In The Soloist, Robert Downey, Jr. portrays Steve Lopez, a journalist in search of a good story. He finds it in the person of Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a homeless musical virtuoso who makes beautiful music on his two-stringed violin. Initially interested in just the story value, Lopez soon finds himself engrossed in the sad life of the Julliard-trained Ayers.

A one-time child prodigy, Ayers' road to stardom was derailed by schizophrenia. Lopez, a hardened self-centered egomaniac, finds himself compelled to not just document the struggles of Ayers, but to search for genuine ways to help him out of his situation and draw attention to the plight of mental illness and homelessness.

Downey is in top form as Lopez, and Foxx, after a few missteps following his Oscar-winning role in Ray, once again flashes brilliance as Nathaniel. The radical transformation experienced by Lopez is evidence of what happens when we look outside of ourselves and invest emotionally in the lives of those less fortunate.

Casting light on injustice and the suffering of the outcast, The Soloist proves that these ills are not solved by big government or programs, but on a grassroots level with real people making real sacrifices to lend a helping hand.