Sundance 2012 Review of California Solo, starring Robert Carlyle - After years as a supporting player, Robert Carlyle shines in the spotlight.
Most of the time Scottish native Robert Carlyle is a character actor offering bursts of colorful drama in support of the bigger story; sometimes a villain; like the James Bond adventure The World Is Not Enough and sometimes a lover; such as Antonia Bird’s gay melodrama Priest. More often Carlyle settles nicely with an ensemble, contributing his part to a larger cast in classic movies like the amateur male stripper comedy The Full Monty and the Irvine Welsh adaptation Trainspotting.
Carlyle continues his trend as a go-to supporting actor in ABC’s fairy tale-inspired drama Once Upon A Time as the mischievous Rumpelstiltskin, arguably his most-seen performance to date.
Finally, after years in the background, Carlyle receives a headlining role in an independent drama tailored just for him. Writer/director Marshall Lewy (Blue State) says he wrote the musical drama California Solo, making its debut in Premieres section of the Sundance Film Festival, with Carlyle in mind as Lachlan MacAldonich, a former rock star drinking his life away while working on an organic farm outside Los Angeles.
It’s not often that an actor and a role sync so perfectly but Lewy gives Carlyle the type of grounded, somewhat broken-down, but still charming character he’s meant to play.
Granted, at first glance, it’s easy to focus on the cliché characteristics of MacAldonich. Basically, he’s the type of burned-out rock star we’ve seen countless times before. But Carlyle makes him complex, troubled by past decisions and somewhat content to live life on society’s fringe. Carlyle makes California Solo real and gripping despite the fact that MacAldonich is a redundant movie character (Think Jeff Bridges, or Willie Nelson or Kris Kristofferson)
Lachlan MacAldonich still lives off the glory of playing guitar in a popular '90s British pop band called The Cranks but his musical career is a distant memory since the untimely death of his brother, the band's lead singer. He’s a cash-poor creative working on an organic farm. Lachlan drinks too much and stays away from the music scene except for his little-known podcast dedicated to musicians who died before their time. His modest, post-stardom life changes for the worse when a DUI arrest re-opens a long-ago drug conviction case and leads to VISA problems and the threat of deportation. Lachlan reaches out to his estranged ex-wife and teenage daughter to help him stay in the country. Sadly, the challenge of living life on the fringe means you have nobody to lean on when you need help most.
Alexia Rasmussen brings a welcome dash of romance to the California Solo as Beau, a pretty actress and amateur chef who buys produce from Lachlan at the Silver Lake farmers' market and falls for his charms. Michael Des Barres is perfectly nasty as Lachlan’s former band manager who has no interest in helping him now that he’s struggling.
Lewy and cameraman James Laxton capture a side of Los Angeles seldom seen on film from the sprawling farmlands and blue-collar roadhouses outside the city to the neighborhood farmers markets where Lachlan sets up shop.
California Solo is beautiful to watch but it's all about Robert Carlyle and his incredible lead performance.
Marshall Lewy asked a lot of Carlyle and it’s impressive how he delivers all that’s asked of him and so much more.
Distributor: TBD
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Alexia Rasmussen, Kathleen Wilhoite, A Martinez, Michael Des Barres, Danny Masterson
Director: Marshall Lewy
Producers: Zambry Fils, Syncopated Films, A Harp Productions, Cherry Sky Films, Whitewater Films
Screenwriter: Marshall Lewy
Cinematographer: James Laxton
Editor: Alex Jablonski
Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 93 minutes
Release Date: TBD