Saturday Night At The Movies
Solitary Man: 60 is the new 40
By Dennis Hartley
Michael Douglas dispenses some not so sage advice.
Did you know that the average human life expectancy in the Neolithic era was 20? Which means that you would have your midlife crisis around what…age 10? Of course, 12,000 years later, thanks to advances in medicine, science and technology, that number skews a bit higher now. This probably accounts for 65-year old Michael Douglas getting away with portraying a 60 year-old who is suffering a midlife crisis, in the film Solitary Man.
Douglas plays Ben, a divorced 60-year old New Yorker at a crucial crossroads in his personal and professional life. Crucial, because his physician has given him sobering news regarding his health. However, having a bad ticker (and a ticking clock) is the least of his problems. A classic narcissist, Ben’s main concern is not that he could be “going” any time now, but that he may not get to go out with the most toys, if he doesn’t get his act together soon. You see, he’s a “use to be”. He used to be a successful car dealer, but lost the franchise (and barely escaped incarceration) due to unethical business practices. He used to have a lot of money, but his legal troubles decimated most of his net worth. He used to be married to the intelligent, lovely and supportive Nancy (Susan Sarandon) but blew that with serial philandering. He’s not a likeable guy, but he does possess the gift of the silver-tongued devil; he’s a “closer”- whether he’s on the car lot, or on the pull.
His current girlfriend, Jordan (Mary-Louise Parker), is a well-connected Upper East Side divorcee with a college-bound daughter named Allyson (Imogen Poots). At Jordan’s request, Ben accompanies her daughter to his alma mater, where she wants him to use his pull with the dean to assure Allyson’s acceptance there. The dean used to be happy to see him, back in the days when Ben was a generous benefactor (the campus library even carries his name), but his highly publicized fall from grace in the business community has made him a social pariah. To paraphrase Steely Dan-the weekend at the college doesn’t turn out like they planned. Ben’s penchant for getting himself into hot water gets the better of him; he has a physical altercation with a student, as well as an ill-advised (and wholly inappropriate) roll in the hay that not only costs him his relationship with Jordan, but puts the kibosh on getting himself back in the game, business-wise. We spend the rest of the film watching the self-sabotaging Ben crawl slowly from the wreckage of his life.
Ben may be at an impasse regarding a comeback, but this film is a comeback for the actor playing him; it’s a fine performance by Douglas, one of his best in years. Few actors can play a self-serving prick as convincingly as Douglas can (consider his characterizations in Wall Street
, The War of the Roses
, Falling Down
and A Perfect Murder
). Director-screenwriter Brian Koppelman and co-director David Levien navigate the tricky waters of “dramedy” on a fairly even keel, without going too overboard in either direction. The writing is sharp, and there are some smart zingers to temper the inherent angst of the narrative. Danny Devito is reunited with Douglas in an engaging supporting role, and Jesse Eisenberg once again plays, erm, Jesse Eisenberg…or maybe he’s playing Michael Cera (or perhaps those two young men represent a new paradigm in post-modern acting technique that is too subtle for me?). I would have liked to have seen more scenes with Sarandon and Louise-Parker, those two wonderful actresses feel under-utilized; but this project was obviously developed as a showcase for Douglas, so it is what it is, and I accepted it as such. I find myself becoming more accepting as I get older. Besides, according to this film, I still have about six more carefree years before my midlife crisis.
Midlife meltdowns: American Beauty
, Lost in Translation
, New Age [VHS]
, Carnal Knowledge
, Lolita (1962)
, Baby Doll
, Shopgirl 
, Ghost World
, Serial
, Bitter Moon
, Middle Age Crazy
, L.A. Story 
, As Good As It Gets
, The Sweet Hereafter
, Reuben, Reuben
, Blame It On Rio
, The Swimmer
, Panic 
, Husbands & Wives
, Manhattan
, Hannah & Her Sisters
, Guinevere 
, Husbands 
, All Night Long
, Tempest
, Breezy
, I Love You, Alice B. Toklas!
, All That Jazz
, Nobody's Fool
, The Hospital
, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Previous posts with related themes:
Whatever Works
Crazy Heart
Paper Man
.
