SOLITARY MAN: Douglas makes the unpleasant irresistable

"Until I can find me a girl who'll stay and won't play games behind me, I'll be what I am, a solitary man" intones Johnny Cash over the opening titles as the camera tracks Michael Douglas from a distance, walking alone along the streets of Manhattan.
While it's clear that Douglas' character is the solitary man of the title it also becomes painfully obvious that he's the one playing games. Ben Kalman is a self-centred, immature womaniser who's had it all and thrown it all away, yet refuses to learn from any of his mistakes.

Kalman used to be the most famous car dealer in New York City until some nefarious business dealings destroyed his company and his reputation. Now he spends his days trading off his past glories, half-heartedly planning his big comeback, and chasing skirt. Mostly he chases skirt. He's pushing sixty but still has the sex drive and attitude to women of a horny 18 year old. Nothing is more important to him than the next conquest, not even his current girlfriend (Mary Louise Parker), his indulgent ex-wife (Susan Sarandon) or his exasperated daughter (Jenna Fischer). 
Kalman is not a likable character yet despite the self-inflicted nature of his predicament and his shameful lack of moral fibre I found myself feeling a curious mixture of sympathy and pity for him. He's trapped in a period of his life he should have moved on from decades ago but he can't let go because it was the time when everything worked for him. 
His attempts to relive his college days during a visit to his alma mater, by coaching an awkward young student (Jesse Eisenberg) on the finer points of picking up women are embarrassingly pathetic. It makes the efforts of Rob Lowe's character to cling to his student lifestyle in "St Elmo's Fire" look positively admirable.
That Kalman remains a strangely attractive figure in-spite of his myriad flaws and failings is down to Michael Douglas. His own life story, or at least the tabloids interpretation of Douglas's personal life, imbues Kalman with a reality that would be missing were he played by an actor without the baggage real or fabricated that Douglas carries with him. It's tempting to ponder whether Douglas drew on his own experiences in creating Kalman.
On the minus side I also had the sense that this was originally a longer story that had been shortened in the interests of pacing. There are several scenes that come to an abrupt and unnatural end when it is obvious that there is something more to unfold. It's possible that these are intentional edits by co-directors David Levien and Brian Koppelman, designed to leave the resolution to our imagination, but the effect is to disrupt the rhythm of the story and draw attention to the fact that this is a film we are watching rather than a slice of life.
It's these awkward directorial touches which drag down SOLITARY MAN and make it something less than a truly memorable viewing experience. That it does remain memorable is entirely due to Douglas. His performance is the reason to watch this film, and if I had any say in the matter his name would be on the list when the nominees for Best Actor are read out at the Oscars next February.