Taglines: Ben loves his family almost as much as he loves himself.
The film opens with 54 year-old Ben Kalmen (Michael Douglas), an attractive and very successful car dealer in the New York area, at his annual medical check-up; his doctor tells him he needs a CAT scan to get a better look at his heart, due to an “irregularity” in his EKG.
About six years later, Ben’s fortunes have drastically changed. He is taking oral medications but never got the prescribed heart tests, and his lost sense of “immortality” has sent him on a self-destructive binge: habitual lying, sexual affairs, divorce, and bad business decisions that nearly put him in prison. He is broke, borrowing money from his daughter Susan (Jenna Fischer), and still unwilling to accept his age, ignoring his heart problem, and has a serial sexual appetite.
Ben, who cheated often on his wife Nancy Kalmen (Susan Sarandon), accompanies Allyson (Imogen Poots), the 18-year-old daughter of his girlfriend, Jordan Karsch (Mary-Louise Parker), to her college interview at a Boston college campus where Ben is an alumnus, having been a prominent donor during his more prosperous days. On campus, Ben meets an impressionable student named Daniel (Jesse Eisenberg) on campus who appreciates his wisdom and advice. Later that night, Ben and Allyson sleep together.
Back in New York, Ben expresses desire to continue the relationship, which Allyson dismisses as a one time experiment with an older man, and crossing “the Daddy” fantasy off her “list”. Frustrated with Ben, Allyson flippantly tells her mother about the sexual encounter. Jordan breaks contact with Ben and withdraws the support Ben needs to open a new auto dealership. While discussing his overdue rent with his building manager (Lenny Venito), his daughter Susan appears and tells him he is no longer welcome in her family’s life because of his inconsistency and unreliability as grandfather of her son, after discovering an affair Ben has had with her friend.
Solitary Man is an American film co-directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien. The film stars Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Danny Devito, Mary-Louis Parker, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, Ben Shenkman, Jake Siciliano, David Costabile, Anastasia Griffith and Simona Williams.
Solitary Man
Directed by: Brian Koppelman
Starring: Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Danny Devito, Mary-Louis Parker, Jenna Fischer, Jesse Eisenberg, Imogen Poots, Ben Shenkman, Jake Siciliano, David Costabile, Anastasia Griffith, Simona Williams
Screenplay by: Brian Koppelman
Production Design by: Robert Pearson
Cinematography by: Alwin H. Küchler
Film Editing by: Tricia Cooke
Costume Design by: Jenny Gering
Set Decoration by: Regina Graves
Art Direction by: Doug Huszti
Music by: Michael Penn
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content.
Studio: Anchor Bay Films
Release Date: May 21, 2010
