Another Oscar Possibility? The Soloist

Can we add another movie to the possible list of incredibly too early Oscar prognostication? Good! We submit for your viewing pleasure the new trailer for The Soloist, which has just been released over at Yahoo! Movies. After watching it twice in rapid succession we just want to know: can we give this the all the statues right now?

Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement and Pride and Prejudice) and adapted by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich), the film is based on the real life story of Nathaniel Ayers, a world class cellist who after his first year at Julliard developed schizophrenia and ended up living on the streets in Los Angeles, until he's found by columnist Steve Lopez, who starts writing about him. Jamie Foxx, using a bizarrely mannered voice, plays Mr. Ayers, while Man of the Hour Robert Downey, Jr. takes on the role of Mr. Lopez (and Catherine Keener is along for the ride too! Swoon!)

The trailer relies heavily on beats from other films buried in our memory (Shine, Ray, Zodiac and even K-PAX), but it all works. However it's Mr. Downey who appears to be in top form, which at this point is like saying the sky is blue. If 2008 will be remembered as "The year of RDJ," then this role might be his crowning jewel. We can't imagine him getting an Oscar for playing in black face, but we can surely see him walking down the aisle for this film.

Plus, um, the trailer made us tear up.