Holy crap, Soul Food was a show?!?!? Wait, let me rephrase that to even more unbelievable standards. Holy crap, Soul Food the show lasted for a lot of seasons? I’ve never really seen too much of Soul Food in either small box or large screen viewing, but amazingly I’ve been transformed into the resident critic of all things “African”, as Seth Rogen said in Superbad. I don’t have a problem with it, I’m just waiting for my improved athletic skills and membership card, that’s all.
For those not familiar with Soul Food, the tale is pretty simple. Based on George Tillman’s 1997, the show centers around the sisters of a family. There’s Teri (Nicole Ari Parker, Boogie Nights), Tracy (Malinda Williams, Idlewild) and Maxine (Vanessa Williams, Melrose Place). They occasionally fight, but they are family and are shown with their strengths and weaknesses. This season was supposed to be particularly strong, coming off of a cliffhanger to end Season One.
Over the course of the season, a lot occurs, to be sure. The ladies’ boyfriends/husbands play a part in their development, among them is Kenny (Rockmund Dunbar, Prison Break), who doesn’t treat Maxine right at all. There’s also Lem (Darrin Dewitt Henson, Stomp the Yard) who is with Tracy but doesn’t appear to pay enough attention to her.
While the actors do capable work in the show, and they do, it really gives me the impression that their characters and storylines are simply nothing more than those found in an Eric Jerome Dickey novel or something. You know, the women who are neglected by their men get their own independence, regardless of the circumstance. Is it guilty storylines and TV watching for black women? Well, you didn’t ask me that part.
Video
On the earlier seasons of shows, you’re pretty much stuck with the 4×3 framing on these and that’s about it. The picture looks as clear as it’s going to get, with an occasional case of edge enhancement, but it’s fine otherwise. The back of the case says “some episodes may be edited from their original network versions”, which to me sounds like they’ve been trimmed. As to what or how long a trim, I don’t know, having never seen the show before, but if you’ve watched the show for awhile, take note of this.
Audio
Nothing really aside from this here Dolby Stereo Track. Everything sounds fine and there’s very little in the way of sonic obstruction. A word to die hard fans of the show: there are apparently some musical exclusions. As to what they are, I don’t know, but buyer beware.
Special Features
Nothing I could find, but quite honestly, I wasn’t actively looking, so what do you want?
Closing Thoughts
If you’ve loved Soul Food then you’re probably ecstatic to see these hit DVD shelves. But think about it for a second; the audio and video are OK, but some, maybe all of the episodes could be clipped, and no one cared enough to retain all of the musical material from the shows, so they sound a touch out of place. If I’m a fan, I start an online petition pronto. If I’m a novice to it all, then I’d say it’s OK with an eye towards renting it more than buying.
