| | | | Soul Man
(1986) |
hilarious comedy, which sees Harvard bound C. Thomas Howell, resort to drastic measures in order to get a scholarship; when his wealthy parents decide he should pay his own way through University.
However, the only specialist funding available specifically requires an African American candidate...
Desperate to get that financial aid, Howell decides to OD on tanning pills and appears to be black.
Cue non-stop cultural jokes and some moments of real poignancy, which highlights a blasé attitude towards racial prejudice. Arye Gross is also excellent as Howell’s good friend Gordon Bloomfeld, and the only one who knows his secret, some great ensemble acting from an oddball cast helps maintain the movie's momentum, and ensures that Soul Man becomes a definitive 80's classic.
Hot DVD News: Soul Man was released on DVD on the 12th March 2002. Don't miss it! Use our search device.
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One of the funniest scenes occurs when Mark Watson (Howell) is having dinner with his white girlfriend’s family, and each member imagines his / her stereotypical image of him: The mother perceives him to be an African savage, the younger brother a Prince-esque singer, and perhaps the most humorous of all is Leslie Neilson as the father, who imagines him to be a Superfly style pimp. Overall this is about as well rounded as they come, with Howell clearly proving himself to be a more than capable comic / serious actor, in fact, judging from the calibre of his work in this, The Outsiders and The Hitcher, it seems strange that he never really made it beyond the 80s
Soul Man is as much a satire on perception and race as it is a laugh out loud sitcom, the "casual" prejudice Howell comes across whilst he's black, reminded me of a friend of mine, who used to protest that every time he walked by old ladies in the street they'd clutch their purses closer to themselves and move away (a scene which is similarly played out in the movie as well) The romantic subplot between Howell and Rae Dawn Chong could’ve easily run up a bill of clichés, were it not for James Earl Jones' no-nonsense law lecturer, who keeps this movie on course by punctuating every scene he's in with some serious cynicism, and a bevy of sharp one-liners like "…if you insist on making jokes in my class, please see to it that they are funny" and if that’s not your kind of humour, then you'll definitely find something of interest in the classic sign-language scene, overall, a well thought out movie with great supporting performances by Chong, Neilson and even Maree Cheatham / James Sikking as Howell's parents, Soul Man is a movie that's so 80s you'll feel as if you never left the decade: An underrated classic.
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Director Steve Miner had previously had a hit with "House" and it's good to see that he has made somewhat of a comeback in recent years, responsible for the Mel Gibson drama "Forever Young", the box office smash "H20" and tongue in cheek B-movie "Lake Placid" with Bill Pullman and Bridget Fonda. 
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Apparently, C. Thomas Howell and co-star Rae Dawn Chong got married after this movie... which was nice.
Ron Regan has a part in this film and to his credit, the former president's son acquits himself well, proving that he was a pretty good actor.
In the basketball game scene one of the players on Mark's team is Daryl Dalton, one of C. Thomas Howell's good friends from "The Outsiders". He played "Randy" the Soc. -Thanks to Emily
Julia Louise Dreyfuss is the annoying friend, she also starred as Elaine Benes in Seinfeld.
Rae Dawn Chong is Tommy Chong's daughter, he of "Cheech and Chong" fame!
Ayre Gross and C. Thomas Howell had bit comedy parts in the 1998 movie "The Prince and the Surfer" starring Robert Englund. -Thanks to Kristin Troxel
Arye Gross who plays C. Thomas Howell's best bud went on to star in the CBS TV show "Touched By An Angel" and starred in the successful indie film "Big Eden". -Thanks to HawnGuy
Soul Man's aptly named writer, Carol Black, went on to become executive producer on television's "The Wonder Years" and even directed an episode once.
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Find much more great trivia in the filmmaker's commentary on the Soul Man DVD.
Rediscover your favorites! If you like
Soul Man or 80's Comedy classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Tootsie ..... Raising Arizona ..... Good Morning, Vietnam ..... Blues Brothers ..... Heathers ..... Fast Times At Ridgemont High ..... This Is Spinal Tap ..... Naked Gun ..... Adventures In Babysitting ..... Airplane ..... License To Drive ..... Money Pit ..... Porky's ..... Risky Business ..... Twins .....[More]
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|  |  |  | | Soul Man
Locations |
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 Featured Movie Location: "Harvard"
Wanna see the real life filming location used for "Harvard" in the movie? These scenes were actually shot at Wheaton College, located in Norton, Massachusetts. [New! Show Google Map]
Soul Man was filmed at locations in Norton, Massachusetts.
Can you help? Do you know any of the Massachusetts (or any other) filming locations used for Soul Man? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[16:9 -Widescreen Enhanced]](16_9.gif) | ![[STEREO or SURROUND]](dd2.gif) | Trailer, Commentary, Featurette |
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Sam Moore does the title song with Lou Reed; other music by Martha Davis & Sly Stone; Brenda Russell; Rae Dawn Chong; Nu Shooz; Rick and others.
Ed note: The soundtrack was released on CD. It was re-released a few years back in Europe on the KARUSSEL label. All versions are now out of print and reasonably rare now. Use our search feature to find a copy.
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Soundtrack Available:
Used On CD
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