‘The Soloist’ plays on DVD

Journalists will go to great lengths for a new story, it’s true. But when real life Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez met a homeless Julliard-trained musician living on the streets of L.A., he found not just a subject, but a friend. Directed by Pride & Prejudice’s Joe Wright and new on DVD and Blu-ray this week, Robert Downey Jr. stars as Lopez opposite Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of the troubled cellist Nathaniel Ayers. As Lopez writes a series of articles about Ayers’ talent and down-and-out situation, he realizes they have a lot to learn from each other, and that even he has personal demons to exorcise. As a meditation on mental illness, homelessness and friendship, The Soloist may seem like a heavy offering like last year’s somber Seven Pounds. But with moving performances by Downey and Foxx, this true story is one parable worth watching. Rated R.