Photo courtesy of Imdb.com

“The Soloist,â€Â is a testament to the rewards of consistency and perseverance; it highlights the impact of a journalist’s voice and the hearts of his readers.

Written by Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, “The Soloistâ€Â is a book based on a true story that was adapted to film.

Lopez began writing on homeless man Nathaniel Ayers because of his astonishing situation and the story that went along with it.

Prior to living on the streets, Ayers, a black man, attended New York̢۪s infamous Julliard school of music but was forced to walk away from a promising career as a distinguished musician because of the onset of schizophrenia.

The idiosyncrasies of the movie versus the book were expected, but I felt the movie played up a more dramatic scene, with an obvious consideration for time.

In the book Lopez was married, with a two-year-old daughter at home, whom he sacrificed his time with to help Ayers. In the movie, Lopez lived alone in a place lined with unpacked boxes.

The movie starts out with Lopez riding his bike uphill, then downhill and right over the handlebars face planting on the asphalt and taking an undesirable trip to the emergency room.

The book began with Lopez meeting Ayers; no torrid bike trip involved.

Ayers sat, just as he had many times before in the shadow of his idol Beethoven. In the movie Ayers sat directly underneath the statue, but in the book he was situated across the street from the monument.

In the book Lopez seems much more interested in Ayers initially. Lopez tells Ayers he̢۪d like to hear him play some more and asks if he̢۪ll be there again tomorrow.

In contrast, the Lopez in the film is a bit annoyed by Ayers̢۪ claims to Julliard and only returns to see Ayers after Julliard confirms his attendance.

The movie portrayed Ayers as a physically violent person, someone I had not read him up to be. Yes, he had his issues and yes, he did lash out temperamentally more than once, but physical violence, I felt, was not part of his persona.

I also did not think Lopez was as desperate as the movie played him out to be.

In the movie Lopez seemed overly troubled. He was divorced with a son in college and his ex-wife as his editor.

Although the movie sped through a friendship that developed over two years, the intensity of that relationship was easily felt in the theater during the reconciliation scene at the end.

After a blow-up fight, Ayers was astonished by Lopez̢۪s desire to still be friends.

“Friends piss each other off,â€Â Lopez said nonchalantly and extended his hand while proclaiming his honor to be a friend of Ayer’s.

I felt that I enjoyed the movie more because I had read the book. Questions that I would have asked of the movie were answered with the knowledge I̢۪d previously gained from the book.

Though the book was better than the movie for me, I would still recommend the movie, especially to those who don̢۪t like reading books.