the audience applauded

Fresh and Exciting

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

It tells you something about Marshall Lewy's talent as a writer when the movie starts where it needs to start. There's no extensive background as to who Lachlan is, why he's in Los Angeles. There's little to no set up. We get to see what's the point, we get to see what the main character is going to be struggling with even before we know the main character. Of course this kind of start could be risky, it could alienate the audience if it' done poorly, but Lewy has done it well. The start isn't too fast, but it's fast enough so you don't have time to actually think about not knowing enough at that point. The start is immediate yet smooth.The story is a bit hard to grasp since there's a lot of details, but of course the main point is the fact that Lachlan faces deportation. However the story can't be summarised to just that, because there are so much happening even though the threat of deportation is the key ingredient. California Solo is exactly what a drama movie should be: a piece of life instead of just a simplified story. The character is more than what we see, there's what happened before and there's what will happen after the events of the movie, and that definitely shows great skills from Marshall Lewy. However a little part of me wants to ask what was the point? Not because the movie was somehow incomplete or that I didn't get the main theme, but because of the ending and how everything was concluded. But clearly it was meant to be that way. Visually California Solo is a stunning movie. The whole cinematography just screams "indie film", but it looks amazing. Also the music is amazing and well chosen. The entirety makes me feel the same way as when I listen to Delicate by Damien Rice, which is a bit surprising association. While the story, directing, soundtrack and cinematography are all amazing, the best part of the whole film has to be Robert Carlyle's performance. Aye, maybe I'm biased, but he's extremely talented. His performance is so emotionally raw and powerful it gives you chills. He's absolutely a brilliant actor, and I can't imagine anyone else playing his character in this movie. California Solo absolutely needed Robert Carlyle, his absolutely perfect for this. I liked this movie very much, but I feel like I need to get a little bit older and move around to relate to it even more. But in ten years or so, I'll absolutely return to this movie and see if my gained wisdom gives me another way to look at this. But for now I'll just know California Solo is a beautiful, well-made film, which reminds me why I love drama when it's made this excellently.

The film follows a retired Britpop/mod/punk guitarist who has traded in the fame and fortune of rock-star life for an impoverished and lonely but satisfying life of peace. Underlying the protagonist's peaceful life is a lifetime of regret over the death of his band-mate brother. When legal troubles threaten to disrupt his escape from reality, he must try to make amends with those he has abandoned.I found the story to be interesting and believable, if not a bit slow. The acting is very good and the characters credible. The soundtrack is excellent.Overall, worth a watch, especially for those into the 80's British music scene.

I have seen only a few films that have truly great acting. The film has a great story and to me seems very realistic. Robert Carlyle is a great choice for a lead in this movie, having seen him not show his truly great acting skills in films for the last few years it's nice seeing him back on the silver screen. I think this role of an older British rocker fits his skills perfectly. I think this film has great potential to go down as a classic and will appeal more to the older generation of 40+, but this not to say that younger people won't enjoy it either. To me Robert Carlyle gives a performable that shows to sides of a personalty that is plagued by demons.

The screen play is very well written. I read it before the movie was shot and could easily feel the strength of the story. It's a mature subject though, which seems to bear out in the IMDb vote distribution. It's going to appeal most strongly to older folks. By the way, we older folks have money and pay to see movies with good story lines. Carlyle is a great choice for a lead in this movie, having seen him do forlorn but strong characters in many movies and also at the other end of the universe, so to speak ... I can't think of a contemporary alternative that would fit the role. After reading some of the Sundance buzz I rather felt that the critics prefer the same old boring story lines, whereas California Solo at least is a fresh interpretation that is also well-timed to the old rock audience.