Friday
07Nov2008
Movie Review - 'Soul Men'
Friday, November 7, 2008 at 12:03AM | Soul Men
Starring Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson  |
The f-bomb is one of the most powerful and versatile
words in the English language. It can connote sex, anger, frustration, surprise,
excitement, and devastation and it can do so as a noun, verb, and adjective. The
f-bomb is fully exercised in the new comedy
Soul Men,
put through its paces by
Samuel L. Jackson, one of the samurai masters
of its usage, and
Bernie Mac, who punctuates the majority of his
sentences with it. I have no particular issue with the word, though I confess that it can sometimes be a distraction in movies. Jackson’s Formula 51 overused it, and there were moments in the recent Pride and Glory where it felt a little taxed. I don’t believe either one of those movies uses the f-bomb as often as Soul Men, but the key is that they didn’t use it as well.
At times, Soul Men is as funny as it is bawdy. That doesn’t mean it’s a great movie, because it's not, almost exclusively because of the things we don't need, the things not named Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson. They play The Real Deal, former backup singers and musicians for Marcus Hooks (John Legend) when the Stax and Motown sounds were ruling the charts. Hooks went solo in the mid-70s, and The Real Deal put out one album before calling it quits. Floyd (Mac) opened a successful chain of car washes and Louis (Jackson) opened a less-than-successful life of addiction and theft.
Out of the blue, their old frontman shrugs off his mortal coil, and The Real Deal is asked to reunite for one show only, at a televised tribute taking place at the legendary Apollo. The movie would be no fun if both Floyd and Louis thought this was the best idea they’ve ever heard, so naturally, Louis is opposed to it and it takes a great deal of arm-twisting to get The Real Deal on the road again.
Clearly, neither Jackson nor Mac would’ve been music stars. And think of what we would have missed if they had gone that route. Jackson is one-of-a-kind. We said in our review of Lakeview Terrace that nobody has the ability to raise the level of a really bad movie quite the way he does. And he’s just as good in great films. He’s authoritative, believable, and smart. It’s easy to joke about how many movies he’s made (60 on-screen appearances in films since Pulp Fiction in 1994), but he’s almost always good, even when the material is not.
Bernie Mac had been a very reliable comedic supporting actor in films for the past few years when he died suddenly this summer. His career stretched back much further, with roots in stand-up that extend some three decades. That he found so much success after he was 40 is a testament to how hard he kept working and kept working and kept honing the character that shone through in The Bernie Mac Show, Bad Santa, the Ocean’s trilogy, and even movies like Guess Who? and Mr. 3000.
Fittingly, Soul Men is his best and funniest film performance. To walk away with a movie that co-stars Samuel L. Jackson is next to impossible, but this show is all Bernie Mac.
And I think he out-f-bombs Jackson, too, which is also next to impossible.
Colin Boyd | Permalink | in Comedies, Reviews, Samuel L. Jackson, Soul Men | Print Article | Email Article | 2 Comments | Share Article
Reader Comments (2)
Soulmen looks to be the diamond in the rough for the suddenly deceased Bernie Mac. So far the reviews are enlightening. Either way, you must see this film to decide for yourself whether or not Bernie went out with a bang.
I HYPED Soulmen on EverHYPE and scored it 92%, which I think is very accurate.
SoulMen Hype
If you get on there rate me a 5 on it and request friendship.
I had a chance to see an advance screening of Soul Men and I must say it's a highly enjoyable comedy that's a true testament to the comedic skills of both Samuel L. Jackson and the late great Bernie Mac.
The film for me was about the friendship between the characters portrayed by Mac & Jackson.
Watching the end credits of the film which is a heart warming tribute to Mac we given in a chance to look into a man who was more than a comic but an entertainer who loved his craft. Soul Men is a film filled with plenty of soul and is easily one of Mac's best films.
Came across a site which has wallpapers and other interesting trivia of this movie..
Check Out
http://movies.iexplorehere.com/review/788/Soul-Men.html
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