Bustin' Loose (1981)

Joe Braxton is an ex-con who has been given a second chance to freedom after violating his probation. He has been hired by a school teacher named Vivian Perry to repair and drive an old ... See full summary »

Director:

Oz Scott

Writers:

Lonne Elder III (adaptation), Richard Pryor (story),

Stars:

Richard Pryor, Cicely Tyson, Ángel Ramírez

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Pryor	...	Joe Braxton
Cicely Tyson	...	Vivian Perry
Ángel Ramírez	...	Julio
Jimmy Hughes	...	Harold
Edwin DeLeon	...	Ernesto
Edwin Kinter	...	Anthony
Tami Luchow	...	Linda
Janet Wong	...	Annie
Alphonso Alexander	...	Martin
Kia Cooper	...	Samantha
Robert Christian	...	Donald
George Coe	...	Doctor Wilson T. Renfrew
Bill Quinn	...	Judge Antonio Runzuli
Roy Jenson	...	Klan Leader
Fred Carney	...	Alfred Schuyler

Storyline

Joe Braxton is an ex-con who has been given a second chance to freedom after violating his probation. He has been hired by a school teacher named Vivian Perry to repair and drive an old school bus and drive a group of Special kids to Ms. Perry's Washington Farm from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to give them a new home after The Clarmont Center for Children is shut down by the city. The kids have severe mental problems and Joe is not looking forward to the trip at all, but Joe later bonds with Vivian and the children, offering his support and love and changes his outlook on life. But Donald, the social worker and Vivian's lover who gave Joe his break is hot on their tail and wants Joe back in prison. Joe and Vivian must now prevent Donald from sending the children back to Philidelphia where they'll have no future.

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Plot Keywords:

school | farm | teacher | bus | mentally challenged | 

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Taglines:

He's mad, he's bad, and he's Bustin' Loose!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Family Dreams

Filming Locations:

Ellensburg, Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Richard Pryor Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's opening title card read "Philadelphia".

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Goofs

In several shots during the movie, the actors appear in the red interior of the probation officer's Cadillac Seville. At the end of the movie they flip flop back and forth between a car with red interior and a car with white interior. (Very obviously when Richard Pryor opens the door while sitting in car it is red, when he gets out it's white.)

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Quotes

Joe Braxton: [yelling at the kids after they learned of the possible farm loss and are whining amongst themselves] Shut up!
Ernesto: [to Joe] Go take a hike!
Joe Braxton: [smacks him across the face hard enough to knock him down] Shut up!

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Connections

Referenced in Sleaze (1982)

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Soundtracks

"Hittin' Me Where It Hurts"
Written by William D. Smith & Kathy Wakefield
Performed by Roberta Flack

User Reviews

A nice family comedy

This is a really nice film. I bought it on DVD and saw it last night. I had seen it various times through the years. Last night was the first time I had seen it in along time. Without Richard Pryor it could have been an after school special. I have always liked Richard Pryor in his films, he always played a normal human being, he never got into the supercop comedies like Eddie Murphy did. Pryor showed in this film that he could be tender as well as funny. It is a little gem of movie, very lite, but very funny and heartwarming.

Grade: B