Critics Scoreboard
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Average Critic Score:
49
(23 sources)
49
(23 sources)
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75
ReelViews
There's nothing quite like watching Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac performing at a hoedown and getting into it with the audience. Read Full Review » -
75
Chicago Sun-Times
This movie has a lot of good music in it, some on the soundtrack, some on the screen. Jackson and Bernie Mac have enormous fun doing intricate dance moves together. Read Full Review » -
70
The Hollywood Reporter
This contemporary riff on "The Sunshine Boys" generally manages to succeed anyway, thanks to the entertaining performances by Mac and co-star Samuel L. Jackson and its generous doses of raucous humor and sweet soul music. Read Full Review » -
70
Variety
There's a nice chemistry between Mac and Samuel L. Jackson in this latest variant of the road movie, which contains comedic elements but actually works better as a drama. Read Full Review » -
70
Village Voice
Mac and Jackson carry the show--particularly Mac, who's at his crackly, cranky best here. As swan songs go, Soul Men is pretty sweet. Read Full Review » -
63
Chicago Tribune
The funniest bit in the crude but diverting Soul Men really makes you miss Bernie Mac, who died in August, a few months after completing the picture. Read Full Review » -
63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Jackson gets by mostly on bluster, but that doesn't matter because he serves mostly as a foil to Mac's popeyed shake-and-bake antics. Read Full Review » -
63
USA Today
The material doesn't consistently do justice to their talents, but the movie is worth seeing for their chemistry and for the Motown-infused soundtrack. Read Full Review » -
63
Rolling Stone
Soul Men is a chance to salute these masters of mirth and music. Take it. Read Full Review » -
63
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63
Baltimore Sun
Soul Men isn't much of a movie, but it bubbles along and reaches its percolating high point at the very end. Read Full Review » -
60
The New York Times
A raucous, rambling comedy, offering some laughs, some groans and a feast for fans of the musical idioms it mocks and celebrates. Read Full Review » -
60
New York Daily News
The script is basically a retread of every other AARP comedy, from "Grumpy Old Men" to "Wild Hogs." The laughs, in other words, are of the Viagra and kidney stone variety. Read Full Review » -
50
Entertainment Weekly
Soul Men could have done with less amped-up abrasiveness and more soft-shoe charm. Read Full Review » -
50
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The movie also qualifies as a kind of low-rent, male version of "Dreamgirls," but -- while many of the numbers are pleasant -- it doesn't have the moxie to work as a musical. Read Full Review » -
50
Boston Globe
There are two reasons to put up with Soul Men, and that's the soul men themselves. Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac appear to be having a good time, and for most of this raunchy, poorly orchestrated buddy comedy, that's enough. Read Full Review » -
50
Chicago Reader
Mac was a magnetic performer with a long history of redeeming mediocre movies; unfortunately this is another one. Read Full Review » -
50
San Francisco Chronicle
Needless to say, Soul Men has a lot to overcome in its effort to be funny. Read Full Review » -
40
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40
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40
Austin Chronicle
Whenever Soul Men is in need of a jolt of energy, these two poets of profanity are always ready with rapid-fire, mean-spirited rants that would make the writers of "Deadwood" blush. Read Full Review » -
38
New York Post
If you insist on seeing Soul Men, stick around during the closing credits for the best part of the movie, an interview with Mac. Read Full Review » -
0
The Onion (A.V. Club)
For all its crudeness and desperation, Soul Men can't scare up a single laugh. Read Full Review »
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