It is always a tragedy when a film has to be released posthumously after the untimely demise of an actor, but it also makes its viewing incredibly captivating. The summer of 2008 saw what was arguably the greatest posthumous performance since James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause,” when Heath Ledger took on the role of The Joker. The aura that his death created elevated his devilish portrayal in “The Dark Knight” from a simple Oscar nod to an unforgettable, legendary performance. While a fallen actor may add a new and chilling element to a seedy superhero tale, it’s a little bit harder to swallow in a comedy.
Bernie Mac was hilarious, which made his unexpected death last August seem like a cruel joke. With nearly 30 films and a successful sitcom under his belt, Mac left us with a wealth of top-notch material. But with two movies currently out in theaters, “Soul Men” and “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa,” it doesn’t seem like ol’ Bernie was done just yet.
Sure, Mac might have laid a couple big fat rotten eggs in his time – “Mr. 3000” and “Guess Who” come to mind – but this dude was an original king of comedy. He made bits about beating his kids sound like poetry. He threw out the book of grammar by using the word “motherfucker” as a noun, an adjective and a split infinitive all in the same sentence. Hell, he even intentionally jinxed the Cubs when he sang during the stretch in the 2004 NLCS – just because he was a White Sox fan.
His stand-up ranks among the greats; he was fantastic in “Friday,” “Bad Santa” and the “Ocean” movies, his show was consistent and long-running, and “The Players Club” may be his best thing ever, but “Soul Men?” Ehhh.
“Soul Men” is the buddy pic starring Mac and Samuel L. Jackson about two former backup soul singers who reluctantly agree to do a reunion tour after not speaking to each other in 20 years. It’s often profane and has a lot of breasts and swear words, but in all honesty, if Mac hadn’t died, it’d simply be Jackson’s most forgettable film since “Lakeview Terrace.”
After Mac and fellow co-star Isaac “Chef” Hayes died last summer, Soul Men was drastically re-edited to lighten the tone of the film. The movie was still pretty dark, as much of it was simply Mac and “L” throwing insults at one another. I can’t imagine what the original cut was like – it was probably better. Mac is strong in his performance, as always, but the movie is just too formulaic and unoriginal for it to really demand a viewing. Definitely worth a Netflix, though.
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