Themes: Assumed Identities, College Life, Fish Out of Water
Main Cast: C. Thomas Howell, Arye Gross, Rae Dawn Chong, James Earl Jones, Melora Hardin, Leslie Nielsen
Release Year: 1986
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
An ambitious-but -spoiled rich white kid wins a scholarship to Harvard Law School by pretending to be African-American in this broadly-played comedy. After his father cuts him off financially, Mark Watson (C. Thomas Howell) wins a full tuition scholarship to Harvard by claiming to be African-American on the application form. With the help of his best friend Gordon (Arye Gross), Mark acquires some bronzing pills, a new hairdo, and a lowered voice. Disguised as a black student, Mark thinks that he's going to breeze through the program. The reality of being a minority at a mostly white institution quickly catches up to him, however, when he encounters some tacit racism and falls for Sarah Walker (Rae Dawn Chong), a fellow student whose affection makes him feel guilty about his ruse. Then there's the imperious Professor Banks (James Earl Jones), an African-American instructor who expects him to perform at a higher level than the other students. Soul Man was written by Carol Black and directed by Steve Miner, who would collaborate again for the popular television series The Wonder Years (1988-93). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
James B. Sikking - William Watson; Max Wright - Dr. Aronson; Jeff Altman - Ray McGrady; Jonathan [Fudge] Leonard - George Walker; Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Lisa Stinson; Betty Cole - Mrs. Walker; M.C. Gainey - Man in Cell; Donald Hotton - Mr. Wicher; Amy Stock-Poynton - Girl in Bed; Wally Ward - Barky Brewer; Jonathan Wise - Andrew; Freddie Dawson - D.J.; Linda Hoy - Mrs. Sherwood; Paul O'Brien - Officer Schkolnick; Ann Walker - Mrs. Dunbar; Melissa Skoff; David Reynolds
Credit
Bernie Goldmann - Associate Producer, Carol Black - Co-producer, Neal Marlens - Co-producer, Sharon Simonaire - Costume Designer, Steve Miner - Director, David Finfer - Editor, Tom Scott - Composer (Music Score), Don Diers - Production Designer, Gregg Fonseca - Production Designer, John Reinhart - Production Designer, Jeff Jur - Cinematographer, Steve Tisch - Producer, Donna Smith - Producer, Dorree Cooper - Set Designer, Carol Black - Screenwriter, Neal Marlens - Screenwriter
The movie's protagonist is Mark Watson (Howell), the single pampered son from a rich family who is about to attend Harvard Law School along with his best friend Gordon (Gross). However, all of a sudden his father's neurotic psychiatrist talks his patient into having more fun for himself instead of spending money on his son. Faced with the horrifying prospect of having to pay for law school by himself, Mark decides to take up a scholarship, but the only suitable one is for blacks only. So he decides to cheat: by using tanning pills in a larger dose than prescribed to appear as an African-American, he sets out for Harvard, naively believing that nowadays blacks have no problems at all in American society.
However, once immersed in a black student's life, Mark finds that people are less lenient than he imagined and more prone to see him as a black instead of a fellow student. He meets a young African-American student named Sarah Walker (Chong), whom he first only flirts with; gradually, however, he genuinely falls in love with her. As it turns out, she was the original candidate for the scholarship which he had usurped, and now she has to work hard as a waitress to support herself and her little son George while studying. Slowly, Mark begins to regret his deed, and after a totally chaotic day - in which Sarah, his parents (who are not aware of his double life) and his ethnophilic co-student Whitney, who is also his landlord's daughter (Melora Hardin), drop in for surprise visits at the same time - he drops the charade and openly reveals himself to be white.
The film ends with Mark declaring to his professor (Jones) that he wishes to pay back the scholarship and do charity work to make amends for his act of fraud, and Sarah decides to give him another chance.
Controversy
In 1986 when the film was released it caused a big stir up among the African-American community because throughout most of the film C. Thomas Howell is in blackface make up.[1]
References
^ Voland, John. "NAACP, Black Students Protest Film `Soul Man'" Los Angeles Times October 29, 1986.
