Soul Food

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Soul Food

R

1997

1h 54m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

43 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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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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Rosalind Bentley

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Jan 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.

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Paul Tatara

CNN.com

Mar 17, 2008

An overt desire to please often leaves Tillman relying on force-feeding techniques.

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Mar 17, 2008

Soul Food aims to be a banquet of feelings, but mostly it serves up tripe.

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

Jan 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.

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Sheila Reid

Women in the Life

May 31, 2022

A heartwarming but realistic exploration of complex emotions experienced by members of the family.

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Dec 19, 2018

3/5

'90s family drama has language and sex.

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Charles C

@RT20412555 6 days ago

Faith is so sexy she makes this softcore porno

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Nov 3, 2025

Funny in 1 hour and 54 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Copyright 1997-2025 by 20th Century Studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ages 17 and older!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Mar 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. 💀

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Karl O

@GalwayK Nov 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.

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Sep 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

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DOMONIQUE S

@RT63472886 May 10, 2023

I THINK "SOUL FOOD" IS MY MOTHER'S FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME, NOT MINE.

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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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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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