants off anyone, seduce most women, but is clueless in seeing the errors in his ways over time. Douglas would come back to play this, perhaps now in retrospect redundantly, this very year with Wall Street 2, only in that case given a boost up by actually serving jail time. Ben hasn't been to jail, per- say. He's been in his own solitary-made prison (hence the title). Does he like that? It is what it is, he says at one point.

I love watching Douglas be able to make a character look interesting even when (perhaps, admittedly) it looks as if he's just playing 'himself', or how we might picture Michael Douglas to be in, well, if not real life kind of like his 'movie-life' if that makes sense (kind of like how George Clooney puts on a persona that seems like "him"). He actually elevates a script that is good but not very ambitious with where it wants to take its characters. It's very straightforward about where it's going, which is the comeuppance of a man who has done too much in his life to screw over women, screw over family, screw over competition. By the end it's even questionable whether he'll even have a home exactly.

But in a way I, as I'm sure we all, enjoy watching Douglas being a kind of cool-hand jerk, oily and suave and such a playboy that he can charm even in a t-shirt lent by mentee Jesse Eisenberg. Unfortunately the humbling period isn't quite as cathartic as that in another Douglas vehicle, also compared by other critics, of Wonder Boys. That had a lot more going on with its supporting characters, while here those around him are soundboards, telling him what's going on with him, where he's gone wrong, or in a few exceptions (Eisenberg, De Vito) on his side but cautious as friends and allies. It's a good character study though not a very good drama, if that might make sense. I suppose ultimately this and Wall Street 2 would make the better combination; neither film reaches greatness, but they'll do as Golden-Age prime-rib roles for its star, who is magnetic, humorous, touching, engaging, and, thankfully, sympathetic to a degree. And there's a lot of fun to be had too, thank goodness.

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.