kimpetersen1971 Loads of fun, entertaining from start to finish (don't over-think the plot, characters and so on, just enjoy it, PC or not). Thomas C. Howell plays it excellent, as does Arey Gross. And James Earl Jones is, as always, in a league of his own! Even Julia Dreyfuss makes a memorable performance and Rae Dawn Chong also holds her own as well. Soul man has that special some-some that makes a movie great; A small ensemble of characters, who were eloquently cast, a straight forward story and a the right mix of comic relief. So go ahead and enjoy, you won't regret it. Keeps getting better and better every time round. Mark Watson - come on down!" :)

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.

GPeoples This movie was disgusting. C Thomas Howell was sorry. Oh, and could they find a more non black woman than Rae Dong Chong. I think if the casted an actress who excepts who she is would have given this piece of crap of movie a little more weight. The whole concept of a white boy taking pills to turn his skin brown to become black is absolutely absurd. I don't know one white kid in America who would do such a thing no matter how desperate they became. The racial jokes, police following him and the dating my white daughter thing is only the tip of the iceberg as far as racism goes. These examples were very light. There should be a law against making trash like this. Oh, by the way, what the heck was James Earl Jones doing in this toilet floater?