Film Review: Soul Men

By Frank Scheck (THR.com)

An inevitably elegiac air permeates "Soul Men," the new comedy that marks not only one of the last screen appearances by the late Bernie Mac but also features a brief appearance by recently departed music legend Isaac Hayes. This contemporary riff on "The Sunshine Boys" generally manages to succeed anyway, thanks to the entertaining performances by Mac and co-star Samuel L. Jackson and its generous doses of raucous humor and sweet soul music.

Mac and Jackson play Floyd and Louis, who began their careers as backup singers for R&B legend Marcus Hooks (John Legend) -- think Gladys Knight's Pips -- before striking out on their own as a duo dubbed the Real Deal. Their partnership having ended years earlier thanks to professional failures and personal squabbles, they find themselves reluctantly reuniting after the death of their former leader when they are asked to perform in a tribute concert at the Apollo Theater.