Get on the Bus (1996)

A disparate group of African-American men travel by bus to Washington, DC for the Million Man March.

Director:

Spike Lee

Writer:

Reggie Rock Bythewood

Stars:

Ossie Davis, Charles S. Dutton, Andre Braugher

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Belzer	...	Rick
De'aundre Bonds	...	Junior, aka 'Smooth'
Andre Braugher	...	Flip
Thomas Jefferson Byrd	...	Evan Thomas Sr.
Gabriel Casseus	...	Jamal
Albert Hall	...	Craig
Hill Harper	...	Xavier
Harry Lennix	...	Randall
Bernie Mac	...	Jay
Wendell Pierce	...	Wendell
Roger Guenveur Smith	...	Gary
Isaiah Washington	...	Kyle
Steve White	...	Mike
Ossie Davis	...	Jeremiah
Charles S. Dutton	...	George

Storyline

Get on the Bus follows several Black men on a cross country bus trip to the Million Man March. On the bus are an eclectic set of characters including a laid off aircraft worker, a former Gang Banger, a Hollywood actor, a cop who is of mixed racial background, and a White bus driver, all make the trek discussing issues surrounding the march, manhood, religion, politics, and race.

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Plot Keywords:

road movie | bus | march | million man march | religion | 

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Taglines:

On October 16, 1996, the one year anniversary of the Million Man March, Spike Lee invites you to lift your head, raise your voice, and...get on the bus.

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Auf engstem Raum

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,156,409, 20 October 1996

Gross USA:

$5,754,249

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,754,249

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, 15 Black Men, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hill Harper played a 19 year old in the movie although he was 30 in real life.

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Goofs

While driving from South Los Angeles to Washington DC, the bus takes the Pasadena Freeway north from downtown LA. This freeway ends in Pasadena and is not the way one would travel across the country. Furthermore, a bus of this size would not be permitted on this freeway.

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Quotes

Randall: [after Kyle changes seat] I DO MIND THAT YOU'RE NOT MAN ENOUGH TO ADMIT YOU DON'T LOVE ME!
Junior, aka 'Smooth': [bus Passengers react] Great, we goin' to the million man march with a bunch of homos.
Jeremiah: The bible says homosexuality is an abomination, but still I ask myself what would I do if my son was gay or worse, what would I do if I was the one born that way.
Flip: Tell me I didn't just here what I think I did
Xavier: What?
Flip: He just said "You're not man enough to admit you don't love me to him"
Xavier: So?
Flip: There's faggots on the bus!
Xavier: So ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

Recumbent riders: Carol and Ken Lyon, who just happened to ride through the set on their Cross-Country Ramble from Ventura, CA, to Galveston, TX.

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Connections

Spoofed in Frisky Dingo: The Debate: Part 1 (2007)

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Soundtracks

The Remedy
Written by Q-Tip, Ali JD and Common
Used by permission of Zomba Music Publishing
Performed by A Tribe Called Quest Featuring Common
A Tribe Called Quest appears courtesy of Jive Records
Common appears courtesy of Relativity Recordings

User Reviews

Excellent, Highly Underrated Film

I always intended to watch this movie for a long time but I kept putting it off. I was really surprised at how excellent and well-written this movie actually was. If you enjoy films where a group of diverse people are put into a situation and then left to deal with each other (eg "Twelve Angry Men"), then you must see this movie.

This film was also very intelligent. I think too many people believe that if you get a group of black men together for anything, they'll soon be calling each other "nigga" and violence will erupt, not necessarily in that order. About halfway through the movie, I told my wife that the n-word had not been used at all, and no punches had been thrown.

But I was wrong.

What made it even more interesting was the way the men responded to the person who called everyone "nigga," and there was a fight, which occurred between a homosexual and an arrogant, big-mouthed guy who kept calling him "faggot." I don't condone violence, but the gay guy knocked him down a peg or two, and he certainly had it coming.

This film also solidifies Andre Braugher as an incredible actor. He has taken on such diverse roles and here, he was outstanding. So many of these actors were. Almost every scenario and discussion is covered in two hours well spent.