Like so many films these days that arrive at festivals, the Michael Douglas and Jesse Eisenberg starring “Solitary Man” (not to be confused with “A Single Man” and “A Serious Man”) debuted at TIFF and then… nothing. Now, nearly five months later, Anchor Bay has sealed a deal and picked up the US rights from Millenium Films for the film.
As we reported last summer, this sounds like an intriguing blend of ingredients. Directed by “Knockaround Guys” helmers David Levien and Brian Koppelman (who also wrote the script), produced by Steven Soderbergh, starring Douglas, Eisenberg, Susan Sarandon, Danny DeVito, Mary Louise Parker and Jenna Fischer and boasting a score by Clint Mansell and Michael Penn (though collaboratively or individually we don’t know), how could we not be interested?
The film follows “a car magnate (Douglas) whose personal and professional life cracks up because of his business and romantic indiscretions.” As we speculated, we imagine that Eisenberg is the young kid who helps the older dude through his midlife crisis.
All that said, it doesn’t bode well that a film with this cast and talent behind it has waited this long to find someone to handle it. Anchor Bay’s most recent theatrical releases have included pretty forgettable fare like “Spread” and “The Open Road” which sunk like stones both critically and commercially. We hope this film doesn’t suffer the same fate.
Douglas, Eisenburg, DeVito & Jenna Fischer plus a Mansell score? I'm there.