To achieve his dream of attending Harvard, a pampered teen poses as a young black man to receive a full scholarship.
Director:
Steve MinerWriter:
Carol Black
From metacritic.com
Get the best new trailers in under a minute, including Pet Sematary and Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Related News
-
Sam Moore Remembers Aretha Franklin: ‘She Was the Greatest’
21 August 2018 | Variety -
Class of 88: Director Tony Randel on Taking the Reins for Hellbound: Hellraiser II
23 July 2018 | DailyDead -
Matt “Guitar” Murphy Dies: Blues Brothers Guitarist And Noted Sideman Was 88
16 June 2018 | Deadline
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Soul Man (1986)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
Secret Admirer
(1985)
Comedy
|
Romance
Director:
David Greenwalt
Stars:
C. Thomas Howell,
Lori Loughlin,
Kelly Preston
The Hitcher
(1986)
Thriller
Director:
Robert Harmon
Stars:
Rutger Hauer,
C. Thomas Howell,
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Side Out
(1990)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Peter Israelson
Stars:
C. Thomas Howell,
Peter Horton,
Courtney Thorne-Smith
The Wild Life
(1984)
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Art Linson
Stars:
Chris Penn,
Ilan Mitchell-Smith,
Eric Stoltz
Loverboy
(1989)
Comedy
Director:
Joan Micklin Silver
Stars:
Patrick Dempsey,
Kate Jackson,
Robert Ginty
Brighton Beach Memoirs
(1986)
Comedy
Director:
Gene Saks
Stars:
Blythe Danner,
Jonathan Silverman,
Stacey Glick
Tank
(1984)
Action
|
Comedy
|
Drama
Director:
Marvin J. Chomsky
Stars:
James Garner,
Shirley Jones,
C. Thomas Howell
Sherwood's Travels
(1994)
Drama
Directors:
Ron Coswell,
Steve Miner
Stars:
Jamey Sheridan,
Serena Scott Thomas,
Edward Fox
Edit
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 |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (63) »
Storyline
Mark doesn't expect any problems in going to college: he and his friend have reserved places in Harvard and his parents have the money to pay for his education there. But suddenly his father's neurotic psychiatrist advises him to go on vacation in Hawaii instead of spending more money on his son. Since Mark wants to keep his lifestyle, including a fancy car and a flat shared with his friend, he seeks financial support. The only foundation which still accepts applications is for blacks only -- no problem, with lots of bronzing pills and "soul in his voice" he sets out to Harvard. Soon he has to realize that being black will cause some people to handle him differently. Written by Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>
Plot Keywords:
white man as black man | racial stereotype | passing for black | white pretending to be black | white male pretending to be black |Taglines:
Mark needs a scholarship to get into Harvard. There's one more available for a black student. The problem is Mark's not black... Yet. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
24 October 1986 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Imposter See more »Edit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$27,820,000Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
DolbyColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
See more »
By Andy Razaf, Fats Waller (as Thomas Waller), Harry Brooks
Performed by Louis Armstrong
Courtesy of CBS Records
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
C. Thomas Howell's father, Chris Howell, did the stunts for this movie. See more »Goofs
About fifteen minutes into the picture, Mark and Gordon are seen traveling up Mass. Ave. in Cambridge, adjacent to the Harvard campus, and suddenly, they're not on Mass. Ave. anymore, they're on Quincy St., a couple blocks away. Then, just as suddenly, they're right back on Mass Ave., again proceeding through Harvard Square, just as they were before. See more »Quotes
Mark Watson: She told me they have support for people whose parents are poor, but not for those whose parents are assholes.See more »
Connections
Referenced in Todd's Pop Song Reviews: The Top Ten Worst Hit Songs of 1987 (2010) See more »Soundtracks
(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and BlueBy Andy Razaf, Fats Waller (as Thomas Waller), Harry Brooks
Performed by Louis Armstrong
Courtesy of CBS Records
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
its a shame that such an exceptional movie has got an abysmally low rating of less than 5..even after more than 3500 reviews! everything is almost perfect about this picture: casting, story, direction, acting, dialogues, music, overt & subtle social references, humour,thought & intelligence as well as intellectual depth, sense of history...everything. the characters were very endearing even though some were a bit stereotypical but not off the mark and cinematic liberty is important,isn't it! the climax was a bit simplistic and short but still full marks for pulling it off without hiccups.its sad too that such movies are not being made these days. full 10 out of 10 for such a great thinking movie as well as an entertainer!!