Review: Solitary Man
Watching Solitary Man reminded me of an old saying that, if quoted accurately, might offend some readers of this generally family-friendly website. So, I'll quote a slightly altered version: Your male reproductive organ can get you in a lot of trouble.
Oh, if only the film's titular solitary man would heed these timeless words of wisdom. Opening Friday at the Arbor, Solitary Man is the story of Ben Kalman (Michael Douglas), a fiftysomething divorced father with a lonely heart, a boundless libido and two major talents. His first talent is one most men would envy: an amazing ability to talk young women into bed with him. His second talent is not so enviable: an equally amazing ability to ruin his own life, usually in connection with his first talent.
Ben is a sad, selfish and thoroughly unlikeable example of middle-aged ruination, a former titan among New York City car dealers whose hubris, greed and shady business dealings cost him his business and fortune. As the film opens, he's on the verge of a comeback. But when a financing deal falls through, he finds himself broke and jobless. Ben's high-living days are long gone; he now lives in a dank apartment, borrowing rent money from his increasingly irritated daughter, Susan (Jenna Fischer), who keeps him in her life mostly so her son can see his grandfather.
Ben's ex-wife, Nancy (Susan Sarandon), remains friendly but cautiously distant, knowing Ben's history of womanizing, lying and snatching disaster from the jaws of success and happiness. His relationship with his girlfriend Jordan (Mary-Louise Parker) isn't much better. True to form, he's dating her mainly because she's the wealthy daughter of a powerful businessman who's on the board of an auto manufacturing company.
It's little surprise when Ben's insatiable sexual appetite destroys his relationship with Jordan. While traveling with her 18-year-old daughter Allyson (Imogen Poots) to visit a prospective college, Ben seduces the girl. Jordan is understandably furious, ending the relationship and ordering Ben to stay away from Allyson. But later circumstances keep him in close proximity to her while she's away at college, and he risks severe consequences if he doesn't change his ways.
Being a relationship-driven film, Solitary Man is mostly plotless. But it's plenty captivating thanks to the sharp and darkly comic interplay between the characters and Douglas's subtly humanizing portrayal of the callous and vile Ben. Not since Gordon Gekko in Wall Street has Douglas played such a loathsome, self-interested character. His actions are often inexcusable, such as when he misses his grandson's birthday party while bedding one of his daughter's friends. To complement his cynical world view, Ben also lacks any notion of self censorship. He says whatever he thinks, no matter how inappropriate and hurtful his comments.
But in the hands of an actor as good as Douglas, Ben becomes mildly sympathetic, enough so that we understand why his family and friends don't abandon him completely. With only a subtle change in expression, Douglas shows us the pain beneath the villainy. We can't possibly like Ben, but we know he's in a world of hurt. His relentless pursuit of money and sex are hallmarks of a desperately insecure and lonely person.
Compared to Ben, the other characters have relatively little to do. But the film benefits greatly from a star-studded cast of terrific actors in even the smallest roles. Sarandon is perfect as the no-nonsense Nancy, a woman with enough good sense to keep Ben at arm's length and enough compassion not to let him self-destruct any further. As Susan, the always appealing Fischer is believably ambivalent about her father, torn between the bonds of family and her growing outrage at her father's behavior. (Full disclosure: I've had a schoolboy crush on Fischer since I first saw her on the pilot episode of The Office. But all pining aside, she's a very likeable actress who deserves more than the minor and somewhat typecast roles she's had in many films.)
Danny DeVito is wryly funny as Jimmy, an old friend of Ben's who takes him in and rescues him from a potentially life-threatening situation. And Jesse Eisenberg, currently one of Hollywood's busiest actors, gives a typically reliable performance as Daniel, a college student who develops an unlikely friendship with Ben but knows better than to follow his example, despite Ben's pathetic attempts to mentor him.
Solitary Man is endlessly talky, and at times the dialogue is too clever for its own good. While the quick-witted banter is often scathingly funny and keeps the film moving, the frequent bons mots and snarky retorts border on overkill, especially when so many characters deliver them. Solitary Man is in many ways too dark for so much repartee. But this is a minor criticism. Solitary Man is a smart, entertaining, and at times deeply moving story about a complex and troubled man. Audiences may hate Ben Kalman, but that won't keep them from liking this film.