Steineded How sad is this?

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Benedito Dias Rodrigues Probable this movie today will be bombed by the media,politically incorrect would be the correct term,but l don't agree those people who finds racism in every corner or in everywhere,all this make part of life itself,this colorful movie deserves be treated as a simply comedy,indeed a fine one,there's a little mistake which scratch the picture,too contrived the white man accept the unmarried black woman with a son,could be happen of course,but in a movie is hard to believe...apart from that matter another fault is wrong choice of Rae Dawn Chong...she isn't so pretty for such role,maybe Vanessa Williams so sure certainly...in time James Earl Jones is the highlight of the picture in another fantastic role!! Resume: First watch: 1991 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 6.5

JLRMovieReviews C. Thomas Howell comes from a rich family and has been accepted to Harvard, but, when his father expects him to pay for his own college education and won't finance it, Tom goes to drastic measures for a scholarship. It seems that Harvard has, in this movie anyway, a scholarship for the most qualified African-American that comes from a certain demographic. So, of course, he goes black face and gets some soul, brother. I said soul. What actually sounds like a pretty lame, almost offensive, and just plain stupid film turns out in fact to be one of the most thought-provoking 1980s comedies made. Granted, it might be biting off more than it can chew, but this film is genuinely funny and has characters that are three-dimensional due in part to good acting by Tom; Rae Dawn Chong, who plays a student he starts to care for; and teacher James Earl Jones. My two favorite moments in the film are when he tells his parents, "Mom, Dad, I'm black!" and when he tells teacher James Earl Jones, "No sir, I didn't quite learn how it feels to be black, because I could at any time go back to being white." That moment really made the film for me, as it defines the difference between putting yourself in someone's place and actually being them. I see this film, from all the ratings, has a low mean, but I think it deserves better, as it's a very entertaining and funny film, while having moments that speak to the viewer in its indirect and subtle way without being preachy. I would definitely watch this again and would recommend it for those who like comedies with a little soul and substance to it.

tenthousandtattoos You know those winter meals you make for cold nights, they're in no way good for you but they just give you that comforted feeling? That's the way we "children of the 80's" look back on those truly awful but oh-so-memorably cheesy flicks we grew up on. Who could forget Carl Weathers' failed attempt to become a leading male action movie star with the dreadful Action Jackson? Or the talking computer and the romantic nerd who made an incredibly annoying song very popular for about a year? Or good ol' Kev Bacon strutting around a barn to a cheesy 80's pop tune... And let's not forget the horror and bad post-star wars science fiction...but that's another review. Onto the delicious slice of cheesecake at hand that is Soul Man.Very white-white guy Mark Watson (C Thomas Howell) has just got into Harvard Law with his best bud (Arye Gross), but there's a spanner in the works. His newly enlightened Dad (the very funny James B Sikking) has decided to let Mark grow up a little by paying his own way. Unable to come up with the 50k Mark scams a scholarship meant for an African American student by taking an overdose of tanning pills and Michael Jackson-ing his hair. He gets in, and his "education" begins as he learns what it's like to be black on a mostly-white campus, and falls in love with a black girl (Rae Dawn Chong) to boot.It's typical 80's rom-com formula all the way, boy-meets-girl, boy loses girl while learning life lessons, boy-gets-girl in the end kind of thing. There's even a woefully cheesy romantic montage scene to the tunes of "Suddenly it's Magic"...pure gold! This one stands out from the pack because a) it has some genuinely gut-busting moments, and b) it has great performances from all the leads. C Thomas Howell is achingly hilarious in some scenes as the white-guy-trying-to-act-like a black guy. His facial expressions during the basketball game scene are gold. Rae Dawn Chong is always good, she's a great "straight-guy" to Howell's over-the-top Mark Watson. Arye Gross is great, it's easy to see why he went on to other (better) things, he's got some great comic timing and provides some of the movie's best moments. And James Earl Jones, although a little bit "i did this for the money", is imposing and dead-pan funny at the same time.It's not without it's flaws. The "Kareem" thing was a tad distasteful and required just a little too much suspension of disbelief. The black panther get-up at the BSLA meeting was just ridiculous, for one scene Watson seemingly becomes a total moron, then reverts back to being a normal guy. And the over the top punch out scene at the end where the two racist jokers go flying over cafeteria tables, that was just silly. But to compensate, there's some incredibly funny moments and just a good all round "feel" to this movie that will ensure it gets another play in my house soon.So, to sum up, Soul Man elicits more laughs than groans, so it's a winner in my books.

tjc60 What can I say? Some trashy movies can become addictive. This is one of those movies. With each viewing, you discover something new. It's definately a thought-provoking film, at times preachy, at times heart-warming romance, at times slapstick, and at times blatantly racist. And yes, at times painfully stupid. C. Thomas Howell may well have done the poorest job in film history of impersonating a black man, and black people nationwide were justifiably offended. The epiphany Howell undergoes toward the end of the film only partially redeems his character. The wonderful performance by James Earl Jones as the dour Professor Banks, and of course Arye Gross as Howell's hilarious sidekick Gordon go a long way toward's salvaging what could have been a preachy, sentimental mess. Well, almost. From me it get's a 4/10. But like I say, it's addictive. Somewhat like popcorn. Final verdict: Not a bad rental, and if you can find the DVD at Walmart for under $10 go ahead and buy it.