Soul Man (1986)

To achieve his dream of attending Harvard, a pampered teen poses as a young black man to receive a full scholarship.

Director:

Steve Miner

Writer:

Carol Black

Stars:

C. Thomas Howell, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross

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

Storyline

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and now, the party is over for the carefree, pampered, and very white California kid, Mark Watson. As a result, with his self-made millionaire father refusing to pay the tuition to attend the prestigious Harvard Law School, Mark's only hope rests on a full scholarship intended for an African-American applicant, and a bunch of tanning pills. Now, with his curly perm and the dark complexion, Mark can fraudulently make his dream come true; however, has Mark ever considered the ramifications, moral and legal, of his deception?

---

Plot Keywords:

white man as black man | passing for black | white pretending to be black | white male pretending to be black | racial stereotype | 

---

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.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

---

Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

C. Thomas Howell had to wear colored contacts when his skin was toned to look black. His eyes are normally a goldish color and really stood out once his skin was darkened.

---

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.

---

Quotes

Mark Watson: Mom! Dad! There's something I have to tell you... I'm black.

---

Connections

Referenced in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Dee Reynolds: Shaping America's Youth (2010)

---

Soundtracks

Black Girls
By Jay Gruska, Paul Gordon, Rae Dawn Chong
Performed by Rae Dawn Chong

User Reviews

Best Opening Scene ever

The jokes keep coming and they are funny. From the Cosbys to colleges to Canadian Mounties they are oh so funny.

A few actors and actresses got their real starts ere too. Enjoy!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Imposter

Filming Locations:

Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,422,179, 26 October 1986

Gross USA:

$27,820,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$27,820,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Balcor Film Investors, Steve Tisch Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1