On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 122/196 |
Max Braden |
The green screen road trip shots are embarrassing, but this is a nice tribute to Bernie Mac. |
Some comedy projects do not read funny on paper. Studio execs are left hoping that the deft hand of a producer combined with the firm guidance of a quality director will be enough to overcome the long odds in making something unfunny become funny. Then, there are projects like Soul Men that scream hilarity from the get-go.
Soul Men is the story of two feuding members of a legendary R&B band (think The Spinners, The Four Tops or The Platters) who are forced to put their differences aside long enough to attend the funeral of the band’s lead singer. Okay, that part doesn’t sound funny, but I’m getting to the good part right now. Soul Men’s lead actors are being portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac. That’s right. Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac are going to sing and dance and fight on camera. I wish this movie were released right now so that I could go see it.
The storyline here isn’t any more complex than what is listed above. Jackson and Mac’s characters despise one another and refuse to speak for 20 years. When the leader of their band passes away, the two men awkwardly realize that a road trip is required. The legendary Apollo Theater wants them to play a tribute concert for their fallen comrade. In order to get there, a Planes, Trains and Automobiles scenario unfolds wherein the men engaged in a blood feud are forced together in claustrophobic circumstances. This may prove to be the best on-screen bickering since Moonlighting.
If you are still on the fence about this project, well, I am very disappointed in you. I will give you a bit more information, though. Will and Grace’s Sean Hayes, Stifler’s mom Jennifer Coolidge and Chef himself Isaac Hayes co-star in the film. Even better, it is directed by BOP fave Malcolm Lee, the genius behind Undercover Brother and Roll Bounce. And if a comedy from the director of Undercover Brother starring Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac isn't ample reason to get you to a theater, you and I are quite different. (David Mumpower/BOP)
Vital statistics for Soul Men |
| Main Cast |
Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Sean Hayes |
| Supporting Cast |
Sharon Leal, Jennifer Coolidge, Isaac Hayes, Affion Crockett, John Legend, Adam Herschman, Fatso Fasano, Jackie Long |
| Director |
Malcolm Lee |
| Screenwriter |
Robert Ramsey, Matthew Stone |
| Distributor |
Dimension Films |
| Screen Count |
2,044 |
|
Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture |
|
|
|
|
|
