Soul Men - Upcoming Movie Featuring Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes

When one of his final flicks, Soul Men, is released, Bernie Mac will not only be remembered for his comedic acting chops, but also his great singing voice.
Yes, his singing voice.

"He definitely can carry a tune," the movie's director Malcolm D. Lee told me this morning. "He does a great falsetto in the movie, and a baritone and alto as well. He has a range. He plays a range of emotions in the film as well as octaves."

In the November flick, Mac and Samuel L. Jackson star as soul singers who agree to reunite and perform at a tribute for their recently deceased band leader after being estranged for a couple of decades.

"They do their own singing and their own dancing in the film," says Lee. "You get the opportunity to see both of these guys go for it in a real way that's fun and energetic."

Mac and Jackson will be included on the movie's soundtrack. "We prerecorded five songs with Sam and Bernie," Lee says. "One of them is original, and the rest of them are covers." (Lee declined to reveal which covers, because he'd like to keep it a surprise.)

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Lee last spoke to Mac on the final day of shooting in April. "When I went to shake his hand and tell him how much I loved him and what a great job he did, he hugged me back and looked me in the eye and said, 'Make a great film, man,' " Lee remembered. "I promised him that I would."

Lee also has special memories of Isaac Hayes. The music legend plays himself in Soul Men. "He was written into the script as himself," Lee said. "When I came on, they asked, 'Do you want him in the movie?' and I was like, 'Of course.' Not to include him in the movie would have been sacrilege. I had to have Isaac in the film."

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