In light of Bernie Mac's death in August of this year, Soul Men, one of his final movies, is an ironically bittersweet tribute to the comedian who is its star. The destination that the movie's characters spend almost the entire film trying to reach is a memorial service for a fallen entertainer. Even as they face their own increasing ages and the death of their former band mate, their journey is increasingly driven by the desire to keep on living life to the fullest while they still can. And in the end, through a variety of mishaps and realizations, their trip becomes one of recognizing the very aspects of life that make it worth living.

After the soul band Marcus Hooks and The Real Deal broke up in the 70's, lead singer Marcus Hooks (John Legend) and backup singers Floyd Henderson (Bernie Mac) and Louis Hinds (Samuel L. Jackson) all went their separate ways. In the time it took Marcus to rise to solo stardom, Louis and Floyd produced their first and last duo album, fell to the bottom of the charts, and parted due to irreconcilable "creative differences." As Marcus' star rose higher, Louis' headed the way of the big house, while Floyd's took residence in the carwash business. And some 30 years later, when Marcus dies of a heart attack during one of his performances, the recently-retired Floyd and barely-scraping-by Louis have not crossed paths since their fateful parting many years prior.

Enter the invitation for The Real Deal to return to stage to honor Marcus at a memorial service at the Apollo. Pair it with Floyd's need to do something besides sit around and Louis' willingness to do almost anything for money, and so begins the cross-country road trip of two aging soul men who still have a few things to work out, a few things to learn, and a few more songs to sing.

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