Soul Men.

"As we get used to saying 'President Barack Obama,' let's think about what that means, culturally," writes Jonathan Kiefer:

For instance, what does it mean for the African-American movie director Malcolm D Lee and actors Samuel L Jackson and the late Bernie Mac? Soul Men, their most recent creative adventure together, is a musically righteous but otherwise crass, nostalgic and mediocre feuding-buddies-on-the-road movie, best summed up by the simpering white-boy acolyte who phones the eponymous heroes' manager from said road to report, 'They say motherfucker a lot, but they're really nice guys.'

Updated through 11/7.

It's a sly, funny line - and, of course, the truth - but not quite the enlightened, 'post-racial' comedic vernacular we've been promising ourselves. Come to think of it, damn if that line doesn't sorta sound like the soft bigotry of low expectations.

"It's unjust that Sam Jackson has had a more prosperous film career playing the same superficial, surly character ad infinitum while Mac's varied, deep-rooted, good humored portrayals in The Players Club, Life, Pride, Mr 3000 and TV's The Bernie Mac Show left his career marginalized," writes Armond White in the New York Press. "This meant that Jackson's ludicrous, obstreperous stereotype became a Hollywood institution, appealing to racists of all shades. It feels good to see Mac cuss that goblin back to hell."

"The end-credit sequence where Mac recites a moldy bit of doggerel about Charlie Chan's dick before an audience of extras has more joie de vivre and organic humor than the rest of the whole desperate enterprise," writes Bill Weber in Slant. "Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes (briefly playing himself), to whom the movie is dedicated, have had their genuine soul posthumously obscured by this slapstick misfire."

"The film dulls out in the home stretch as screenwriters Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone employ increasingly silly side turns to delay Floyd and Louis's arrival in New York," writes Chuck Wilson in the Voice. "It could be said, too, that the visual style of director Malcolm Lee (Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins) rarely matches the energy of his performers, but no matter: Mac and Jackson carry the show—particularly Mac, who's at his crackly, cranky best here. As swan songs go, Soul Men is pretty sweet."

"The plot outline for Soul Men could fit comfortably on a single note card, with room left over for a grocery list and a few phone numbers," writes Alonso Duralde for MSNBC. "A road-trip rip-off of The Sunshine Boys infused with soul music and vulgar, misogynist humor, this dreadful film marks a sad end to the distinguished careers of Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes."

The film "has upset Grammy-winning singer Sam Moore, who claims it is a thinly-veiled portrayal of his career in the soul duo Sam & Dave." Guy Adams reports in the Independent.

Michael Ordoña talks with Affion Crockett for the Los Angeles Times.

Updates, 11/7: "Soul Men casts the best possible leads in the worst possible movie," growls Nathan Rabin at the AV Club.

"Soul Men is driven by the volatility of Louis and Floyd and by its savvy, affectionate exploration of the history of R&B," writes AO Scott in the New York Times. "The movie's nostalgia for the old days of soul is playful and relaxed, but - in contrast to, say, the pious and misguided Dreamgirls - its grasp of the relevant musical idioms is meticulous."

"The enjoyment you derive from Soul Men... may be directly related to your love for 60s/early-70s soul music, most particularly the Stax/Volt sound out of Memphis," writes Andy Klein in the LA CityBeat. "Which is my way of saying: This may not be a great movie, but I still couldn't help falling in love with it."

Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times: "You want a good time? Soul Men will provide it. You want to say goodbye to Bernie Mac? He wants to say goodbye to you."

For Jeffrey M Anderson, writing at Cinematical, "Mac is at the top of his comedic game."

"While we're mourning the dearly departed, we should also be concerned about the future," writes Melissa Anderson in Time Out New York. "What does it say about how bleak things are for black actresses that Mac has more post-Soul Men projects than [Sharon] Leal?"

"Soul Men isn't a fitting goodbye for Mac," writes Salon's Stephanie Zacharek. "It's a shame Mac didn't have a more solid career in movies, but at least he found his share of success on TV. And in Soul Men, often dressed in dapper, fluid trousers and crisp fedoras, he looks so handsome, and so vital, that it's hard to believe he's gone."

At the SpoutBlog, Christopher Campbell lists "10 Great Performances Released After a Star's Death."

Posted by dwhudson at November 6, 2008 9:21 AM