Soul Men 2008

Ben Lyons, At the Movies: It really is bittersweet to watch Mac in one of his final performances. He makes the most of pretty average material here. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: This one's only fair, but it has its low-down wiles and its moments. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Mac was a magnetic performer with a long history of redeeming mediocre movies; unfortunately this is another one. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: While it's a shamelessly mediocre movie, it's not mediocre in the usual ways. Read more

Jonathan F. Richards, Film.com: Considering the canvas the story provides, and the richness of the tradition it taps into, the amount and quality of the music is pretty disappointing. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: Soul Men casts the best possible leads in the worst possible movie. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Soul Men is a raucous send-off for the late Bernie Mac, a gleefully profane take on the road-trip movie that earns its R rating early and often. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac appear to be having a good time, and for most of this raunchy, poorly orchestrated buddy comedy, that's enough. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: There's a raunchy energy to Soul Men that cannot be denied. Even if the film is derivative, predictable, visibly low-budget and crude, it's also darn funny a good deal of the time. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: It's just another grumpy-old-men grousefest with a gooey center, like The Sunshine Boys or The Bucket List. Even its musical nostalgia comes off as more concocted than felt. Read more

Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News: There's nothing here you haven't seen before, but the genuine and infectious chemistry between Mr. Jackson and Mr. Mac and the irresistible energy of their performances is more than enough to give the movie real heft and momentum. Read more

Amy Nicholson, I.E. Weekly: Mac could have wished for better for his final film, but this is a picture about entertainers and damned if he isn't one Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: There are moments of comedic fire that justify the presence of the two stars in the film, and us in the theater. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: We've heard this tune before. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Though this is far from Mac's most memorable work, his appealing performance will undoubtedly remind the audience how much he'll be missed. Read more

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: Sort of a riff on The Sunshine Boys with hints of Dreamgirls, about all Malcolm D. Lee's relentlessly crass comedy has going for it are some amusing Motown-ish numbers and the chemistry between Mac and his real-life friend Samuel L. Jackson. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: The movie crams in myriad needless subplots -- ostensibly to provide padding, which only draws attention to how thin the original story really is. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Jackson and Mac click. They're perfectly believable as 'funk comrades' from back in the day, polyester princes reduced to asking for the AARP discount when they hit hotels they once trashed in the best rock-star tradition. Read more

David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer: So why is this film worth seeing? Because it's an ideal showcase for Mac's peerless comic chops. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: No one could accuse Soul Men of originality -- it cribs liberally from countless buddy films and road movies -- but it offers enough energy and humor to overcome its shortcomings. Read more

Roger Ebert, 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. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: The only good reason to see the otherwise dismal comedy Soul Men is to have a look at the late actor and comedian Bernie Mac in one of his final screen roles. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: Soul Men has a lot to overcome in its effort to be funny. The pall over it can be ignored only intermittently, at least for the time being. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Soul Men has soul, but expects too much of its charismatic stars. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Soul Men could have been so much more. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Time Out: Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: It doesn't sound like the likeliest pairing, but it works surprisingly well. Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac make a winning duo in the bawdy buddy road-trip picture Soul Men. Read more

Brian Lowry, Variety: There's a nice chemistry between Mac and Samuel L. Jackson in this latest variant of the road movie, which contains comedic elements but actually works better as a drama. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: Unfortunately, [it's] not good enough to make up for the unnecessary proliferation of Viagra humor, rectal-exam jokes and comedy at the expense of women. Read more