The Soloist Movie Guide Questions & Worksheet

This movie guide for The Soloist helps Grades 9 to 12 students think critically about dignity, homelessness, mental illness, friendship, and the limits of trying to help another person. As Steve Lopez builds a relationship with Nathaniel Ayers, students reflect on compassion, respect, agency, and the difference between solving someone’s life and truly listening to them.

This packet gives you flexible ways to teach a full-length film without losing instructional time: use the pre- and post-movie discussion prompts to build purpose before viewing, pause at key time stamps for guided writing and conversation, or assign the written guide after the film for review and deeper analysis.

Engaging questions include scene-based, time-stamped prompts, reflection questions, and a multiple-choice quiz for easy differentiation. It works well for whole-class viewing, homework, independent analysis, film study, or guided small-group discussion.

Check the thumbnail images for sample questions to see if this movie guide is suitable for your students.

Film Summary:

The Soloist follows columnist Steve Lopez as he meets Nathaniel Ayers, a brilliant homeless musician whose life, talent, fear, and mental illness resist any easy rescue story. The film keeps asking whether friendship means fixing someone, listening to them, or learning to respect a dignity that cannot be forced into neat solutions.

Parental Guidance:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some drug use and language. See details on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0821642/parentalguide/

Perfect For:

• Grades 9-12 film and ELA units
• Dignity and homelessness discussions
• Mental health and agency themes
• Friendship and compassion lessons
• Journalism and music crossover analysis

Skills Addressed:

• Character motivation
• Cause and effect
• Evidence-based judgment
• Theme
• Compare and contrast
• Vocabulary in context
• Whole-film synthesis

What's Included: (a zip file with)

Student Worksheet

• Google Slides/PPTX Print Version (Toner Tip! Print 2 Slides/Page)
• Google Slides/PPTX Digital Version
• Self-Graded Multiple Choice Quiz (30 Questions | Easy Language)
  • Digital Version (Google Forms)
  • Print Version (can be derived from the Answer Key not Self-Graded)

Teacher's Guide & Lesson Plan

• Pre & Post Movie Discussion Questions (themes, schema-building)
• Lesson Plan Options A, B, and C (3-day, 4-day, and 5-day pacing)
• Worksheet Answer Key + CCSS Alignment
• Multiple Choice Quiz Answer Key
• CCSS Alignment + Admin Movie Request + Parent/Guardian Permission Slip (2 Pages)
  

(Note: All files formatted for seamless upload to your Google Drive if desired.)

Time & Tech:

Runtime: 117 minutes. Use this resource before, during, or after viewing. Print the worksheet or assign the Google Slides/PPTX digital version, and use the Google Forms multiple-choice quiz when you want a self-grading differentiation option.

DISCLAIMER: This product is an independently created worksheet and question set for classroom commentary and instruction. It is not affiliated with the film's creators or distributors, and it does not include the movie itself. Teachers should preview films for local policy fit.