Soul Food (1997)

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Directed by George Tillman, Jr..

Starring Michael Beach, Nia Long, Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Mekhi Phifer.

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This hit domestic comedy-drama concerned the fortunes of an extended African-American family recalled through the eyes of young narrator Ahmad (Brandon Hammond). Ahmad's world revolves around his grandmother, Big Mama Joseph (Irma P. Hall) and her three daughters: workaholic attorney Teri (Vanessa Williams), newlywed salon owner Bird (Nia Long), and Ahmad's housewife mom, Maxine (Vivica A. Fox). Each sister is in turmoil. Teri has lost patience for her husband Miles (Michael Beach), who wants to quit the law and take up music. Bird doesn't realize that her husband Lem (Mekhi Phifer) is about to be humiliated by her ex-boyfriend (Mel Jackson). And while Maxine's relationship with her husband Kenny (Jeffrey D. Sams) is going well, her relationship with her jealous sister Teri needs fixing. These conflicts boil over at Big Mama's traditional Sunday dinners, where the matriarch plays peacemaker. The ritual faces extinction, however, when Big Mama suffers a stroke -- but Ahmad is waiting in the wings to take her place. Soul Food launched the directing career of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native George Tillman, Jr., who based the script on his own family experiences. In the summer of 2000, Soul Food was spun off into a cable TV series. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

THIS CHRISTMAS
by tobenson in The Obenson Report

is neutral about it.

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"THIS CHRISTMAS One of two holiday films that tell stories about black people – specifically black families. The other being the upcoming PERFECT HOLIDAY starring Morris Chestnut, and Gabrielle Union.THIS CHRISTMAS (TC) is as predictable and as simplistic as one might expect a film like it to be. But that makes it easier to digest, if, going in, you know just what you’re in for. The proverbial family drama but without very much real drama… no one is ever in any real quandary, even though the filmmakers try to make us believe that they are, not only because we know the clichéd Hollywood happy ending is forthcoming, but also because every dilemma feels a little too sugary sweet, wrapped up in mawkishness, didactics, and often suspect acting and dialogue deliveries.It’s clear that the film wants you to love it at all costs… to have that wonderful, joyous feeling afterwards. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. And one could even sa ... " [More]

Biggie Smalls Movie Holds Inter ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"Fox Searchlight is in the process of casting Notorious, a drama about the life and death of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. (AKA Biggie Smalls, AKA Christopher Wallace), a project which Biggie’s mother and former managers have been trying to get made for seven years. Having apparently exhausted Hollywood’s supply of obese African-American actors (”His looks, his stature, what he represented, the swagger, the sensibility of the man — all those elements are very difficult to find, no matter where you go,” says producer Wayne Barrow), they still can’t find a leading man. So starting this Sunday, the production will begin accepting audition tapes from the general public via BiggieCasting.com. Two years ago, when the film was still set to be directed by Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua (it’s now in the hands of Soul Food’s George Tillman), Barrow said the producers were considering a number of known actors, including Anthony Anderson. But I guess he forgot about that, because by way of justif ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

is neutral about it.

George Tillman Jr.'s warm domestic comedy took its place as part of a wave of films that began appearing in the 1990s, all of which presented a more typical picture of African-American life than had previously been the norm. Soul Food mixes broad humor with melodrama, sibling rivalry, and a dash of sex, as its extended family of characters comes together every Sunday to chow down at the home of matriarch Mama Joe (Irma Hall). The script, which centers on the lives of the three very different daughters of Mama Joe, is jammed with the many subplots in their lives, but Tillman deftly interweaves their stories, registering the subtle ways in which anger and love intermingle among the sisters. Vanessa Williams and Viveca A. Fox stand out as two of the sisters, as does Brandon Hammond as Ahmad, the film's genial young narrator. The movie was an enormous hit, boosting the career of Tillman, who went on to direct the similarly successful Men of Honor. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide

Tags: foodiemovie , lawyer , daughter , dinner , family
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