Disney / Pixar
Writer: Peter Docter, Mike Jones
Director: Peter Docter, Kemp Powers
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton
100 Minutes
Animation
Adventure / Comedy
Streaming: Disney Plus / Disney+
In your pursuit of happiness, don't forget to be happy!
I have to start my review by saying, I am not sure this movie will be a big hit with kids. The premise is complex, intricate, and deep. With that said, this was a wonderful movie for adults. Up top with some of my other Disney favorites.
Writer / Director, Peter Docter (UP, INSIDE OUT, MONSTERS INC. WALL-E, TOY STORY, TOY STORY 2), is clearly talented. He knows how to craft stories that impact the heart and demand emotional responses from the viewer. SOUL is no different.
Jamie Foxx portrays Joe. Joe's father was a jazz musician. They shared a love for music. Joe knows his purpose in life is to be a crowd sell-out jazz pianist. Unfortunately, the timing is never right. To pay bills, Joe teaches. Just as he lands a break to perform at a club with a saxophone legend, Joe is badly injured in a freak accident.
Joe resists going to Heaven. He isn't ready to die. Not when his earthly dreams are so close to realization. He finds a way to escape his path. He winds up in a place where souls are being prepped for birth, and their life on earth.
Slated as a Mentor, Joe is assigned 22 (Tina Fey). She has not found her spark. A soul needs a spark before it can be sent to earth as an infant human. Joe knows all about purpose. His purpose is to be a famous jazz pianist. However, purpose and spark are two different things.
As Joe and 22 take off on an unsanctioned adventure, both of them learn something about life. The question is will they discover the truth about sparks and purpose in time to make a difference, or will they be lost souls for all eternity?
22 tells Joe at one time, "Don't worry, they're fine. You can't crush a soul here. That's what life on earth is for."
The movie would have broke records at the box office if the pandemic wasn't interfering so much with fun. The colors, the animation, and the music kill! At times I forgot I was even watching a cartoon. Joe was as real as Jamie Foxx.
SOUL is about life, about Today. It is about stopping and smelling the roses. It is about perspective. It is about selflessness (and not getting so caught up in your own goals that you forget about the more important things in life).
The dialogue is peppered with a liberal amount of Live For Today. You Never Know What Tomorrow May Bring. It is far from subtle, but neither is it preachy. Docter knows how to deliver a purposeful message in a way that will resonate with viewers. It forces one to reflect. I know I did.
An absolutely fantastic film. Fantastic.
Phillip Tomasso
Author of the young adult fantasy novel, Wizards Rise
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