Critic Reviews
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To its credit, "Soul Food" doesn't stop to explain everything to us. The decision to let viewers pick things up as the show proceeds keeps it from getting bogged down in obvious, clumsy, drama-killing exposition. The result is truer and more natural dialogue, better pacing, events that unfold slowly to engage viewers more completely, and characters whose personalities are revealed by what they do and say in the context of their immediate situations. [27 Jun 2000]
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You don't have to have seen "Soul Food," the movie, to get right into it. [28 Jun 2000]
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"Soul Food" arrives at full boil. It's a cross between "Sisters" and "Providence" and better written than both.
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The small-screen version is more than faithful to the delicious and heartwarming drama that was the main course of the low-budget 1997 hit. [27 Jun 2000]
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The plots of the two episodes available for review were standard and sometimes underdeveloped soap staples, but they're well handled by the attractive cast. [28 Jun 2000]
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There's nothing wrong with sex, but much of it seems gratuitous here, thrown in not because it's required to tell the story but to needlessly indulge in the freedom that pay cable affords. It detracts from the heartwarming story rather than embellishes it, pandering to viewers as if the people at Showtime feared no one would watch unless there were at least a few "booty call" references. [28 Jun 2000]
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"Soul Food" has its share of soap-opera moments and predictable story threads. ... But the moments in "Soul Food" that bode best for the series' future are the ones that don't try so hard, that show the Josephs struggling to remain a family despite the forces pulling them apart. It's moments like those that give their story strength and should keep viewers anxious to find out what happens next. [28 Jun 2000]
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As with most nighttime soap operas, the young-and-restless plot turns come fast and furious and without many nuances, from the sick infant to the two-timing husband. But the characters are so likable, the acting is so effortless, the family feel is so natural, and the look of the show is so pleasingly stylized, you probably won't care too much. [28 Jun 2000]
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With a sexy, sumptuous look, "Soul Food" is that rare series that enhances and expands on the movie from which it draws its inspiration. Unfortunately, the show also shares the film's most troubling trait: It's a wonderful product about family, but it isn't appropriate for family viewing. [25 Jun 2000]
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"Soul Food" shows us the range of the African-American experience within the confines of a single family, and most of the time it works well. [23 Jun 2000]
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A textured drama ... Intelligence takes precedence over "sassiness." [25 Jun 2000]
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While it's great that series like these can find a home on pay cable, it's a shame they feel the need to live up to the adult reputation most cable series have. "Soul Food" the series continues the unfortunate R-rated tradition of "Soul Food" the movie. [26 Jun 2000]
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There are a lot of characters and budding plotlines crowding the "Soul Food" pilot, which give it a disjointed feel at times (It tales a while to sort things out). In addition, the deployment of Ahmad as a sporadic narrator comes off as rather clumsy. ... But "Soul Food" eventually gains traction and becomes thoroughly involving especially by its second episode. [26 Jun 2000]
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Plenty spicy series “Soul Food” dishes up even more sex and drama than the 1997 hit movie it is based on, while retaining the look and feel that made the saga of the Joseph family so appealing on the bigscreen.
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"Soul Food" the series differs from the film in that it replaces romance with nudity and sex. The actors were good and the premiere episode was believable, but let's leave something to the imagination. [26 Jun 2000]
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Soul Food is inconsistent, but it whets the appetite.
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It looks as if "Soul Food" could, after a pallid beginning, develop into a more substantial offering. [27 Jun 2000]
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It's pleasant enough, but unremarkable. Although from the same production team, it doesn't approach the warmth, tenderness, charm and seamlessness of the 1997 film.
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Every performance is strong, and the writing is solid. Unfortunately, "Soul Food" has succumbed to premium-cable syndrome, including extremely graphic sex scenes that will put off many viewers who might otherwise have enjoyed it. [28 Jun 2000]
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There are things to like about the new Showtime series "Soul Food" ... It's just that the writing, the editing and the camera work are not chief among them. ... The series's aims are laudable. But ultimately, it's the execution, not the intent, that will make it a meal. [28 Jun 2000]
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