SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Noelle The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

EDP2000 If this movie were released today, people would be outraged and call to have this movie banned, especially thinking about how sensitive this generation is. Anyways, "Soul Man" is about a college aged white male named Mark who dresses up in black face in order to attend Harvard Law School. Once immersed in a black student's life, Mark finds that people are less lenient than he imagined and more prone to see him as a black person instead of a fellow student. He meets a young African-American student named Sarah Walker, whom he first only flirts with; gradually, however, he genuinely falls in love with her. As it turns out, she was the original candidate for the scholarship which he had usurped, and now she has to work hard as a waitress to support herself and her son George while studying. Slowly, Mark begins to regret his deed, and after a chaotic day-in which Sarah, his parents (who are not aware of his double life) and his classmate Whitney, who is also his landlord's daughter, make surprise visits at the same time-he drops the charade and openly reveals himself to be white.C. Thomas Howell's acting is pretty good in this. I found the chemistry between C. Thomas Howell and Rae Chong Dawn very convincing. James Earl Jones' acting was very good. And Leslie Nielsen as Whitney's father was also pretty funny.Overall, Soul Man has a John Hughes-esque feel to it, and is up there with Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Weird Science. If you aren't easily offended, I recommend you check this out.

JLRMovieReviews C. Thomas Howell comes from a rich family and has been accepted to Harvard, but, when his father expects him to pay for his own college education and won't finance it, Tom goes to drastic measures for a scholarship. It seems that Harvard has, in this movie anyway, a scholarship for the most qualified African-American that comes from a certain demographic. So, of course, he goes black face and gets some soul, brother. I said soul. What actually sounds like a pretty lame, almost offensive, and just plain stupid film turns out in fact to be one of the most thought-provoking 1980s comedies made. Granted, it might be biting off more than it can chew, but this film is genuinely funny and has characters that are three-dimensional due in part to good acting by Tom; Rae Dawn Chong, who plays a student he starts to care for; and teacher James Earl Jones. My two favorite moments in the film are when he tells his parents, "Mom, Dad, I'm black!" and when he tells teacher James Earl Jones, "No sir, I didn't quite learn how it feels to be black, because I could at any time go back to being white." That moment really made the film for me, as it defines the difference between putting yourself in someone's place and actually being them. I see this film, from all the ratings, has a low mean, but I think it deserves better, as it's a very entertaining and funny film, while having moments that speak to the viewer in its indirect and subtle way without being preachy. I would definitely watch this again and would recommend it for those who like comedies with a little soul and substance to it.

preppy-3 White man Mark Watson (C. Thomas Howell) wants to attend Harvard University but his rich parents won't pay for it. Desperate to get in he turns his skin black (don't ask) and poses as a black man to get a full scholarship. While attending college as a black man he meets beautiful Sarah Walker (Rae Dawn Chong) and falls in love. He also butts heads with Professor Banks (James Earl Jones) who expects him to do better than anyone else cause he's black.There was some controversy when this was originally released. Some people (who never even saw the movie) labeled it as racist and demanded that it be banned. It lead to other people (who ALSO never saw it) overpraising it as others blasted it to pieces. Seriously--if it had been about a black man posing as a white man would there have been such a problem? I don't think so. Such a fuss over what is basically a silly comedy. All the predictable jokes come up and are done in a dull way. The movie is flatly directed and Howell looks pretty ridiculous as a black man. Also Howell DOES try to pull this movie off but fails. The only bright points are Chong and Jones who are great in their roles. This is only of interest to see what people thought was controversial. BTW--I saw this in a theatre in 1986. The audience was white and black. Most of the black people applauded at the end! That should tell you how racist this is.

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.