The past few months have oddly been filled with mid-life crisis films. At the center of them are narcissistic, yet somewhat likeable, leads. Both the fantastic Greenberg and the excellent Up in The Air met that said criteria. Solitary Man takes it to the next level. That’s not to say it’s a better film, but it definitely pushes the envelope a bit further in the terms of having a questionable protagonist.
Ben Kalmen (Michael Douglas) is a down-and-out car dealership owner who’s hit a roadblock. He’s lost touch with his family, he’s having business troubles and he’s nearly flat broke. Kalmen is a man only worried about living in the moment. Taking risks is of the greatest importance to him. After an early visit to a doctor, Ben learns he could be sick. When a major business deal falls through, he’s in the worst rut of his life. From there on out, he wants to live without worry. One may call this turn pathetic, but it’s at this point Kalmen starts to live again. Even working at his old buddy Jimmy Merino’s (Danny Devito) college campus restaurant gives him clearance.
Kalmen, of course, isn’t your most ideal lead. However, similar to George Clooney‘s Ryan Bingham, Douglas brings a sense of charm to the role. He’s a slime ball, a pure womanizer, someone who doesn’t invest too much time into his family but, above all, he’s someone who’s trying. Unlike plenty of other films in which the protagonist faces up to past mistakes, this realization feels earned. It’s not schmaltzy or ham-fisted, but honest. There’s no grand montage of him fixing his wrong doings. If anything, his redemption couldn’t be further from grandness.
Plenty of credit deservedly goes to Douglas. It’s baffling to think it’s taken the actor a decade to give another great performance, the last time being Traffic. This is a man with a filmography filled with memorable performances, but he seemed to get stuck in nothing but hollow roles for the past few years. Here he’s got material to really chew on and make fly. We like Ben because Douglas isn’t trying to make us like him. In fact, he probably wouldn’t mind if you hate him, as long as you understand him. That’s the key here.
The last time Brian Koppleman and David Levien were behind the camera we got their directorial debut Knockaround Guys. It was a very enjoyable B-gangster film, but not much more that that. As a screenwriting team, Koppleman and Levien have penned some excellent films: The Girlfriend Experience, The Illusionist and the cult hit Rounders to name a few.
While this is a very small scale drama, it’s entirely effective. Koppleman and Levien have a way with words and a knack for crafting isolated protagonist to relate to. They know subtlety and never jam ideas down your throat. It’s an excellent script paired with competent filmmaking. The script is only lacking in the smaller relationships. Jesse Eisenberg is a bit short-changed as a college kid who looks up to Kalmen, but it’s not a very fleshed-out relationship, nor is the one with Devito as the old friend. They’re both very good here, but you wish more time was spent on these relationships.
The whole film stands for second chances. When it comes to the end – which is a bit ambiguous – it’s another reminder of how important they are. Many will take Solitary Man as a depressing tale of a lonely man, but it isn’t. It’s the ending that truly matters here. It’s about redemption, something the ending (mostly) confirms. Depending on your take on it, it’s nothing but hopeful.
Solitary Man never goes too far and keeps everything all grounded in believable drama. Nothing ever feels too convenient or contrived. Despite a few shortcomings, this a very strong drama that reminds us why Michael Douglas was, and is, a movie star.