Soul Food (1997)

One person can keep a family together and, when that one person is gone, a family can be torn apart.

Director:

George Tillman Jr.

Writer:

George Tillman Jr.

Stars:

Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long

6 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vanessa Williams	...	Teri (as Vanessa L. Williams)
Vivica A. Fox	...	Maxine
Nia Long	...	Bird
Michael Beach	...	Miles
Mekhi Phifer	...	Lem
Brandon Hammond	...	Ahmad
Jeffrey D. Sams	...	Kenny
Gina Ravera	...	Faith
Irma P. Hall	...	Mother Joe
Carl Wright	...	Reverend Williams
Mel Jackson	...	Simuel
Morgan Méchelle Smith	...	Kelly
John M. Watson Sr.	...	Uncle Pete
M.T. Alexander	...	Jada
Lawrence Petty	...	Harome

Storyline

Matriarch Mama Joe has held her family together for 40 years around a Sunday dinner of soul food. When diabetes hospitalizes her, the dinners stop and tensions among her three daughters start to break the family apart. Two of the sisters feud continuously: Teri is jealous of Maxine's marriage and irritated that everyone assumes her corporate salary is open to the rest of the family's uses. Maxine resents Teri's bossiness and insensitivity to family tradition. Bird, the youngest, newly married to an ex-con, accepts a favor from an old lover that leads to her husband's arrest. Mama Joe's grandson Ahmad cooks up a scheme to bring the family together, back to the table.

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Plot Keywords:

loss of grandmother | sister | 1990s | food in title | family relationships | 

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Taglines:

A story of the people who make us strong and the recipe that makes us a family.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some strong sexuality and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

George Tillman originally wanted 8mm footage for the opening credits instead of the childhood pictures, but because of the budget they couldn't get as much footage as they wanted.

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Goofs

When Bird's co-workers are attacking Lem when he comes out the bathroom, he's wearing boxers under his towel.

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Quotes

Bird: I just wanted to say thank you for always being there and supporting me.
Maxine: You're my sister, girl.

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Alternate Versions

The first version of this movie that George Tillman Jr made was entitled Spice of Life. It was released on a local cable access channel in Milwaukee, WI.

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Connections

Referenced in Gloria (1999)

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Soundtracks

My Girl
Written by Smokey Robinson (as William Robinson Jr.) and Ronald White

User Reviews

Yum...

I love this movie.

I just saw it for the first time and could kick myself for waiting so

long. Brandon Hammond is a hoot and Viveca A. Fox was wonderful. It is

so nice to see a movie centered around an African-American family that

wasn't about hoods or hip-hop. Every family, black or white or

whatever, can identify with the kinds of problems this family had.

There is a poignant, endearing quality to this movie that just appealed

to me and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a "feel-good" fix

without the sweet-as-saccharine quality so many movies have.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Soul Food

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,197,897, 28 September 1997

Gross USA:

$43,700,855

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$43,700,855

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, Edmonds Entertainment Group (EEG)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1