>Everyone knows that every year there are deaths of famous actors, comedians, and/or musicians that will leave fans in mourning. It’s rare that someone can make an impact in all three of those fields at the same time, but somehow Bernie Mac has done just that in Soul Men, his final film. Not only did Bernie Mac die after finishing this film, but just days later so did music legend Issac Hayes, who makes a cameo appearance. There are a couple of questions that will be attempted to be answered here. The obvious question is whether this film is good or not, but also where will Soul Men ultimately rank on Bernie’s Mac filmography?
Soul Men stars Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson as two estranged members of a once-popular 1970s soul group called The Real Deal, whose careers died when the group’s lead singer, Marcus Hooks (John Legend) left to pursue fame and fortune as a solo artist. Thirty years later, when Hooks suddenly dies, Floyd Henderson (Mac) and Louis Hinds (Jackson) decide to make a cross-country drive to sing at a memorial concert at Harlem’s Apollo Theater for their deceased friend. The only problem is that they have been out of the business for many years. Floyd has recently retired to community living and is finding he has too much time on his hands, while Louis is living out life as a mechanic and does not seem to have much else going for him. To make matters worse, they haven’t even talked in decades after one stole the other’s girlfriend. Along the trip from L.A. to New York, the pair polishes their act by performing at roadside hotels and unlikely honkytonks, eventually meeting up with a young woman (Sharon Leal) who could be one of the men’s now-grown daughter.
Make no mistake about it this film is not really original. The basic plot of this film has elements of The Blues Brothers film, The Odd Couple TV series, and various other road trip films. It also appears to be somewhat like the true life story of the legendary 1960s soul duo Sam & Dave, which are most famous for the song called “Soul Men”. So while this film may not exactly be a true story, it certainly is inspired by many stories from the height of the Soul Era in the ’60s and ’70s. Of course, most of the humor that the writers and director Malcolm D. Lee fill this film with is the more absurd side of toilet humor. It’s completely fine for them to let Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson run loose and trade many explicit verbals jabs. But the film really goes downhill when the unfunny and overused gags poking fun at old men and unfunny secondary characters begin to get too much screen time.
Soul Men is at its best when Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson are on the screen together. This is first time these two have worked starred alongside each other and the comedic timing and chemistry they have together is unbelievable. You couldn’t have cast two better leads for this film than these two. Their contrast and conflict in the beginning is definitely an interesting dynamic. The film might be too vulgar for some, but just watching Mac and Jackson interact with each other is entertaining enough. Most of the supporting cast is not needed, but Sharon Leal does a respectable job of trying to share the screen with Mac and Jackson.
Soul Men doesn’t match the classic Bob Hope-Bing Crosby road pictures; but at least Bernie Mac was able to run wild and showcase all of his skills in his final film. Too bad that the story of this film is unoriginal, predictable, and often times features unfunny gags that have been done to death. Still at the very least Jackson and Mac make Soul Men watchable. It is also a respectable way for people to remember Bernie Mac.
The video is given in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen color, which is enhanced for 16:9 TV. This is a good looking film. The colors are vivid, and everything is presented sharply. There are no major problems at all here, and overall the video quality is above-average for a new release film like this one.
The audio included is available in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. There are subtitles available in English and Spanish as well. The dialogue and music come out loud and clear. No problems here either, and as about as good as you can expect from a film like this.
Audio Commentary –
There is a full-length audio commentary with Malcolm D. Lee (director) and Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone (writers). Not as entertaining as a Samuel L. Jackson commentary would be, but there is plenty of information about the film in here.
“The Soul Men: Bernie Mac & Samuel L. Jackson” Featurette –
This runs 9 and half minutes and it’s a series of clips and interviews with various cast and crew members. They talk about the previous friendship of Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson and the development of the project. Very insightful.
“The Cast of Soul Men” Featurette –
This runs 8 minutes and it spotlights the supporting cast. This is great if you what to know more about the supporting cast, but since the majority of the supporting cast doesn’t add a whole lot, this could be skipped over.
“Director Malcolm Lee” Featurette –
This runs 3 minutes and it’s all about the director, of course. Nothing special.
“A Tribute to Bernie Mac” Featurette –
This runs 7 minutes and this has everyone talking about the career of Bernie Mac, what they remember, etc.
“A Tribute to Isaac Hayes” Featurette –
This runs 4 minutes and this is the “memorial” featurette for Isaac Hayes.
“Boogie Ain’t Nuttin’: Behind The Scenes” Featurette –
This runs 2 and half minutes and it gives us a brief look at Jackson and Mac in the recording studio, singing songs for the film. Too short to really be worth anything, but fun nonetheless.
“Bernie Mac at the Apollo” Featurette –
This runs 4 minutes and it has various impromptu stand-up moments from Bernie Mac between takes, while they were shooting at a reconstructed Apollo Theater in Shreveport, Louisiana. Funny stuff for sure, and definitely worth checking out. Should have been longer, though.
Not a groundbreaking comedy or anything, but as Bernie Mac’s last film it has some memorable moments. Maybe not a purchase, but Soul Men is definitely worth a rental, because watching Jackson and Mac together on screen is pure entertainment.
Weinstein Company presents Soul Men. Directed by Malcolm D. Lee. Written by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Sharon Leal, Jennifer Coolidge, Sean Hayes, Ken Davitian, and Affion Crockett. Running time: 100 minutes. Rated R. Released on DVD: February 10, 2009.
Available at Amazon.com
