SnoopyStyle Former British rock guitarist Lachlan MacAldonich (Robert Carlyle) gets a DUI one night. He's an agricultural worker and sells at a farmer's market. Little does he realize that the DUI could lead to his deportation. He is forced to confront difficult past mistakes.Robert Carlyle is an amazing actor, and he's able to give this character enough depth. He's a damaged individual who can't face up to his past. It's a heavy task to give such an individual more dimensions. And the story doesn't allow him to ease into a happy Hollywood transformation. His first meeting with his daughter is absolutely electric. This is a first class showcase of why he's an amazing actor.

t-kaymichel 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.

corrosion-2 California Solo is a laid back and entertaining character study. In recent American movies, the character studies (as opposed to biopics) of musicians have tended to be of those belonging to the country & western branch (Crazy Heart, etc.). So it's nice to see one about a British rock and roll artist. Robert Carlyle is perfectly cast as a former Scottish rock musician, now emigrated to USA and working on a farm in California. His only connection with music is the tributes to other rock bands of his era that he records at home for a local radio station. A clash with the law, which threatens deportation back to Scotland, forces him to face his inner demons and past. The film is carried by Carlyle who is both endearing and totally believable as a has been rock musician. The music is good, as is the direction and cinematography. Great fun.

movietode 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.