OK - let's be clear. This film is called Solitary Man and should not be confused with the Coen Brothers' film A Serious Man or Tom Ford's film Single Man. It couldn't be confused with those because it totally sucks (Ford's film sucked too, but at least it looked nice). The movie is really the story about how if you have the right connections in Hollywood, you can make any garbage you want - and big stars will sign up to work with you.
It is co-written by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, who previously collaborated on the scripts and direction of such wonderful works of art as the Girlfriend Experience (the film that gave us the first painful look at porn star Sasha Grey trying to act with clothes on), Rounders (a film ahead of its time in terms of male drinking culture and parlor games) and Knockaround Guys (yes - that Vin Diesel piece with Barry Pepper). It is directed by Koppelman who has never directed a film on his own (because he needs the genius mind of Levien to balance him).
The story is about Ben Kalmen (Michael Douglas), a super-successful car salesman in New York City whose life is coming apart. He somehow made hundred of millions of dollars selling cars (ooookay....), but then got into some trouble with the government for wrongdoing and now is sorta between dealerships and bored. To keep busy he fucks any and all women he meets. His daughter, played by Jenna Fischer, is embarrassed by his titanic libido and frustrated that he's a flaky grandpa to her son.
His girlfriend, played by Mary-Louise Parker, is the daughter of a guy who has something to do with getting his next dealership up and running. She has a hot 18-year-old daughter (played by the magnificent Imogen Poots, who was also magnificent in Centurion) who wants to go to Ben's Alma mater. When they go for a visit there, they sleep together. This begins to unravel the business, personal and financial parts of his life.
There is basically nothing interesting in this film. Ben is a jerk who talks too much and gives his dumb advice about success in business and love to anyone who is stupid enough to listen to him. Of course, most of his advice is bad advice, which some of the characters understand sometimes - but we have to listen to it all the time.
There is way too much going on in the story. You have the legions of women who Ben screws and leaves, then there is some story about Ben wanting to start a new dealership in the burbs, then there's something about how he's avoiding a heart examination at the doctor's office, then there's something with his ex-wife (played by Susan Sarandon, who is basically the same character as she was in Wall Street 2, but a bit more successful) who he's still friendly with for no good reason, then there's something with Jesse Eisenberg who is a student at the college and wants to have sex with Olivia Thirlby, oh - and there's something with Danny DeVito who plays Ben's friend who owns a diner in the college town... It's all just too much and really dull.
The film mostly feels like a bad re-make of Wonder Boys, but with a much less interesting style and a really bad script. I wish I knew all these Hollywood people so I could make a bad movie recycled from an older film that was good. Alas, I just have to sit through ones that others make and wait for them to end.
Stars: 1.5 of 4
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I heard that "Solitary Man” is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has sex, swearing, drug use and wildly irresponsible adult behavior.
ReplyDeletewatch movies for free