This social farce is excellently written, fast paced and intelligently directed. Film is hilarious throughout.

It has a breezy, unapologetic manner. And it also happens to be funny, which goes a long way toward making up for any underlying obtuseness or insensitivity.

There are some good moments in SOUL MAN, but Gross steals the picture; he has the best lines and makes the most of them.

Howell makes the least convincing black guy ever, his eventual contrition feels hollow and forced — much like the laughs.

At its heart, however, Soul Man is a one-gag story propelled by sitcom material; there are times you'd swear you were watching Lucy. And because the filmmakers really aren't up to their premise, the movie ends on a note of forced harmony that's enough to make the blood run cold. It's a reminder that even good white liberals still aren't sure how to act around black people. Which, come to think of it, would make a fine, socially "relevant" comedy. Perhaps Hollywood will make it someday. [27 Oct 1986, p.C4]