The Film
The late Bernie Mac had one more movie completed before his sudden death last year, and so I fervently hope that it will be a more fitting swansong than Soul Men. To be fair, this tale of a Motown-era singing duo (Mac and Samuel L. Jackson) reuniting decades after a nasty breakup can be amusing, even toe-tapping, but the movie is also guilty of taking itself too seriously, as if the filmmakers forgot more than once that this was supposed to be a comedy.
The density of F-words here makes the recent Christian Bale rant sound like a bible study class, plus sometimes there are no jokes at all, or at least nothing especially witty, and the pacing can slow to a crawl. Jackson has his moments, whereas Bernie Mac had a God-given ability to spread joy with just a word or a look, even through the camera. Ultimately, like the Bob Hope/Bing Crosby Road movies of yore, we go in knowing what to expect from two big talents, and they more than deliver. But is star power ever enough to carry a movie on its own?
Also check out Mark Grady's take on Soul Men.
The Picture
A layer of video noise across the 2.35:1 frame ranges from virtually nonexistent in extremely bright shots to thin most of the rest of the time, and occasionally distracting at its worst. Backgrounds can be a little soft, leading to some unnatural-looking details, while smoky nightclub scenes--and there are several--don't reproduce well on this high-def disc, breaking down into a busy digital haze where they should just be adding a hint of atmosphere. Sometimes an odd patch of shadow, a weirdly focused object or a curious texture also shows a distracting twitch, but really the video glitches here were minor.
Directional effects are few and far between, perhaps a car passing by the camera here, a bullet whizzing front to back there, and a nifty moment when a barking neighborhood dog phases between the rears. Plenty of other times Soul Men is just two people talking (or shouting) in the front channels, and nothing going on in the surrounds, maybe a touch of fill. But the music is the star here, as both the bona fide soul classics and newly recorded music have been mixed and mastered for Dolby TrueHD 5.1, and the higher definition allows the dynamics of the "live" performances to shine, in little ways like the different equipment in each venue, the subtle interactions with the room, and of course crowd noise.
The Extras
There's a full running audio commentary by director Malcolm Lee joined by writers Matt Stone and Rob Ramsey, along with a bevy of brief featurettes, none over eight minutes. "The Soul Men: Bernie Mac & Samuel L. Jackson" focuses on the two stars while "The Cast of Soul Men" broadens its coverage. Separate tributes to Bernie Mac and music legend/co-star Isaac Hayes--who passed away within a day of one another--are included, in addition to a profile of the director, a look at the making of the song (actually recorded by Jackson and Mac) "Boogie Ain't Nuttin'" and some footage of an impromptu standup comedy performance that Mac gave for the audience extras in between takes of the climactic concert at the faux Apollo Theater location. These bonuses are all presented in standard definition, only the theatrical trailer is in HD.
Final Thoughts
The special features on this Blu-ray Disc are actually a wonderful homage to the late Bernie Mac, whose humor and, just as importantly, love of performing shine through. He made us laugh to the very end, even if Soul Men doesn't.
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