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Vanessa L. Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer ... see more see more... , Brandon Hammond , Jeffrey D. Sams , Gina Ravera , Irma P. Hall , Carl Wright , Mel Jackson , Morgan Mechelle Smith , John M. Watson Sr. , Malik Yoba

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 gran... read more read more...dmother, 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, Rovi

Flixster Users

84% liked it

20,131 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

41 critics

R, 1 hr. 54 min.

Directed by: George Tillman Jr.

Release Date: September 26, 1997

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DVD Release Date: February 25, 1998

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Stats: 886 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (886)

  • Fascade518
    July 23, 2008
    Fascade518
    It's all about family get together, no matter what...I don't care who you are...you have got to enjoy this one. Get this....it is maximum drama.
  • donnarenee2006
    November 2, 2008
    donnarenee2006
    Awesome movie. For the food lovers. ;) This is a touching movie on family issues. One of my favorites.
  • ileo
    December 13, 2007
    ileo
    A great movie!
  • toejambaseball24
    July 23, 2007
    toejambaseball24
    One of my family's favorite movies. Funny, dramatic, and full of heart. Goes to show that regardless of race, all families go through similar problems, but share a similar love as well.
  • dreadinny
    May 8, 2009
    dreadinny
    Good entertainment. I related to a few things in the film. Especially being torn between a "real" career and the music industry. I was lucky to always ahve support either way. I liked the concept of the Sunday dinners bringing the family together. I also remember these while grow... read moreing up. A bit unrealistic in the end, but hey, it's a movie
  • mrallen
    March 27, 2009
    mrallen
    oh! this a great movie and it alots of hate,love,gossips,Jealous, Fighting over the wills of their grandmother died. Please watch that is good movie!!
  • mercedes944
    December 25, 2008
    mercedes944
    This is a great movie.My favorite part is at the end because before Big Mama died she was trying to tell her grandson a message but she died. So her grandson thought she was trying to tell him to get the family back together on Sundays.So the boy lied to the family one by one and... read more told them that found some big money Big mama had. His family fell for it and that's how he got them together. In reality there was no money he found. So at the end Uncle Pete found the money.
  • xandiXlizXmackix
    August 1, 2008
    xandiXlizXmackix
    "Soul Food" is all about the drama and family conflict when their matriarch is seriously ill. Good film.
  • REDDSCENTED
    June 18, 2008
    REDDSCENTED
    THIS WAS A GREAT SHOW FOR BLACKS. THAT'S HOW WE USED TO LIVE IT BACK IN THE DAY. SUNDAY DINNER AND FAMILY FELLOWSHIP, NO MATTER THE PROBLEMS IN THE FAMILY, IT WAS STILL FAMILY. AND THERE WAS ALWAYS A BIG MAMA IN DA HOUSE, DOWN THE STREET AND AROUND THE CORNER.
  • JaredsBaby
    May 26, 2008
    JaredsBaby
    I found this to be funny in some spots and a great drama in others most of these kind of movies are filled with alot of fluff but I would watch this one again, I could have just done without the big mama part

View All Soul Food Reviews

Critic Reviews

Paul Tatara
March 17, 2008
Paul Tatara, CNN.com

An overt desire to please often leaves Tillman relying on force-feeding techniques. Full Review

Richard Corliss
March 17, 2008
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

Soul Food aims to be a banquet of feelings, but mostly it serves up tripe. Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum
March 17, 2008
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

The steaming platters of fried catfish, macaroni and cheese, sweet corn bread, and black-eyed peas that appear early and often in writer-director George Tillman Jr.'s sentimental family drama should b... Full Review

Godfrey Cheshire
March 17, 2008
Godfrey Cheshire, Variety

Soul Food serves up family melodrama-cum-comedy that's tasty and satisfying, if not particularly profound or original. Full Review

Lisa Alspector
March 17, 2008
Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader

Tillman is tremendously skilled at bridging the vast shifts in tone. Full Review

Peter Stack
June 18, 2002
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

A warm, funny, touching African American family drama, the kind of bittersweet melodrama that critics tend to relegate as crowd-pleasing corn. We could use more when it's this well done. Full Review

Lonnae O'Neal Parker
January 22, 2002
Lonnae O'Neal Parker, Washington Post

Tasty, but easily forgotten. Full Review

Kevin Thomas
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Tillman drew inspiration from his own Milwaukee family, his beloved grandmother in particular. Humor, sentiment and melodrama strike a balance as he brings to life nine major characters and a host of ... Full Review

Susan Wloszczyna
January 1, 2000
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

An attractive cast and lingering shots of artery-busting delights that amount to pigout pornography.

Janet Maslin
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin, New York Times

This new menu movie has a soapy plot, appealing stars, family values, down-home atmosphere and a conviction that there's rarely a problem fried chicken can't cure. There sure are worse ways of looking... Full Review

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Soul Food Trivia

  • What DVD came with a small cookbook that had recipes from the movie?  Answer »
  • Which movie had the characters Ahmad, Teri, Bird and Mother Joe?  Answer »
  • Who plays a successful lawyer in the 1997 drama, Soul Food?  Answer »
  • Mamma Joe Diabetes Sweet Potato Pie Byrd   Answer »
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