Solitary Man

Ben Kalmen, a New York car dealer in his sixties, once had a thriving business, influential friends and a life in the glossy magazines. His own conduct cost him much of it: his wife Nancy left him, his dealership chain went bankrupt, and he now faces the discomforts of growing older. He fills the gap with casual affairs with much younger women, which wears on his daughter and on those close to him. Hoping to rebuild his professional standing, he takes up with Jordan, the daughter of a wealthy and well-connected businessman. A weekend trip to his old university, where he accompanies Jordan's eighteen-year-old daughter Allyson to an interview, sets off a misstep that threatens the fresh start he has been arranging.

The film is the second feature directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, following Knockaround Guys, and the pair also wrote the screenplay. Michael Douglas plays Ben, with Susan Sarandon as Nancy, Danny DeVito as Jimmy Marino, Mary-Louise Parker as Jordan Karsch, Jenna Fischer as Susan Porter and Imogen Poots as Allyson Karsch, among a credited cast of 33. Steven Soderbergh and Paul Schiff produced.

Solitary Man was released in 2009 and runs 90 minutes. Made for about 15 million dollars, it took roughly 5 million worldwide, a modest return. Audiences are mixed: on IMDb it holds 6.3/10 from around 18,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.9/10 from 357 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 6.8/10 from 97 reviews, higher than either audience figure.