While it's a shamelessly mediocre movie, it's not mediocre in the usual ways.
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11/07/08
Soul Men (2008)
45
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:95
Fresh:43
Rotten:52
Average Rating:5/10
Consensus: Soul Men features lively performances from Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson and some hilarious moments, but ultimately suffers from an unoriginal script.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Malcolm Lee, director of upbeat family fare such as WELCOME HOME ROSCOE JENKINS and ROLL BOUNCE, takes a slightly raunchier tack for his uproarious buddy comedy, SOUL MEN. The late Bernie Mac gives... [More]
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Sharon Leal, Sean Hayes
Director: Malcolm D. Lee
Reviews for Soul Men
Soul Men has a lot to overcome in its effort to be funny. The pall over it can be ignored only intermittently, at least for the time being.
11/07/08
The only good reason to see the otherwise dismal comedy Soul Men is to have a look at the late actor and comedian Bernie Mac in one of his final screen roles.
11/07/08
So why is this film worth seeing? Because it's an ideal showcase for Mac's peerless comic chops.
11/07/08
Director Lee bets everything on chemistry, and gets a decent pay-off from the casting of Jackson and Bernie Mac.
11/07/08
Soul Men casts the best possible leads in the worst possible movie.
11/07/08
We've heard this tune before.
11/07/08
Sort of a riff on The Sunshine Boys with hints of Dreamgirls, about all Malcolm D. Lee's relentlessly crass comedy has going for it are some amusing Motown-ish numbers and the chemistry between Mac and his real-life friend Samuel L. Jackson.
11/07/08
It grieves me to report that Bernie Mac's posthumous movie release, Soul Men, hardly does the great comedian justice.
11/07/08
Ultimately, Soul Men achieves modest goals comedically and soars high musically, and it deserves credit for that.
11/07/08
That Soul Men proves an entertaining-enough diversion has less to do with the pedestrian screenplay and direction than the high-wattage, crowd-pleasing showmanship of Mac and co-star Samuel L. Jackson.
11/07/08
Mac and Jackson clearly have such a blast singing and dancing you can't help but feel their groove. The rest of the movie should have jived as well.
11/07/08
Bernie Mac's death doesn't make Soul Men any better, but it may make it worth seeing.
11/07/08
There's a raunchy energy to Soul Men that cannot be denied. Even if the film is derivative, predictable, visibly low-budget and crude, it's also darn funny a good deal of the time.
11/07/08
There's nothing here you haven't seen before, but the genuine and infectious chemistry between Mr. Jackson and Mr. Mac and the irresistible energy of their performances is more than enough to give the movie real heft and momentum.
11/07/08
Mac was a magnetic performer with a long history of redeeming mediocre movies; unfortunately this is another one.
11/07/08
Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac appear to be having a good time, and for most of this raunchy, poorly orchestrated buddy comedy, that's enough.
11/07/08
When it succeeds, it's because of Mac and Jackson, two performers who give their all even when the material is measly.
11/07/08
Instead of establishing a consistent comic rhythm, Mac and Jackson spend most of the film's 103-minute runtime yelling at each other.
11/07/08
It's the script and not Floyd that needs a shot of Viagra.
11/07/08
Latest News for Soul Men
February 13, 2009:
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. 
More...
February 13, 2009:
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.
More...
February 09, 2009:
RT on DVD: Oliver's W, Spike's St. Anna, and My Name is Bruce!
What better way to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama by watching Oliver Stone's W. this week on DVD? While a handful of middling studio releases hit home... More...
November 09, 2008:
Sam Jackson and Bernie Mac co-star in rollicking road comedy.
More...
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