Ruinous reunion

Samuel L. Jackson and the late Bernie Mac
are way off-key in comedy Soul Men

DREADFUL DUO: Mac and Jackson

by CHRISTOPHER SYKES

The opening this week of Malcolm D. Lee’s (Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins) new comedy Soul Men will surely be accompanied with a heavy heart for those involved in its production. Bug-eyed funnyman Bernie Mac and velvet-voiced soul legend Isaac Hayes—who has a significant cameo in the film—both passed away mere hours apart while the film was in post-production this August.

In one of those truth-is-stranger-than-fiction twists, Soul Men stars Samuel L. Jackson and the late Mac as two washed-up soul singers who are reunited for a tribute concert at the famed Apollo Theater, following the death of their former bandleader Marcus Hooks (played by real-life crooner John Legend).

Mac plays Floyd Henderson, a recent retiree who managed to turn his royalties into a salacious car wash chain that offers a hand-wash from bikinied bimbos eager to get down and dirty with even the filthiest rims. The rather obvious punch line is delivered in the form of a flashback, as Mac is heard screaming “Come get your rimjob!” while shooting a commercial.

Quick-tempered Louis Hinds (Jackson) was not the entrepreneur his bandmate was. After suffering a public fall from grace, Jackson seemingly faded into obscurity—that is, until VH1 offers to reunite the band for the one-time tribute-cum-funeral. Mac accepts, out to prove he can still shake it with the best of ‘em. Jackson is in desperate need of moolah, so he grudgingly agrees to subdue his intense hatred of his ex-bandmate until the cheque is cashed.

It’s an awfully weak storyline that unfortunately manifests into an even weaker movie. Director Lee manages to scrounge up a host of Stax Records legends for cameos, but that just makes the whole fiasco that much more difficult to stomach. Any fan of Mac’s knows the man was capable of making audiences laugh without having to stoop to an endless stream of mindless profanity. Were he and Jackson given sufficient breathing room, I’m certain any ad lib would’ve been exponentially funnier than what the dreadful script provided. Such a sad note for a career to end upon.

SOUL MEN OPENS THIS
FRIDAY, NOV. 7