Soul Men (2008)
Average Rating: 5/10
Reviews Counted: 99
Fresh: 44 | Rotten: 55
Soul Men features lively performances from Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson and some hilarious moments, but ultimately suffers from an unoriginal script.
Average Rating: 5.4/10
Critic Reviews: 32
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 15
Soul Men features lively performances from Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson and some hilarious moments, but ultimately suffers from an unoriginal script.
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Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 53,671
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Movie Info
In 1965, Marcus Hooks (John Legend), Floyd Henderson (Bernie Mac), and Louis Hinds (Samuel L. Jackson) were just three kids singing doo-wop harmonies around a fire barrel when legendary record producer Willie Mitchell caught an earful of their infectious harmonizing. Two short years later, Marcus Hooks and the Real Deal had signed to Hi Records, and they quickly became one of the most popular soul acts in America. But success can't last forever, and it wasn't long before Hooks decided to strike
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Cast
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Samuel L. Jackson
Louis Hinds -
Bernie Mac
Floyd -
Sharon Leal
Cleo Whitfield -
Adam Herschman
Phillip Newman -
Sean Hayes
Danny Epstein -
Affion Crockett
Lester -
John Legend
Marcus Hooks -
Isaac Hayes
Himself -
Jennifer Coolidge
Rosalee -
-
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Soul Men Trailer & Photos
All Critics (102) | Top Critics (32) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (55) | DVD (11)
Soul Men could have been so much more.
Top CriticConsidering the canvas the story provides, and the richness of the tradition it taps into, the amount and quality of the music is pretty disappointing.
This one's only fair, but it has its low-down wiles and its moments.
It is not a perfect film but it is a nice, solid reminder of how great Bernie Mac was.
It really is bittersweet to watch Mac in one of his final performances. He makes the most of pretty average material here.
The movie crams in myriad needless subplots -- ostensibly to provide padding, which only draws attention to how thin the original story really is.
In the end, its lack of originality and extremely low sense of humor keep Soul Men down a lot further than it deserves. There's potential there, but it's never realized.
A tender, tangy and wild tale in a kooky convergence of music, memory and male bonding blues. And a movie truly about lasting impressions, where you're very likely to laugh till you cry, when not the other way around.
Great DVD full of soul and memorable performances.
A definite plus is the sense of nostalgia generated by the movie's postscript affectionately acknowledging the passing of both Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes.
Soul Men may get by on novelty, but what novelty!
Be prepared to laugh out loud and move to the music as Soul Men has plenty of both to offer.
Are there two other actors who are able to utter the word 'motherf**ker' with such forceful comic authority? I think not.
The filmmakers chose to go too often to the well, I mean the toilet, for inspiration.
'Soul Men' is a mediocre film at best, buoyed by the abrasive chemistry of Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson.
Awkwardly sentimental but nevertheless sharply spry in song and sass, Lee's acid-tongued Soul Men certainly have something to sing about.
Soul Men spins an erratic tune.
Mostly, the film works, due largely to the bickering, grumpy-old-men dynamic between the two leads.
Bernie Mac can say MF too.
Sam Jackson and Bernie Mac look positively pained when they squeeze into Pip-like suits and begin to sing.
Nothing great comedy or drama happens in Soul Men. The pleasure comes in seeing Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac do their stuff.
Audience Reviews for Soul Men
Super Reviewer
So much of this film seems pasted together and you feel that, in spite of this being Bernie's last film, this was pretty much paint by the numbers, and just about everyone's hearts weren't in it.
Sloppy is a good way to describe the direction - flashbacks of "previous" scenes, that were actually on the cutting room floor parred with a "just keep the camera rolling and something magical will happen" feel, keep this film tethered to the ground, where it could have soared.
There are some nifty period soul tunes by Stanley Clark, and a nice premise, but oddly for "soul men" no soul.
I truly question how a film about a soul singing act, and with such talented musicians involved (the aforementioned Clark as well as Issak Hayes), can be lazy enough to suggest that in 3 different towns a back up band shows up from out of nowhere, instantly knowing all the dudes' material and performing flawlessly. Uh, don't think so Sparky. Using the rehearsing of various backup bands could have been mined for humor as well as giving the film a more authentic feel.
This film reminded me of The Blues Brothers, in the road trip aspect, and many a Lemon/Matheau comedy (Grumpy Old Men, Out To Sea, etc), only not done as well. What a waste of two very talented actors.
Super Reviewer
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