SOUL FOOD (1998)

Some critics saw only the clichés in this warm, fractious drama about how a black family nearly flies apart when its center (grandmother Irma P. Hall) lands in the hospital. And, okay, some of the subplots -- buppie Michael Beach is drawn to his workaholic wife's (Williams) randy cousin (Gina Ravera); newlyweds Long and Mekhi Phifer struggle to overcome his criminal past -- practically have ruts worn into them. But the performances are all skilled, heartfelt, and rich (Brandon Hammond is especially winning as the pint-size narrator), and the film fits cozily into the domestic arena of video. George Tillman Jr. writes and directs with homespun style and a minimum of flash, reminding us that behind a lot of clichés lie simple truths.