Soul Food (1997)

Did you people see the same film I saw?

best movie i've ever seen.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

This is one of the best movies of the 90's. Although it was a hit at the box office when it came out and received very good reviews, it surprisingly received no Oscar nominations and didn't quite mark a revolution in African-American film-making that many critics predicted. However, speaking as a fan of the film ten years later, the film did spark a minor revolution that may have indirectly resulted in Tyler Perry's recent success.Also, Irma P. Hall should definitely have been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in this movie, because she truly represented the glue that held the cast together. You could blame racism on the fact that she didn't get nominated, but when you consider that this movie came out the same year as such monumentally great films as "L.A. Confidential", "Good Will Hunting", "As Good As It Gets", "The Full Monty", "Donnie Brasco", and (perhaps most especially) "Titanic", one can understand why "Soul Food" got a bit lost in the shuffle.However, if this movie has one fundamental flaw, it is the fact that it was a movie about family, and really should have been a family movie. Heck, it was one of those movies that really transcended the boundaries of race. What stopped it from being one of those movies was it's "R" rating.Of course, the MPAA really isn't to blame on this one. For one, they could have eliminated all but one of the "F-words" (except perhaps for Vivica A. Fox telling Vanessa L. Williams, "You are getting on my F**king nerves". I thought that use of the F-word was appropriate enough given the context). For instance, I thought Williams' "f**k the family" rant, as much as her frustration was significant to that point in the film, could have been expressed using other words.Second, related to Williams' rant, was it necessary for Miles (Michael Beach) to back Faith (Gina Rivera) up against a wall and hump her with his buttocks completely exposed? That scene alone was probably the straw that broke the camels back. The scene could have been just as effective, not to mention tense, if Miles was passionately kissing Faith. The scene that instead remains a permanent fixture in this movie borders on soft core porn. I'm not saying this because I'm a moralist. I'm saying this because this film really would have been a bigger hit if it was not rated R.Otherwise, the film was great. The acting was top notch, and the story line was very intriguing. I'm predicting that this film will turn out to be the black "It's A Wonderful Life". By that, I mean that like the Frank Capra classic, it will gain much more of a following in the next decade or two. We shall see.

Excellent movie....does anyone know the name of the song Miles played for Faith at her dance audition? Initially, I didn't want to see Soul Food because I thought it would be one of those typically movies. But to my surprise it was not. I really enjoyed every aspect. The story line was alive and fresh. The characters real and developed completely. Their relationships true to life and relate-able to my own family. Until Michael Beach appeared in Soul Food, I really did not care for his acting style. He proved to be an actor with academy award acting potential. The casting director surely earned his pay. Every member of the cast played their role well.

Excellent movie. identifiable with the African American Families. Mama Jo was a strong parent seeking only the very best for her fatherless family. The responsibility of raising a child after a parent dies is so right! The jealousy of siblings is right on, and the ability to still love each other was so familiar. African Americans may see themselves in this film. We do love to cook big meal, and we do love to feed others. I wonder if inviting the Pastor to Sunday dinners is happening. One thing is a puzzle to me....Rev. enjoyed the dinners, and the wedding, so where was he when the great cook Mama Jo was in the hospital, and at her burial? It is strange because after Mama Jo passes away, The good Rev. is again sitting at her dinner table. And how can one believe all the money that was packed in the back of Uncle's portable TV. In the movie, the narrator says that the Uncle had not left his room in years but sits there watching his TV.

I love this movie. I just saw it for the first time and could kick myself for waiting solong. Brandon Hammond is a hoot and Viveca A. Fox was wonderful. It isso nice to see a movie centered around an African-American family thatwasn't about hoods or hip-hop. Every family, black or white orwhatever, can identify with the kinds of problems this family had.There is a poignant, endearing quality to this movie that just appealedto me and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a "feel-good" fixwithout the sweet-as-saccharine quality so many movies have.