Soul Food

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Soul Food

R

Released Sep 26, 1997

1h 54m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

When Ahmad Simmons' (Brandon Hammond) diabetic grandmother, Josephine Big Mama Joseph (Irma P. Hall), falls into a coma during an operation to amputate her leg, it throws the Joseph family into chaos. Ahmad watches as his mother, Maxine (Vivica A. Fox), and aunts Teri (Vanessa L. Williams) and Tracy (Nia Long) struggle to adjust to the family matriarch's sudden absence, fall into old rivalries, share memories, and work to maintain the long-standing tradition of Sunday family dinners.

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Critics Consensus

Much like the titular cuisine, Soul Food blends a series of savory ingredients to offer warm, generous helpings of nourishment and comfort.

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Rosalind Bentley

Minneapolis Star Tribune

A feast for the eye and a tug at the heart -- that is writer/director George Tillman Jr.s' new film, Soul Food.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 26, 2022

Full Review

Paul Tatara

CNN.com

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

Mar 17, 2008

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

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

Mar 17, 2008

Full Review

Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

This movie could have sunk to soap opera melodrama. But Tillman really cares about each multidimensional character. As a result, the film resonates.

Rated: B+

Jan 10, 2023

Full Review

Sheila Reid

Women in the Life

A heartwarming but realistic exploration of complex emotions experienced by members of the family.

May 31, 2022

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

'90s family drama has language and sex.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 19, 2018

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Audience Member

So good! Great performances and a heart-warming story. Watching this in 2024 though…one part didn’t age well. The movie is called Soul food and it was because of that Soul food that the grandma got diabetes and died. 💀

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/23/24

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Karl O

This movie would have been better titled Crock Pot. You throw a mess of ridiculousness in a pot, let it simmer for 115 long minutes, then have it boil over into unlikely and silly goo. And you end up with this flavorless paste of loud soap opera. And Christ - that dreadful score - my ears are still bleeding from the sound of saccharin.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/24/23

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Audience Member

Over 25 years old and I remember watching parts of it in middle school for film class Love its look at dysfunctional black families The title actually derives from the early days of slavery when blacks didn't have a lot to celebrate so cooking was their expression of love and appreciation The three female leads Vivica A. Fox, Vanessa Williams, and Nia Long do tremendously But it's really Brandon Hammond that makes it gel together Great nourishment and comfort all around

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/27/23

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Rashida Babbs L

From 1997 to 2024 discuss how soul food is the world's largest industry More Soul Food is the sequel take us to the beginning Bird and Simmiwell (when they began dating) transition to Terry and Simmiwell bachelor party wedding) Maxine and Ahmad restoration of family rental property! Momma Joe has siblings that come to reconnect the whole family Faith and Miles wedding party just jotting down some ideas

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/03/23

Full Review

BeefBaconBiscut

We're gonna pause this for the benefit of all y'all who never saw Soul Food Soul Food is a movie about a big, humongous black grandmother, aptly named Big Mama Big Mama demonstrates her love by feeding herself and her offspring enormous amounts of pig lard Then- Get this -Big Mama's arteries are so clogged, they gotta amputate her arm It was her leg! Right Okay, whatever Leg Then she dies of a heart attack Or another stroke or somethin' God called her home And what does the family do after she dies? They get together for a Sunday dinner and eat the same food that just killed Big Mama The same food! They didn't learn a lesson Nobody went on a diet And that's the end of the movie

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/12/23

Full Review

DOMONIQUE S

I THINK "SOUL FOOD" IS MY MOTHER'S FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME, NOT MINE.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/10/23

Full Review

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George Tillman Jr.

Director

Vanessa Williams

Teri

Vivica A. Fox

Maxine

Nia Long

Bird

Michael Beach

Miles

Mekhi Phifer

Lem

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Synopsis

When Ahmad Simmons' (Brandon Hammond) diabetic grandmother, Josephine Big Mama Joseph (Irma P. Hall), falls into a coma during an operation to amputate her leg, it throws the Joseph family into chaos. Ahmad watches as his mother, Maxine (Vivica A. Fox), and aunts Teri (Vanessa L. Williams) and Tracy (Nia Long) struggle to adjust to the family matriarch's sudden absence, fall into old rivalries, share memories, and work to maintain the long-standing tradition of Sunday family dinners.

Director: George Tillman Jr.
Producer: Tracey Edmonds, Robert Teitel
Screenwriter: George Tillman Jr.
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Fox 2000 Pictures, Edmonds Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 26, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $43.5M
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital

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