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Bustin' Loose (1981)

R | | Comedy, Drama | 22 May 1981 (USA)
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 »

Directors:

, (uncredited)

Writers:

(adaptation), (story) | 1 more credit »
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2 wins. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Julio (as Ángel Ramírez)
Jimmy Hughes ...
Edwin DeLeon ...
Edwin Kinter ...
Anthony
Tami Luchow ...
Linda
Janet Wong ...
Annie
Alphonso Alexander ...
Martin
Kia Cooper ...
Samantha
Robert Christian ...
Donald
...
Doctor Wilson T. Renfrew
...
Judge Antonio Runzuli
...
Klan Leader
Fred Carney ...
Alfred Schuyler
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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. Written by Geoffrey A. Middleton <gamidd01@morehead-st.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

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

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

22 May 1981 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Bustin' Loose  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Westrex Recording System)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

According to DVD Talk, "The film sat around gathering dust, until Stir Crazy (1980) came out, made a ton of cash, and prompted the producers to re-shoot sequences and release the film. The end result is a film that was produced before and after Pryor's accident (you can see a physical difference during certain parts of the movie)". See more »

Goofs

When Braxton is sentenced to probation and being dragged out the courtroom, he grabs his coat. He is then dragged out the room. When he rushes back in and yells, you can see his coat lying on the floor outside. She he's pushed back outside the final time, his coat is in his hand again. See more »

Quotes

[last lines]
Donald: Get out. Go on back home.
See more »

Connections

Followed by Bustin' Loose (1987) See more »

Soundtracks

Rollin' On
Written by Roberta Flack & Ira "Buddy" Williams
Performed by the Orchestra
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Good comedy
12 January 2001 | by (Thessaloniki, Greece) – See all my reviews

This is one of those movies that, unless you have too many expectations, turn out to be quite entertaining. It stars Richard Pryor as an ex-con who agrees to transport a teacher (Cicely Tyson) and eight misfit children from Philadelphia to Washington, as part of his probation. Richard Pryor is known for his abilities in physical comedy. Surprisingly enough, the best part of the film are the more emotional scenes, where he gets to interact with the children. However, there are some other scenes, clearly going for the big laughs, that are not as successful, like the one with the KKK or the ones in the bank near the end of the film, and they threaten to spoil the fun. "Bustin' loose" is a good comedy, although it would have been even better if the script had relied more on Pryor's relationship with the children than on the physical comedy parts. It is definitely not a masterpiece, but if you need an evening of relaxation in front of the TV, then this film is for you.

Rating: 7/10, or B1


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