Soul Food

Rating:
Summary: great Family film. You must OWN this DVD
Review: I watched Soul Food expecting a powerful film about a black family coming together in a time of crisis. I got that and a lot more. We watch the story unfold from the perspective of a twelve-year-old boy. From his eyes we see the stories of the Matriarch and her three daughter's families. When Big Momma dies, Chaos threatens to destroy the family as each of the three daughters become more selfish in dealing with their own personal problems. The twelve year old spends the rest of the film trying to bring his crumbling extended family back together.
The production values were amazing for a $6 million dollar movie, I felt like I was watching a $50 million film. The cinematographer and director do a great job; I felt like I was on those Chicago streets along with the family. All of the actors here give great performances, Vanessa Williams, is unforgettable as Bird. Viveca Fox shows range in her role as the middle daughter and Nia Long is great as the baby of the family. On the men's side Michael Beach gives another strong performance. Beach should be a bigger star than he is; he gave some great performances in the 90's. Other noteworthy performances include the actress who played Big Momma and the twelve year old who the story revolves around.


Rating:
Summary: An American Family Story
Review: I went to see this movie with an African American friend. When he told me about the movie I figured I might not be able to relate, because it was about an African American family. And, in this society we all sometimes get caught up in our differences as opposed to what makes us so much alike. By the end of this movie, I felt like I had just seen the best family movie that I had ever seen. Regardless of the ethnic make-up of the family. Soul Food as certainly more than a movie about an African American family. It is a movie about strong family values and how those values are challenged by tragedy, jobs, deciet, miscommunication and betrayal. This movie depicts how a family can overcome all of those obstacles and maintain the most important value of them all... love for family.

As I further thought about what I had seen, I realized how rare we see movies of this nature featuring African Americans. I also realized how sad it is that most non-African Americans won't go to see this movie for that reason alone. If they only knew how much they missed.

In addition to being hungry following this movie, I also felt a warm spirit come over me. And, I also realized that black or white, family values are pretty much the same. Finally, I realized just how much I miss sitting down with my family over dinner. So, the following Sunday, my wife and I gathered our children, their grandparents and a few family friends and we had the best dinner I've experienced in a long time. We've now made this a tradition. Now if I and my wife can learn to cook the way they did in Soul Food....

Rating:
Summary: Soul Food Good For the Soul
Review: In an age where positive portrayals of African-Americans are in short supply, Soul Food illustrates the strength of love that has held so many families together...Powerful performances by the ensemble cast, especially young Ahmad, and a solid soundtrack including everybody from Boyz II Men to Earth Wind and Fire makes this a keeper for the video library...

Rating:
Summary: This movie is very delicious and all I can say is WOW!
Review: IT IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE HOW A BUNCH OF PEOPLE CAN GET TOGETHER AND PUT A MOVIE TOGETHER SUCH AS THIS . ALL I CAN DO IS SIT BACK,RELAX,AND ENJOY THIS WONDERFUL MOVIE. AS MY WORDS BECOME SHORT I WOULD LIKE TO REVIEW THIS VIDEO IN ONE WORD AND THAT IS WOW!

Rating:
Summary: Cool.
Review: It was just that--cool. I'd have to say the best thing about it was Brandon Hammond. What a cutie. But they fought too much. It was kind of dumb. But it wasn't too bad.

Rating:
Summary: it's great it's about keeping the family togeter
Review: it's great it's about keeping family togeter.i like it cause it was about how soul food cooking is about the heart.

Rating:
Summary: Soul Food
Review: Produced by Pop singer, Babyface, this film shows how certain family traditions are lost. This is another movie, like 'American Beauty', that deals with family issues and dysfunctional families. The ending was ridiculous, though. How the family got back together in the end, that is not reality! And the memorable line that came from pop singer/actor Vanessa Williams that goes like "You guys can't even agree on small things like Sunday dinners." Then, she strikes back by saying "Oh,... the family. I let the family in my house, and you know what? The family ... my husband!"

Rating:
Summary: Soul Food Fills Your Stomach, But Is Not Entirely Satisfying
Review: SOUL FOOD is the type of movie that you like not because of what it is, but from what you hope it to be. Irrespective of your race or ethnic background, you are bound to connect on some level with this film.

The story itself is not very original. It involves an African American family that gathers weekly for the family dinner. The focus is on three sisters, who share their hopes, dreams and frustrations. The story is told through the eyes of the son of the middle sister. While the film is told through a his eyes, it is not a story for children because of some of the themes explored like adultery. It's an odd way to tell this story, but it works most of the time.

Unfortunately, writer/director George Tillman, Jr. (with an uncredited rewrite by Tina Andrews) do not know the meaning of subtlety and nuance. The characters are drawn with broad strokes. Teri (Vanessa L. Williams) is the cold and hard-driving overachiever of the family. Maxine (Vivica A. Fox) is the aggressive, but "down to earth" stay-at-home mom, and Bird (Nia Long) is the baby of the family, who has just married the neer-do-well, Lem (Mekhi Phifer). Each one of their stories follows a fairly predictable course.

This is not to say that the movie is without charm. It's nice to see a black movie that is not focusing on gangs or drugs. It's also a film that shows black people from several different generations.

You feel for the struggles of the characters, although many of the situations seem forced and over the top. One particular scene that comes to mind is when Teri's character pulls out a knife. It seems to completely contradict her character as an educated professional woman.

The film also follows the cliché of many character driven pieces in that a key character must die. In this case, it's milked for all it's worth.

Overall, SOUL FOOD is an entertaining film, but delivers a lot less than it promises. Although it was marketed as a family film, it is really for adults because of the violence and sexuality on screen. If you're looking for a film about a black family (as opposed to a black family film), it's worth a look. As long as you don't keep you expectations too high, you won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: On Balance, a Strong Family Film Well Worth Seeing
Review: Thank goodness someone made a good, warm-hearted film about a family--that's pretty much what I thought when I first saw "Soul Food" in the theater in 1997. Like many Americans, I was starved for a movie that didn't portray the American family as broken or malignant, which appears to be the Hollywood standard. "Soul Food" works primarily because it never loses sight of the importance of family, even as its members may bicker or transgress. The plot focuses on the lasting impact of the family matriarch--Big Mama (played wonderfully by Irma P. Hall)--whose kind heart and wise soul holds the family of mostly younger couples together, despite their foibles. When she passes away from complications due to diabetes, her daughters must overcome their differences to uphold the family traditions, best embodied by Sunday dinners that go beyond simple meals. The cast is generally superb, though Vivica Fox and Brandon Hammond (as grandson Ahmad, through whose eyes we are told the story), sometimes try too hard, making their characters border on caricature in a film that otherwise seems so lifelike. There is a subplot involving a hidden family fortune that also gets in the way--writer and director George Tillman, Jr., seems to want to jam as much into the story as possible when he really doesn't have to, as the main plot is interesting enough. These flaws are oddly more apparent on the small screen than they were on the big screen. Nonetheless, "Soul Food," despite its "R" rating, is an effective family film, one with a sense of authenticity that Hollywood seems to have mostly forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: On Balance, a Strong Family Film Well Worth Seeing
Review: Thank goodness someone made a good, warm-hearted film about a family--that's pretty much what I thought when I first saw "Soul Food" in the theater in 1997. Like many Americans, I was starved for a movie that didn't portray the American family as broken or malignant, which appears to be the Hollywood standard. "Soul Food" works primarily because it never loses sight of the importance of family, even as its members may bicker or transgress. The plot focuses on the lasting impact of the family matriarch--Big Mama (played wonderfully by Irma P. Hall)--whose kind heart and wise soul holds the family of mostly younger couples together, despite their foibles. When she passes away from complications due to diabetes, her daughters must overcome their differences to uphold the family traditions, best embodied by Sunday dinners that go beyond simple meals. The cast is generally superb, though Vivica Fox and Brandon Hammond (as grandson Ahmad, through whose eyes we are told the story), sometimes try too hard, making their characters border on caricature in a film that otherwise seems so lifelike. There is a subplot involving a hidden family fortune that also gets in the way--writer and director George Tillman, Jr., seems to want to jam as much into the story as possible when he really doesn't have to, as the main plot is interesting enough. These flaws are oddly more apparent on the small screen than they were on the big screen. Nonetheless, "Soul Food," despite its "R" rating, is an effective family film, one with a sense of authenticity that Hollywood seems to have mostly forgotten.