Solitary Man Will Reach Theaters on May 21

Remember that one time when Michael Douglas (Wall Street) and Jenna Fischer ("The Office") were on campus, and there were big white trucks blocking off the fastest routes to class? Remember how Solitary Man was supposed to come out of that? Well, I have good news: it exists. Even better, film festivals are slowly releasing it, including the Independent Film Festival in Boston, the 2010 Florida Film Festival and the Dallas International Film Festival.

So far, reviewers have been generally positive with their critiques, and in particular have raved about Douglas' acting.

"What makes this dramedy a delight is, pure and simple, Douglas' performance, one of the best of his career and one that should be looked at when [year-end] awards are considered," a review on the Arizona Reporter's Web site said.

The reviews also compare the womanizing character Ben Kalmen's behaviors to Douglas's own questionable exploits.  

"What clicks perfectly in the film is the underlying reality of Douglas' performance, which shouldn't be viewed as biographical, but let's just say that I'm sure he found sections of the script uncomfortable," a report on DVD Talk said. "It's a superb performance in a substantial drama of self-destruction, playing brilliantly off of Douglas' bumpy life experience."

Danny DeVito ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") has also been praised, while Fischer and Susan Sarandon (Thelma and Louise) have only been mentioned in passing.

"Even better are Douglas' scenes with pal DeVito, which drip with a type of actorly ease only these guys could conjure," the DVD Talk reviews said. "Frankly, I could watch an entire film of these two shootin' the breeze."

Starpulse.com gave the movie a B, Inside Pulse Movies gave it 3.5 out of four stars and the Arizona Reporter Web site gave it a B+ (DVD Talk declined to give it a quantifiable rating), a fairly consistent showing.

"Solitary Man isn't a Michael Douglas crowd-pleaser and will likely not be a box office success when it is theatrically released at the end of May," a review on Inside Pulse Movies said. "But fans of Douglas's career, and fans of the remarkable supporting cast will not be disappointed."

For the rest of us plebeians who were not able to make it to the festivals, it will be released in theaters May 21.