Considering Soul Men represents the final screen work of both Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, it would be nice to report that it is worthy of their talents. It's not.

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In yet another variation on the shopworn road picture in which two mismatched former buddies are forced to cross the country together, Soul Men's uneasy brand of overly broad humor and contrived situations is saved intermittently by some cool musical numbers. But alas, it's not enough. Louis (Samuel L. Jackson) and Floyd (Bernie…

There's a shining moment in this uneven spin on Grumpy Old Men when Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson, playing feuding backup singers on an R&B comeback tour, stop in the desert to change a flat tire. Instead, they break into an impromptu version of the soul classic "I'm Your Puppet," riffing off each other with waves of affection that flow right off the screen. Mac died shortly after wrapping the movie, as did Isaac Hayes, who does a cameo as himself. Soul Men is a chance to salute these masters…