Solitary Man
Year: 2009
Grade: B
Country: USA
Director: Koppelman/Levien
Reviewsolid film about aging, mortality, power, male sexuality, and more. michael douglas is good here as a sex-obsessed older guy who is still trying to grasp at the straws of his former self. he used to be desirable to younger women, he used to be powerful and wealthy, etc. the opening song is perfect for the film, it’s a cover of solitary man by johnny cash and it sums everything up fairly well. i also found it repeating in my head throughout the film. at its simplest it’s about a guy who, like many of us, doesn’t want to think about his own mortality and his own aging. it causes him to be self-destructive in a late mid-life crisis sort of way.
douglas isn’t the kind of guy you really root for here, but you do feel his pain in a way. surrounding him are mostly relatively sane people who he either doesn’t really care about or cares about doesn’t do a good job of proving that to. it was mostly an interesting film because douglas’s character has potential to turn a corner at any point. you know that there’s a decent guy in there, but we don’t know if he’s ever going to come out. he has things to contribute to the world, pieces of wisdom that any smart guy that age has gleaned or figured out. unfortunately he alienates himself and it’s anybody’s guess what he’s going to do next with his life.
Watched in theater