Soul Man (1986) on Netflix
Mark Watson's parents spend his Harvard Law School money on a timeshare. Barred from other aid, he uses tanning pills to appear black and claim a scholarship for African-American students.
- Netflix1.8/5
- IMDb5.3/109,961 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes17%
Trailer
Plot summary
Mark Watson, a recent college graduate from Beverly Hills, plans to attend Harvard Law School on money his wealthy parents saved for him. They spend it instead on a timeshare, and the family's income closes other aid to him. The one scholarship he finds is reserved for an academically exceptional African-American applicant from California. A friend who works as a pharmaceutical technician supplies experimental tanning pills, and Mark takes more than the suggested dose. His best friend, Gordon Bloomfeld, is also headed to Harvard.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Soul Man (1986)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The NAACP spoke out against Soul Man and an African American student group at UCLA picketed a cinema showing it, over the make-up used to make a white actor appear African American, which many compared to blackface.
- Before C. Thomas Howell took the part, producer Steve Tisch offered the lead role of Mark Watson, the white law student who poses as black, to Anthony Michael Hall, Tim Robbins, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer and John Cusack, all of whom declined.
