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Soul Food

Play trailer Poster for Soul Food R 1997 1h 54m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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82% Tomatometer 45 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
When Ahmad Simmons' (Brandon Hammond) diabetic grandmother, Josephine Big Mama Joseph (Irma P. Hall), falls into a coma during an operation to amputate her leg, it throws the Joseph family into chaos. Ahmad watches as his mother, Maxine (Vivica A. Fox), and aunts Teri (Vanessa L. Williams) and Tracy (Nia Long) struggle to adjust to the family matriarch's sudden absence, fall into old rivalries, share memories, and work to maintain the long-standing tradition of Sunday family dinners.

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Soul Food

Soul Food

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Critics Consensus

Much like the titular cuisine, Soul Food blends a series of savory ingredients to offer warm, generous helpings of nourishment and comfort.

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Critics Reviews

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Rosalind Bentley Minneapolis Star Tribune 01/26/2022
3.5/5
A feast for the eye and a tug at the heart -- that is writer/director George Tillman Jr.s' new film, Soul Food. Go to Full Review Paul Tatara CNN.com 03/17/2008
An overt desire to please often leaves Tillman relying on force-feeding techniques. Go to Full Review Richard Corliss TIME Magazine 03/17/2008
Soul Food aims to be a banquet of feelings, but mostly it serves up tripe. Go to Full Review Dan DiNicola The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY) 01/10/2023
B+
This movie could have sunk to soap opera melodrama. But Tillman really cares about each multidimensional character. As a result, the film resonates. Go to Full Review Sheila Reid Women in the Life 05/31/2022
A heartwarming but realistic exploration of complex emotions experienced by members of the family. Go to Full Review Barbara Shulgasser Common Sense Media 12/19/2018
3/5
'90s family drama has language and sex. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 Nov 3 Funny in 1 hour and 54 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Copyright 1997-2025 by 20th Century Studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ages 17 and older!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more 03/23/2024 So good! Great performances and a heart-warming story. Watching this in 2024 though…one part didn’t age well. The movie is called Soul food and it was because of that Soul food that the grandma got diabetes and died. 💀 See more Karl O @GalwayK 11/24/2023 This movie would have been better titled Crock Pot. You throw a mess of ridiculousness in a pot, let it simmer for 115 long minutes, then have it boil over into unlikely and silly goo. And you end up with this flavorless paste of loud soap opera. And Christ - that dreadful score - my ears are still bleeding from the sound of saccharin. See more 09/27/2023 Over 25 years old and I remember watching parts of it in middle school for film class Love its look at dysfunctional black families The title actually derives from the early days of slavery when blacks didn't have a lot to celebrate so cooking was their expression of love and appreciation The three female leads Vivica A. Fox, Vanessa Williams, and Nia Long do tremendously But it's really Brandon Hammond that makes it gel together Great nourishment and comfort all around See more DOMONIQUE S @RT63472886 05/10/2023 I THINK "SOUL FOOD" IS MY MOTHER'S FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME, NOT MINE. See more thiago s @Thiagostone 08/17/2022 Filme legal, o roteiro é bacana, o filme mostra uma família reunida que tinha uma avó ahmad Simmons que quando ela foi para o hospital, e a família começou a dar mais duro em casa sem ela, e depois o filme teve cenas dramáticas como a morte da avó ahmad (big mama) e no final todos se reuniram para um jantar de despedida para big mama. See more Read all reviews
Soul Food

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Cast & Crew

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George Tillman Jr.

Director

Vanessa Williams

Teri

Vivica A. Fox

Maxine

Nia Long

Bird

Michael Beach

Miles

Mekhi Phifer

Lem

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Soul Food

Soul Food (1997) Soul Food (1997) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When Ahmad Simmons' (Brandon Hammond) diabetic grandmother, Josephine Big Mama Joseph (Irma P. Hall), falls into a coma during an operation to amputate her leg, it throws the Joseph family into chaos. Ahmad watches as his mother, Maxine (Vivica A. Fox), and aunts Teri (Vanessa L. Williams) and Tracy (Nia Long) struggle to adjust to the family matriarch's sudden absence, fall into old rivalries, share memories, and work to maintain the long-standing tradition of Sunday family dinners.
Director
George Tillman Jr.
Producer
Tracey Edmonds, Robert Teitel
Screenwriter
George Tillman Jr.
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Fox 2000 Pictures, Edmonds Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 26, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$43.5M
Runtime
1h 54m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital
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