"Soul Men" centers on two former back-up singers, Louis Hinds (Samuel L. Jackson) and Floyd Henderson (Bernie Mac), who had achieved modest success as a part of the 60's soul music act "Marcus Hooks and the Real Deal". Unfortunately for them, their lead singer, Marcus Hooks (a nice cameo by John Legend), left them to fend for themselves and found fame and fortune as a solo act. Henderson and Hinds were not so lucky, spending thirty years sinking into the footnotes of music history, until they are given the opportunity to reclaim past glory by performing at the star-studded tribute concert for the recently deceased Hooks. They just have to survive their long-standing feud and a drive from California to New York to get there.
Thanks in no small part to Mr. Mac's unrelenting charisma, this thin premise easily enough fills the 1-1/2 hour running time. Mac's ability to walk the tightrope between exuberance and pathos to perfect comic effect will come as no surprise to those who are familiar with the under-appreciated "Bernie Mac Show", and the character of Henderson, who is desperate to escape his boring middle class life and get back on stage, is the perfect chance for him to shine. He completely owns any scene that he is in. Even when he is standing in the background, it is difficult not to focus on his constantly working facial expressions, which are a master class in comedy unto themselves.
Mr. Jackson, no small presence himself, seems at times to be fighting upstream to keep up with Mac, but generally does an effective job of playing Steve Martin to Mac's John Candy. His comic chops are somewhat underdeveloped and he tends to fall back on what is rapidly becoming his signature yelling of lines, but the delivery fits with his role as the particularly embittered partner who is unwillingly dragged back into the dream of stardom. What he lacks in comedy, though, he makes up for with his acting, delivering a few poignant scenes that bring just the right amount of heart to the story.
While Mac and Jackson make a surprisingly successful pairing, the rest of the cast is very uneven. Sean Hayes (TV's "Will & Grace") playing the part of the producer trying to get the Henderson & Hinds on the tribute show dials it down too far, and Sharon Leal ("Dreamgirls"), in the role of Henderson's possible daughter, just sort of drifts along. On the other hand, Jennifer Coolidge ("Best In Show") gives her typical going-for-broke performance and Adam Hershman ("Accepted") does his best with the standard role of white-guy-who-thinks-he's-black. Special mention, of course, must go to the cameo by the late, great, Isaac Hayes, who does a great job playing himself.
While "Soul Men" breaks no new ground, it proves that sometimes you don't have to. In the hands of Mac and Jackson, what could have been a typical "road movie" delivers constant smiles, numerous laughs, and a whole lot of soul. Bernie Mac couldn't ask for a more fitting tribute.
