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Cast: Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Mary-Louise Parker, Jenna Fischer, Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg, Richard Schiff, Jake Richard Siciliano, David Costabile, Anastasia Griffith, Arthur J. Nascarella
A car magnate watches his personal and professional life hit the skids because of his business and romantic indiscretions.
The film is about Ben Kalmen, a man that has burned so many bridges in both his business and personal life that he is now seeing it all come back on him. The movie opens before the scandal and 6 1/2 years before the current day, with the always-cocky Ben going in for his annual physical. His long-time doctor "doesn't like his EKG" and orders major diagnostic tests for him. Flash forward to now and he is divorced from his wife and is dating a rich woman. He is attempting to get a new car dealership approved by the local city council and with some help from his girlfriend he might make it happen but when he sleeps with her 18-yr-old daughter that too falls apart as well as the rest of his life. Michael Douglas has always been a terrific actor and he is at the top of his game here as Ben, a man that is a total scoundrel but some how you can't help loving the guy. The writing/directing team of Brian Kippelman and David Levien wrote this script with Douglas in mind and he is the perfect choice for the role. Susan Sarandon plays the long suffering wife, Nancy, who leaves him to his partying ways, and self destruction and she too is terrific in the film. This is about an aging man that hasn't come to terms with it all, a drama/comedy that is dramatic,funny and it's filled with intelligent dialogue. This is the type of film that leaves you feeling good when you leave the theater because you know you got more than what you paid for. You got a terrific script, top shelve acting and a film that entertains to the fullest. Solitary Man is an honest film about a man whose life of over indulgence has caught up to him, it's kind of sad to see this man go from being a big time car dealer to working in a friends diner but and even though you know "you reap what you sow" you still still kind of feel bad for the guy.
This is what great film making is all about, having a great script with wonderful and at times witty dialogue and anchored down by an amazing cast, it just doesn't get much better than this. I understand the film was maybe too smart for mainstream but it's too bad it never got a wider release but now that it's available on DVD and Blu-ray everyone can and should see this movie. The DVD and Blu-ray both come with Special Features that include:
Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Brain Koppelman and Director Dvid Levien and Actor Douglas McGrath
Solitary Man: Alone in The Crowd Featurette
You can order the DVD HERE and the Blu-ray HERE.
Released by Anchor Bay Entertainment
**** 1/2 Out Of *****