Comedy

Soul Man

- He didn't give up, he got down.

A white prospective grad student's affluent family won't pay his way through law school, so he takes tanning pills to darken his skin in order to qualify for an African-American scholarship at Harvard. He soon gets more than he bargained for, as he begins to learn what life is really like for blacks in America.

Release Date : 1986-10-24

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : The Steve Tisch Company

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Mark Watson

Original Name : C. Thomas Howell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sarah Walker

Original Name : Rae Dawn Chong

Gender : Female

Character Name : Gordon Bloomfeld

Original Name : Arye Gross

Gender : Male

Character Name : Professor Banks

Original Name : James Earl Jones

Gender : Male

Character Name : Whitney Dunbar

Original Name : Melora Hardin

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mr. Dunbar

Original Name : Leslie Nielsen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Dunbar

Original Name : Ann Walker

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bill Watson

Original Name : James B. Sikking

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Aronson

Original Name : Max Wright

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ray McGrady

Original Name : Jeff Altman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lisa Stimson

Original Name : Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dorothy Watson

Original Name : Maree Cheatham

Gender : Female

Character Name : Barky Brewer

Original Name : Wallace Langham

Gender : Male

Character Name : Booey Fraser

Original Name : Eric Schiff

Gender : Male

Character Name : Frank

Original Name : Ron Reagan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brad Small

Original Name : Mark Neely

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ernie

Original Name : David Reynolds

Gender : Male

Character Name : Leon

Original Name : Wolfe Perry

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bruce Wizansky

Original Name : Jerry Pavlon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Zendel

Original Name : Laurel Green

Gender : Male

Character Name : Seth

Original Name : John David Bland

Gender : Male

Character Name : George Walker

Original Name : Jonathan 'Fudge' Leonard

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Walker

Original Name : Felix Nelson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Walker

Original Name : Betty Cole

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bundy Dunbar

Original Name : Bo Mancuso

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Wicher

Original Name : Donald Hotton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Sherwood

Original Name : Linda Hoy

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bouchard Man

Original Name : Robert Burleigh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Andrew

Original Name : Jonathan Wise

Gender : Male

Character Name : Kim

Original Name : Amy Stoch

Gender : Female

Character Name : Officer Schkolnick

Original Name : Paul O'Brien

Gender : Male

Character Name : Jail Cell Bigot

Original Name : M.C. Gainey

Gender : Male

Character Name : D.J.

Original Name : Freddie Dawson

Gender : Male

Reviews

Dan_Tebasco

@Dan_Tebasco

2021-06-23

**Soul Man** Had heard a bit about this movie before I saw it, many times refered to as being racist. In fact COMPLEX MAGAZINE listed it as number 4 on a 'most racist movies' list they made. Watching it, I must say it's a whole lot less racist than I expected it to be. In fact I wouldn't call it racist at all. It's about a white guy who gets into Harvard but can't afford to go there so he looks for scholarships that he can take but the only one applicable to him is one designed for African Americans. So he fakes being black (with full blackface makeover and a 80's jerrycurl to match) and gets it. There is of course a stigma around blackfaces stemming from early 20th century films where white people would dress up as black people and make fun of them and make them look stupid etc. But to say that this movie is racist for that reason alone is very simpleminded. Cause even though the guy does put on a blackface, there is not a malicious intent behind it. And he does learn a thing or two about racism himself as the movie progresses. I would probably argue that if anything it's more racist towards whites and perhaps a general white perception of blackness (at least of the time) than it is of blacks. But even that would be a bit of a stretch. Anyways slightly overthinking it here perhaps, as it is in fact not a too serious movie but a comedy. And as a comedy, albeit it has a bit of a rough start it works pretty good. It's no masterpiece or anything and it could have done with some editing cutting it down by 15-20 minutes or so. But overall a decent and fairly harmless watch that does manage to convey a pretty good message while also gathering up some big laughs ocassionally.