Review: Soul Men

Two long-retired soul singers go on the road for five days, driving from L.A. to The Apollo in a vintage Caddy with a pistol and a supply of Viagra. There’s a VH-1 broadcast of a memorial service for their recently departed lead singer. And they get a slot on stage. This is mild entertainment for the middle-of-the-road tastes of the AARP set. Nostalgia with a heavy rotation of “motherfucka”s is affectionately peddled by the duo of Louis (Samuel L. Jackson) and Floyd (Bernie Mac). Director Malcolm D. Lee (“The Best Man,” “Undercover Brother,” “Roll, Bounce”) lets this couple humor themselves in a script by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone. There’s a throwaway line linking Missy Elliott and T.S. Eliot, although an intern or assistant art director could not spell “its” on a marquee where the Soul Men play a comeback gig. The film’s theme is underscored and upstaged by the end credit dedication to the late Bernie Mac and the late Isaac Hayes, who plays himself in the storyline. With Sharon Leal, Sean Hayes, Adam Herschman, Affion Crockett, Mo’Nique, Cedric the Entertainer, Michael Clarke Duncan and Mike Epps. 103m. (Bill Stamets)