Soul Man (1986)

Directed by

Steve Miner

Genre

comedy film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 44m

Rated

PG-13

Rating

5.2 of 10 from 169 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A white law student dyes his skin dark to get a scholarship meant for black students. He pretends to be black to get through school.

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What happens

Soul Man is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Steve Miner and written by Carol L. Black. C. Thomas Howell stars as a white male law student who pretends to be black in order to qualify for a scholarship. Its title refers to the song of the same name by Isaac Hayes and David Porter; the original soundtrack includes a version performed by Sam Moore and Lou Reed. The film garnered controversy due to Howell's makeup drawing comparisons to blackface, which prompted protests against the film upon its release. Despite the controversy and negative reviews from critics, Soul Man was a commercial success, grossing $35 million on a $4.5 million budget. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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