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Poster for Soul Man

Soul Man

A comedy with heart and soul

1986 · 1h 44m · PG-13 Comedy
Directed by Steve Miner

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Overview

A caucasian prospective grad student's affluent family won't pay his way through law school, so he takes tanning pills to darken his skin in order to qualify for an African-American scholarship at Harvard. He soon gets more than he bargained for, as he begins to learn what life is really like for blacks in America.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
13%
Tomatometer
Fresh

It's a blithe, silly, good-natured movie and, of its kind, quite an enjoyable one.

Janet Maslin, New York Times
Rotten

The pity is, it isn't even outrageous.

Paul Attanasio, Washington Post
Rotten

Of course, simply everyone is completely bamboozled by our hero's disguise, even though he now looks like a Ken doll with liver disease.

Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Rotten

This is a genuinely interesting idea, filled with dramatic possibilities, but the movie approaches it on the level of a dim-witted sit-com.

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Rotten

In the end, however, it's let down by one easy laugh too many.

Time Out

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