IMDb > Soul Man (1986)
Soul Man
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Soul Man (1986) -- Theatrical Preview

Overview

User Rating:
4.7/10   3,154 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Steve Miner
Writer:
Carol Black (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Soul Man on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 October 1986 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy more
Tagline:
A comedy with heart and soul. more
Plot:
To achieve his dream of attending Harvard, a pampered teen poses as a young black man to receive a full scholarship. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Nothing Special, But Has a Beat. more (19 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

C. Thomas Howell ... Mark Watson

Rae Dawn Chong ... Sarah Walker

Arye Gross ... Gordon Bloomfeld

James Earl Jones ... Professor Banks

Melora Hardin ... Whitney Dunbar

Leslie Nielsen ... Mr. Dunbar

Ann Walker ... Mrs. Dunbar
James Sikking ... Bill Watson (as James B. Sikking)
Max Wright ... Dr. Aronson
Jeff Altman ... Ray McGrady

Julia Louis-Dreyfus ... Lisa Stimson

Maree Cheatham ... Mrs. Dorothy Watson (as Marie Cheatham)

Wallace Langham ... Barky Brewer (as Wally Ward)
Eric Schiff ... Booey Fraser
Ron Reagan ... Frank
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Imposter (USA) (alternative title)
more
Runtime:
104 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 ([#28314]) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 (video rating) (uncut) (1987) | UK:PG (original rating) (cut) | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M (cable rating)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the scene where Mark first approaches Gordon as a black man, Gordon was originally supposed to believe Mark was going to mug him. An entire scene was filmed in which Mark played along with it and made Gordon sing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot". It was taken out because it was thought, that although funny when filmed, it was inappropriate and racist. more
Quotes:
Gordon Bloomfeld: A black Negro? He never told me he was a black Negro. Thank you. Boy, just when you think you get to know somebody. I'm gonna go confront him with this information right now. Wow... Mark... a black Negro! more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Totally Awesome (2006) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
Theme from Shaft more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
1 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
Nothing Special, But Has a Beat., 6 July 2002
Author: tfrizzell from United States

C. Thomas Howell must get into Harvard, but the only way for him to do so is to become a minority. Sound impossible? Not quite. A fair little film that has Howell posing as a black man treads dangerous waters the whole way, but never does take itself too seriously and ends up being a somewhat charming little film. It is far from classic fare though. Leslie Nielsen, James Earl Jones, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross and Julia-Louis Dreyfus all add humorous moments that help out Howell's cause. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (19 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Soul Man (1986)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
is it just me or did this ruin CTHowells career bensmybaby
Why do people think this is a racist film? petekrug17
Was Whitney 'the village bicycle' of Harvard university? boogles
iS THIS MOVIE WORTH BUYING! [ignore the typo error underneath this post XxWe_Are_MarshallxX
Those two guys who keep telling the jokes mattscdl
Ouch.. this movie really sets peolpe off. mcgill_j
more

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