Get on the Bus

Director: Spike Lee Spike Lee

Overview

Released one year to the day after the 1995 Million Man March, in which a million African-American men marched peacefully in Washington, D.C. in a bid for greater unity and understanding, Spike Lee's Get On the Bus follows a group of black men who take a charter bus from Los Angeles to the rally in the nation's capital and watches as they interact and air their personal issues and concerns. George (Charles S. Dutton) is the organizer of the trip and de facto leader of the group. Evan Thomas (Thomas Jefferson Byrd) is a truck driver who travels to the march with his son (De'Aundre Bonds) chained to his belt by court order after the boy was arrested for petty theft. Kyle (Isaiah Washington) and Randall (Harry Lennix) are gay lovers who take no small amount of abuse from their fellow passengers. Gary (Roger Guenveur Smith) is the product of a mixed-race marriage who could pass for white but sees himself as black; he's also a cop, which does little to endear him to his peers. Flip (Andre Braugher) is an actor who seems more concerned with getting his next film role than the larger issues of the march. Jamal (Gabriel Casseus) is a good-natured young Muslim trying to lead a righteous life to make up for his violent past as a gang member. A film student (Hill Harper) is capturing the trip on videotape, and Jeremiah (Ossie Davis) sits in the back, reflecting on the struggles of African-Americans in the past and present. Financed by a private group of 15 black American men (among them Will Smith and Wesley Snipes), Get On the Bus speaks less of a single political goal than of the need for black men to set aside their differences to work for their common good. While the film falls short of openly criticizing Million Man March organizer Louis Farrakhan, it does present debate about Farrakhan's ideals and statements, ultimately coming to the conclusion that whoever brought this group together is less important than the fact that they came together in peace and brotherhood.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/23/2021
UPC:	0043396574625
Original Release:	1996
Rating:	R
Source:	SONY
Language:	English
Time:	2:01:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ossie Davis	Jeremiah
Charles Dutton	George
Andre Braugher	Flip
Richard Belzer	Rick
De'Aundre Bonds	Junior
Thomas Jefferson Byrd	Evan Thomas Sr.
Gabriel Casseus	Jamal
Albert Hall	Craig
Harry Lennix	Randall
Hill Harper	Xavier
Bernie Mac	Jay
Wendell Pierce	Wendell
Roger Guenveur Smith	Gary
Isaiah Washington	Kyle,Actor
Steve White	Mike
Joie Lee	Jindal
Kristen Wilson	Shelly
Frank Clem	Jefferson
Bob Orwig	Rodney
Gary Lowery	Mitch
Debra Rogers	Sandy
William Barillaro	Officer Mike
Susan Batson	Dr. Cook
Paula Jai Parker	Jamilia
Gina Ravera	Gina
Jadi McCurdy	Ja-Dee
Hosea Brown III	Doc
Guy Margo	Khalid
Randy Quaid	Actor
Henry B. Walthall	Actor
Reggie Bythewood	Actor
Pierce Wendall	Actor

Technical Credits

Reggie Rock Bythewood

Spike Lee	Director,Executive Producer
Bill Borden	Producer
Reuben Cannon	Producer,Casting
Barry Rosenbush	Producer
Jeff Ward	Stunts
Reggie Rock Bythewood	Screenwriter
Oliver Moss	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Filmgoers who avoided Get on the Bus, expecting a harangue from Spike Lee in support of Louis Farrakhan's Million Man March, missed a good thing. Lee and his writer, Reggie Bythewood, do create the standard bomber crew cast of characters (ex-con, elderly vet of the Civil Rights era, gay couple, vain actor, light-skinned cop, Republican conservative) and mix them together for a cross-country trip, but the dramatic (and occasional comedic) payoff is well worth the setup. Not everyone on the bus is in step with Minister Farrakhan, but everyone does agree that it's time for black men to stand up and literally be counted. Lee allows his cast to become more than a set of talking heads; their back stories are economically sketched in, and by the end of their trip, there's a sense of pleasant familiarity among them and with us. Although Lee was working under limited time and budget constraints, the passion for his subject overcame all obstacles. It's an underrated achievement that deserves a wider audience of all colors.

All Movie Guide - Tom Wiener