Soul Food
Soul Food is a 1997 American comedy-drama film written and directed by George Tillman Jr. in his major studio debut. Featuring an ensemble cast, the film stars Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, Jeffrey D. Sams, Irma P. Hall, Gina Ravera and Brandon Hammond. The story centers on the trials of an extended Black American family, held together by longstanding family traditions which begin to fade as serious problems take center stage.
Plot
Soul Food, told through the eyes of 11-year-old Ahmad, follows the trials of the Joseph family, a close-knit Chicago family that gets together to have Sunday dinner every week, with plenty of soul food to go around. Mother (Big Mama) Joe has three daughters, who each have had varying success in life: oldest daughter Teri has become a successful lawyer but has a strained relationship with younger sister Maxine, Ahmad's mother, who stole and eventually married Teri's former boyfriend, Kenny. Teri is currently married to Miles, a lawyer who quits his job to pursue his dream of being an R&B musician, which Teri doesn't support. Youngest daughter Robin —nicknamed "Bird"—has just opened a barbershop/beauty parlor, and married Lem, an ex-convict.