"Solitary Man" is an independent film that
allows Michael Douglas to give a tour de force performance as a
man who had everything and throws it away because a doctor wants him to
take an EKG. There is a lot more involved than a heart exam and that's
what the film is about.

Douglas plays Ben Kalmen a man who was a
successful auto dealer owning showrooms in three States whose TV
advertisements made his name and face
familiar to people of his generation and quite well off. He had a
beautiful wife, Susan Sarandon, a smart daughter,
Jenna Fisher, who has made a good marriage to David
Costabel,
and provided her dad with a loving grandson.

Ben's life starts to fall apart when he has
to face his own mortality and he becomes self destructive destroying his
business, his marriage and his relationship with his daughter. He has a
mistress, Mary Louise Parker, who he betrays in the worst way, chases
after young women, some still teenagers and mentors a college boy, Jesse
Eisenberg, not always in the best way. Aside from his ex-wife who tolerates, stands by and forgives him, an old
college friend, Danny DeVito, rescues him in more ways than one. Imogen Poots (sorry but I hate that
name!!!) has a pivotal role as someone who sets Ben's life on a
different path.

All the actors shine in this film but it is
Michael Douglas who brings his experience, age, charisma, not afraid to
show his warts and all, to show who Ben was and is.

The very last shot in the film is open to a
few interpretations while the
directing, screenplay, photography and editing are all straight forward.

Full disclosure: Allen did not care for this
film, the story and/or the acting!