A relevant, thought-provoking movie for only $1

Last week, I went to the dollar theater, Carmike 10 (off of Lorna Road), and saw the movie, The Soloist. Now, this movie was actually in major theaters a while ago, so you may recall seeing trailers or hearing about it from that time. However, if you are anything like me, you can manage the delay of a few months for the $9 savings.

I was very impressed with this movie and the awkward, yet touching topic that it breaches. The basic synopsis is that Robert Downey Jr. is a Los Angeles journalist searching for another story to fill his weekly column. By following a random lead, he befriends a local homeless man (Jamie Foxx) who is an uniquely talented musician. While Downey's character has initial "success" in helping this needy man, he soon finds that it is much more complicated than than he had anticipated, bringing him to the brink of frustration, hopelessness, and apathy.

I was pleased that this movie took such an overlooked, but relevant topic head-on. I mean, every one of us has seen a homeless person on the side of the road or outside our window at a stoplight, and questioned what we should do. This movie tells a story in which these questions and potential problems are directly addressed, and I think just facing these thought-provoking issues is very productive. While it may not leave you with the emotionally satisfying, but false impression that you can go out and solve homelessness, I think that The Soloist presents an accurate and helpful depiction of a harsh reality and forces us, as Christians, to take seriously our role in reaching out to the least of these.

The Soloist is still at the dollar theater this week, and I would really encourage you to go check it out! Here is the IMDB page on it and here is a trailer.