| Soul Men | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Malcolm D. Lee |
| Produced by | David T. Friendly Charles Castaldi Steve Greener |
| Written by | Robert Ramsey Matthew Stone |
| Narrated by | Randy Jackson |
| Starring | Samuel L. Jackson Bernie Mac Sharon Leal Sean Hayes Affion Crockett Adam Herschman Jennifer Coolidge Mike Epps with Isaac Hayes and John Legend |
| Music by | Stanley Clarke |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Editing by | William Henry Paul Millspaugh |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Dimension Films |
| Release date(s) | November 7, 2008 |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40 million |
| Box office | $12,082,391 [1] |
Soul Men is a 2008 American music-comedy-drama film directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Matthew Stone and Rob Ramsey. It stars Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac. It was released on November 7, 2008.
Both Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac died in unrelated circumstances in August 2008.[2] Director Lee said the film was heavily re-edited to soften the tone of the film, as a tribute to the two actors.
Contents |
Two former backup soul singers, Louis Hinds (Samuel L. Jackson) and Floyd Henderson (Bernie Mac), who have not spoken to each other in 30 years, reluctantly agree to travel across the country together to a reunion concert to honor their recently deceased lead singer, Marcus Hooks (John Legend). Cleo (Sharon Leal), a beautiful young woman in an abusive relationship, who is believed to be Floyd's daughter but is really Louis' daughter, accompanies them as a new singer. A few problems come their way, involving Cleo's wanna-be gangsta rapper boyfriend, Lester (Affion Crockett), Floyd's fling with Rosalee (Jennifer Coolidge) and a lot more leading up to their big performance at the Apollo Theater, and the duo reform a bond that they lost 30 years ago.
The film opens with a biography of a legendary R&B/Soul male group: Marcus Hooks & The Real Deal, in which later in 1977, after years of success since 1972, they disbanded; Marcus became a successful solo artist, while Louis Hinds and Floyd Henderson, Marcus's former bandmates, broke up later in the same year, with Louis in drugs and struggling and Floyd becoming successful again as an spiritual entrepreneur.
In 2008, however, it is found out that Marcus had passed away due to a fatal heart attack in Sweden, so Floyd and Louis are called to come back together again as "The Real Deal" for a tribute performance in honor of their lead singer. The two have not spoken to one another since their break-up, having been holding a grudge on each other, due to their own differences about having a successful life.
Soul Men received generally mixed reviews from film critics. Based on 73 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes reported that 45% of critics stated that Soul Men features lively performances from Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson, and some hilarious moments, but ultimately suffers from an unoriginal script.[3] On Metacritic, another review aggretator, reported that critics gave the film an average score of 49/100, based on 23 reviews.[4]
The film opened at #6 with $5,000,000 behind Zack and Miri Make a Porno, Changeling, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, Role Models, and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (which Bernie Mac was also in).[5] At the conclusion of its domestic theatrical run on February 5, 2009, the film's gross was $12,082,391 which makes the film a flop.
The film was released on DVD on February 10, 2009 and by the 5th week, about 483,360 units have been sold, bringing in $9,443,721 in revenue. This does not include blu-ray sales.[6]
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