In our dark times, when freedom of speech and freedom of expression get brutally extinguished by their alleged champions, it is easy to watch the past with rose-tinted glasses. One of the examples is Hollywood which, few decades ago, made films that, in retrospect, look like the product of unimaginable bravery and ability to take serious risks. But most of those films didn’t have much impact in times when they were made. One of them is Soul Man, 1986 comedy directed by Steve Miner.
Protagonist is Mark Watson (played by C. Thomas Howell), pampered son of a rich California family which has just breezed through college and desires to continue studies at prestigious Harvard Law School and join his best friend Gordon Bloomfield (played by Arye Gross). His plans are apparently torpedoed by father Bill Watson (played by James B. Sikking) who, at the advice of his psychotherapist, decides not to pay for the tuition. In desperation, after exhausting all alternatives, Mark applies and wins scholarship intended for black students. “Minor” detail of him being white is problem solved with the help of experimental tanning pills and new hairstyle which would allow him to pass as a black man. He manages to keep this ruse during first semester at Harvard, despite his ridiculous attempts to “act black” and even beds Whitney Dunbar (played by Melora Hardin), his landlord’s daughter with apparent fetish for non-white men. At the same time he also experiences actual racism, but also befriends attractive black student Sarah Walker (played by Rae Dawn Chong) that would gradually make him reconsider his scheme.
Scriptwriter Carol Black was clearly inspired by success of Tootsie, a film about actor forced to pretend to be a woman in order to pursue career. Switching this premise from the issues of sex to issues of race, however, proved to be a hot potato. Film was almost universally denounced by critics as “irresponsible” or downright racist, with famous African American film maker Spike Lee leading the charge and some cinema theatres even being picketed by activists. The premise was indeed risky, because it inadvertently had to base at least some of that humour on racial stereotypes (jokes about basketball prowess and certain parts of male anatomy are most obvious). The most dangerous, especially from the perspective of today’s “wokeness”, is the concept of white man being trying to pass as a black man in order to collect benefits of what is now known as Affirmative Action, thus inadvertently criticising such measures as antithesis of merit and fertile ground for all kinds of abuse, manipulation and corruption.
Creators of the film, Black included, were apparently aware of the controversy they might create and tried to minimise possible damage by showing that they are anti-racist and that their hearts are in the right place. This can be best seen in the second part of the film when Mark as a black man has to endure things that real black men had to endure in 1980s America, even in times described by protagonist as “Cosby decade” – insensitive jokes, discrimination by landlords and, finally, abuse at the hands of police. This switch to politically charged drama creates a serious tonal shift that seems to be at odds with first part, which seems to be a typical 1980s irreverent comedy. Extra seriousness is brought by James Earl Jones in the role of Mark’s professor and whose regal presence brings gravitas to proceedings. The final exchange between Jones’ character and Mark is actually quite powerful and would probably remembered by many who see this film.
Despite critics, Soul Man had commercial success and this could be explained with many of the scenes actually being quite funny. One of them is when Mark attends dinner in home of his racist landlord (played by Leslie Nielsen) and each member of his family projects the worst stereotypes on Mark. The other is farcical scene near the end when Mark desperately tries to his maintain his ruse during his parents’ surprise visit. Film benefits a lot from C. Thomas Howell who bravely handles this thankless role. He is helped a lot by Rae Dawn Chong, whose character seems to be the only truly likeable character in the film. She has great chemistry with Howell, whom he later married in real life. Arye Gross is somewhat underused as Mark’s friend, while Melora Hardin has to deal with one-dimensional character. Miner, director best known for his work on Friday the 13th series of horror films, directs film in simple and effective manner, never allowing to audience to get bored.
The real problem of Soul Man, however, isn’t in issues of race, but actually in issue of ethics. The protagonist conducts what is in its essence a fraud. In most other films he would be a villain rather than hero. Even being played by talented actor and character actually having epiphany and trying to set things right near end might be too little to remove that impression. On the other hand, in light of some recent events, like Rachel Dolezal affair and controversies related to certain US senators, basic premise of this film doesn’t look as outrageous as it did in 1980s. Soul Man is still entertaining to be recommended, although the viewers would need more open mind than usual.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/12278-soul-man Critic: AA
