‘Solitary Man’
Growing up is hard to do. Especially when you should have done it long ago.
But some people never learn.
"Solitary Man's" case in point: Ben Kalmen, a guy who's absolutely terrified of being alone, yet too wrapped up in himself to stop alienating the very (the only?) people who might be able to stand him for an extended period of time.
Such characters often prove challenging movie protagonists.
Play them too accurately -- in other words, too obnoxiously -- and audiences won't want to spend 90 minutes watching their egotistical antics. But if you make such scoundrels too endearing, audiences might be tempted to excuse even the most self-indulgent behavior.
Fortunately, "Solitary Man" has Michael Douglas playing Ben Kalmen. And, as he's demonstrated on numerous occasions, Douglas is a past master at playing just this sort of self-destructive, self-delusional charmer.
As a result, "Solitary Man" maintains a delicate but deft balance, regarding Ben's desperate, sometimes despicable maneuvers with a slightly sympathetic yet always unblinking eye.
Kalmen used to be -- and, in some ways, still is -- a familiar face, known to TV watchers as "New York's honest car dealer." That is, until he pleaded guilty to an automotive sales scam, paid a fine and did his time (a night in jail), forever sentenced to all-too-public notoriety.
He's hoping to revive his professional fortunes with a new car dealership. But there's nothing much he can do about his personal life, which has been on the skids since he split from his understanding yet understandably had-it wife (a ruefully amused Susan Sarandon) to chase after anyone and everyone with two X chromosomes.
Currently, that includes the well-connected divorcee Jordan (a brittle Mary-Louise Parker), whose powerful ex might be able to assist Ben with a new car dealership. Ben doesn't like playing father figure to Jordan's haughty daughter Allyson (a graceful yet seething Imogen Poots ), but agrees to escort her to a college interview at his old alma mater, where the library bears his now shameful name. And while Ben might be old enough to be Allyson's father, he certainly doesn't want to act like it.
That goes double with his own daughter ("The Office's" resilient Jenna Fischer), who knows all too well that the only thing reliable about Ben is his ability to disappoint those who still, miraculously, care about him. When she and her young son (Jake Siciliano) join Grandpa at the park, for example, Ben instructs his grandson to address him as "Captain Ben" -- just in case his flirtation with that bottle blonde on the bench pays off.
Yes, Ben's an old hand at juggling multiple women, multiple lives, multiple lies. Despite his expertise, however, things are starting to crash to the floor. And somehow, he can't seem to pick up the pieces of what his life used to be.
Come September, we'll have the chance to watch Douglas reprise his Oscar-winning "Wall Street" role -- as disgraced corporate raider Gordon Gekko -- in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."
Compared to Gekko, Ben Kalmen's a small-time rogue. But he's big enough -- and human enough -- to make "Solitary Man" consistently compelling.
Screenwriter Brian Koppelman ("Ocean's Thirteen," "Rounders"), who shares directorial duties with frequent collaborator David Levien , follows Ben into some mighty dark places -- and dares us to stick with the character despite many painful missteps. (Along with the screenplay's occasional storytelling lapses.)
It would have been braver, and far more dramatically satisfying, to skip the tidy psychological excuse "Solitary Man" gives Ben to explain his uncanny ability to keep making the same mistakes and telling the same old lies -- especially to himself.
But it's hardly a fatal mistake, especially with "Solitary Man's" all-aces cast on hand to provide Douglas with winning support. Among the standouts: longtime pal Danny DeVito (co-star of "Romancing the Stone," co-star and director of "The War of the Roses") as Ben's old college chum; "Juno's" witty Olivia Thirlby as an unwilling, and disgusted, target of Ben's clumsy come-ons; and "Zombieland's" Jesse Eisenberg (also starring in this week's "Holy Rollers") as a shy college guy Ben tutors in the art of scoring with hot college chicks. (Eisenberg's been playing roughly the same role since "Roger Dodger," back in 2002; appealing as he is, I hope he graduates soon.)
As for Douglas, "Solitary Man" provides another welcome showcase for his expertise at bringing self-involved, self-deluding jerks to life. Embracing, even celebrating Ben Kalmen's (many) weaknesses, Douglas gives this unrepentant loser a jaunty defiance that might be charming -- if it weren't so chillingly relentless.
He's a salesman, all right, one who's determined to keep selling the product -- in this case, himself -- despite the fact that everyone knows the product's a lemon.
Contact movie critic Carol Cling at ccling@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272.
Review
"Solitary Man"
90 minutes
R; sexual situations, profanity
Grade: B
at Village Square
Deja View
Michael Douglas has been playing leading roles for more than 40 years, in everything from lurid thrillers ("Fatal Attraction," "Basic Instinct") to romantic comedies ("The American President") to these five showcases:
"The China Syndrome" (1979) -- A supervisor at a nuclear plant (Jack Lemmon) helps a TV reporter (Jane Fonda) and her cameraman (Douglas) expose safety cover-ups following an accident in an award-winning thriller released 12 days before the accident at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear plant.
"Wall Street" (1987) -- Douglas nabbed an Oscar for his portrayal of ruthless corporate raider Gordon Gekko, who imparts his "Greed is good" philosophy to a young, on-the-make stockbroker (Charlie Sheen) in director Oliver Stone's drama.
"The War of the Roses" (1989) -- Douglas reunites with "Romancing the Stone" leading lady Katherine Turner for this dark comedy (co-starring and directed by Danny DeVito) about a once happily married couple's ferocious divorce battle.
"Falling Down" (1993) -- Estranged from his family, an unemployed defense worker (Douglas) lashes out against what he perceives as society's flaws, embarking on a crime spree that puts him on a collision course with an L.A. cop (Robert Duvall) on the verge of retirement.
"Wonder Boys" (2000) -- A perpetually stoned college professor (Douglas, in arguably his finest performance) struggles with writer's block -- and an imploding personal life that includes his pregnant mistress (Frances McDormand), his impatient editor (Robert Downey Jr.) and a strange student (Tobey Maguire) who just might be a literary genius.
-- By CAROL CLING
