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50Lewy’s script doesn’t cop out with any sentimental redemption, but neither does it establish why the self-destructive Lachlan deserves our sympathy.
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Dec 6, 201260In some sense, California Solo is like meeting an engaging stranger: At first there's a certain air of enigmatic mystery that makes you want to spend time with them, but eventually things turn awkward and you just want to get away.
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63Carlyle gives a quietly engaging performance as a Golden State farmworker with a secret in the likable indie California Solo.
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90A wry, mournful study of midlife crisis.
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70Even with its strong supporting cast, I doubt this small, finely observed movie would have seen the commercial light of day without Carlyle in the lead. Amid the deafening roar of big Oscar-bait pictures, I'm glad it's there.
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60Fans can be forgiven for offering this predictable indie some excess generosity, simply because writer-director Marshall Lewy had the good sense to build a movie around such a versatile lead.
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75Even as California Solo plays like a track we've heard before, it's still worth a listen.
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67California Solo doesn't have much story. All of the details above are established in the first five minutes, then the movie becomes a character sketch, carried by its wealth of detail and a fantastic Carlyle performance.
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75There's a lovely gravity and specificity to the story that transcends instances of bumpy filmmaking.
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75In a bravura performance that is the primary don't-miss reason for its existence, he (Carlyle) gives California Solo all he's got; even in scenes that just exist to pass the time, his presence informs the essence of the man he plays and the humanity of the film itself.
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40Any transformation feels like a device, and any modest hopefulness comes across as simply the unearned wishful thinking of the filmmaker.
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Nov 27, 201260Marshall Lewy's film functions largely as a delivery system for Carlyle's performance. Luckily, Carlyle's tough, tender turn is strong enough to carry the load.
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Nov 25, 201260The minor-key film benefits from Robert Carlyle's soulful performance in the central role, bouncing back and forth between dulled resignation and self-destructive anger.
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50A former rock 'n' roller withers on the vine in California Solo, Marshall Lewy's forgettable sophomore effort (after a promising beginning with "Blue State").
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Nov 24, 201263Robert Carlyle's performance compensates for the film's less successful elements and even makes you wonder if they might be strengths.
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