The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

California Solo is an independent film that features Robert Carlyle about a touching story of post-fame life and personal redemption. Former British rocker Lachlan MacAldonich has settled into a comfortably in an ordinary existence just outside Los Angeles. He works on an organic farm and travels regularly to the city's farmers' markets to sell produce during the day.But at night, he retreats to his crummy apartment to record his podcast that recounts the tragic deaths of great musicians. The only positive aspect of his life is a lovely woman named Beau.Then one night, Lachlan gets pulled over for drunk driving.It was a charge that dredges up his past drug offense and threatens him with deportation.His only hope of staying in the U.S. is proving that his removal would cause "extreme hardship" to an American citizen whether spouse or relative.In the end, he contacts his estranged ex-wife and daughter and confronts his and demons that has bothered him for many years in his life. The only positive aspect of this film is the performance of Carlyle for the screenplay wasn't great enough that the viewer sees it and then forgets after a week.In addition to that,the audience to capture any sympathy or sentiment towards Lachlan due to the film's lack of great elements that one may find it dull and boring despite the fact that it tackles many issues such as redemption,alcoholism and immigration that one may look for in a film.

As both a professional musician and a Robert Carlyle fan, I couldn't wait to see this movie. Carlyle's performance was pitch perfect, and the story kept me riveted until the end.This reminded me of the sort of movies we used to see back in the 1970s, when film makers were more concerned with emotional depth than flashy special effects. Carlyle holds nothing back in his portrayal of washed up Britpop musician Lachlan MacAldonich. His work in this role contains raw honesty that is sometimes almost painful to watch. Anyone who's ever loved and despaired over an alcoholic loved one will recognize Lachlan MacAldonich's struggle to avoid the heartache that he, himself, has generated by his own chemical dependency.Sadly, there were two things which marred this movie for me. One problem was Alexia Rasmussen, whose youth and lackluster acting made her ill-suited to the role of Beau. Though she's certainly easy to look at and wears a hat quite well, there was no real spark during her scenes with Carlyle. And since Beau didn't appear much older than Lachlan's daughter Ari, it made me uncomfortable to watch Carlyle's much older character chasing after her.The major flaw was Marshall Lewy's total ignorance of basic psychology, which made the ending a bit hard to accept. After watching this character slowly devolve while desperately fighting deportation throughout the entire movie, Lachlan's sudden turn-about during the last remaining minutes of the film just didn't ring true. Instead of wasting footage with moody shots of Lachlan staring out the window during train rides, a bit more dialog which offered some foreshadowing of Lachlan's mental processes would have made better use of screen time.Despite its weaknesses, Robert Carlyle makes 'California Solo' worth watching. In fact, all of the actors except Rasmussen were excellent, especially A. Martinez and young Savannah Lathem, who portrayed Lachlan's daughter. This is the sort of thought-provoking film which is becoming increasingly rare in this age of over-the-top special effects, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone searching for something with a bit more depth.

I also read the screenplay before it was filmed. I too really enjoyed the story a lot. It was touching and human and not a "hollywood" story. I was also excited to know that Robert Carlyle was cast as the lead.I thought the lead character was interesting. He is an aging ex-pat living in America. I think the lives of assimilated ex-pats are very interesting but not often explored in Hollywood. Reading the script, I recognized the emotional themes of rootlessness, guilt and regret the main character goes through as issues many of my closest expat friends and family experience as well. I wish more films like this were made to be released in America and Hollywood.

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.