The Soloist
A weary Los Angeles journalist chasing a breakthrough article discovers an unlikely ally in a brilliant but homeless Juilliard-trained violinist, forcing him to confront his own cynicism as he fights to save the musician’s fragile world from the streets.
“Life has a mind of its own”
Synopsis
A Los Angeles journalist forms a friendship with a homeless musician who was trained at Juilliard, while seeking inspiration for a new article for the newspaper.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 84+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Paul TothillShot by Seamus McgarveyScored by Dario MarianelliDesigned by Sarah Greenwood
Box Office
2009 · Box office
📉 Underperformed — grossed 0.6× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$38.3M
US & Canada: $31.7M — 83% of worldwide · International: $6.6M (17%)
Opening weekend: $9.7M — 31% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $12.5M — 39% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 2,024 theaters
Also known as
- Der Solistde
- El solistaes
- Le Solistefr
- Il solistait
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Cast & Crew
84 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Jamie Foxx
as Nathaniel Ayers
Robert Downey Jr
as Steve Lopez
Catherine Keener
as Mary Weston
Tom Hollander
as Graham Claydon
Lisagay Hamilton
as Jennifer Ayers
Nelsan Ellis
as David Carter
Michael Bunin
as Adam Crane
Rachael Harris
as Leslie Bloom
Stephen Root
as Curt Reynolds
Lorraine Toussaint
as Flo Ayers
Justin Martin
as Young Nathaniel
Jena Malone
as Cheery Lab Tech
Supporting cast
62Octavia Spencer
as Troubled Woman
Kokayi Ampah
as Bernie Carpenter
Patrick Tatten
as Paul Jr.
Susane Lee
as Marisa
Marcos De Silvas
as Mayor Villaigosa
Ilia Volok
as Harry Barnoff
Mike Nowak
as Julliard Conductor
David Jean Thomas
as Angry Homeless Man
Lemon Andersen
as Uncle Tommy
Kevin Michael Key
as Homeless Transvestite
Moya Brady
as Barely Dressed Woman
Orlando Ashley
as LAMP Homeless Guy
Artel Great
as Leon
J J Boone
as Shouting Woman
Annie Mcknight
as LAMP Advocate
Bernadette Speakes
as Homeless Lady
Anna Levin
as Leeann
Steve Foster
as Steve
Vivian George
as Teresa
Kevin Cohen
as KK
Courtney Andre
as Courtney
Teri Hughes
as Detroit
Linda Harris
as Linda
Albert Olson
as Bam Bam
Melissa Black
as Melissa
Valarie Hudspeth
as Mama Grouch
Darryl Black St
as Darryl
Kiana Parker
as Kiana
Hazard Banner
as Hazard
Russell Brown
as Russell
Jacqueline Sue West
as Jackie
Joyre Manuel
as Ashley
Lorinda Hawkins
as Singing Woman
Annette Valley
as Annette
Patrick Kelly
as Patrick
Quiana Farrow
as Quiana
Tony Genaro
as Globe Lobby Guard
Charlie Weirauch
as Atheist
Wayne Lopez
as Cop with Tents
Joe Hernandez Kolski
as EMT #1
Noel Gugliemi
as Winston Street Cop
Paul Cruz
as EMT #2
Wil Garret
as Homeless Man
Halbert Hernandez
as EMT #3
Alejandro Patino
as Construction Worker
Karole Selmon
as Homeless Woman #1
Rob Nagle
as Neil
Patricia Place
as Cello Donor
Ralph Cole Jr
as Enraged Homeless Man
Gladys Khan
as Reception Nurse
Palma Lawrence Reed
as ER Nurse
Isabel Hubmann
as Laid-off Employee
Bonita Jefferson
as Homeless Woman #2
Eshana O Neal
as Winston Street Prostitute
Myia Hubbard
as Young Jennifer Ayers
Iyanna Newborn
as Miss Little John
Bronwyn Hardy
as Beauty Shop Girl
Troy Blendell
as News Editor
Nick Nervies
as Jennifer's Son
Paul Norwood
as Editor
Wally Lozano
as Sign Spinner (uncredited)
Siso Kamburov
as Disney Hall Patron (uncredited)
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
2Other crew
5Parents Guide
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