Get on the Bus

Get On The Bus is probably one greatest movies people do NOT know about. This movie places men of all ages and different backgrounds together headed to The Million Man March. Although many may not relate to Farrakhan and his beliefs, they will, however, be educated on issues of race, unity, and respect. Regardless of skin color or ethnic background, people can easily relate to the characters on-screen. If anything, Get On The Bus will teach anyone to have a deeper love and appreciation of our fellow man.

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.

Like most of Spike Lee's films, "Get on the bus" is first and foremost a refreshing alternative to the wave of black-on-black violence cinema started by "Boyz n the hood". While racial issues are present and highlighted, the focus is still human interaction and man's flocking nature. Spike Lee knows how to add depth to his characters, and as the film evolves, the lives and pasts of the central characters unravel piece by piece. Yet, as the many differences are revealed, so are the similarities, and ultimately, the need for companionship in the fight against racism is stronger than any prejudice. Other issues, like reverse racism and homophobia are added as extra spice, preventing the film from ever becoming boring. "Get on the bus" is a warm feel-good movie from the man who convinced me that Harlem would be a nice place to live.

Get on the bus is a superb film in every way. The acting , the story ,the photography and the sound track are a joy to behold. Spike Lee should be praised for his unbiased view on the struggle for black rights in America. You may not always agree with some of the sentements of the film but you cant help be captivated. Dont miss it! 8 out of 10

Get on the Bus is one of those rare cases for Spike Lee where the screenplay for the film, and most of the performances, supersedes the vision leading it. Lee shot the film quickly, on a combination of 16mm (the kind that makes it look kinda HBO series of the period, not a bad thing) and camcorder video, and he works through what is kind of like a play on a bus: small space, not much room to go like the usual flamboyant touches of style Lee is great at. Instead it's some grainy yellow-brown tinting- the kind that was also done in the likes of Tony Scott's Domino- and an opening sequence meant to emphasize the chains of the teen 'Smooth' put to a less than agreeable Michael Jackson song. For the most part, his function here is to get the cast together and only get so much in the way as to not have them stumble.

So it's sad to say that despite Spike Lee, despite his flawed choices in style (or, at best, a relatively typical low-budget hand-held feel in the bus), despite the mostly wretched R&B songs used that don't fit in with scenes and play over moments that are without reason, Get on the Bus is a good movie. Again, this is a credit to the screenwriter, Blythewood, who takes a big event in modern African-American history and uses it to make a portrait of several types (i.e. a cop, actor, thug-turned-Muslim, old man, gay couple, torn father and son Smooth, among a couple others). What's most commendable is how the material goes past the possible pitfalls of didacticism and heavy-handedness, with the exception possibly of the final couple of speeches. The dialog is honest and tough and even very funny; a scene where they pick up a black republican is as good as anything in a classic Lee film.

And, as well, the actors are a big help. Which may be to say that Lee did do a good job on that front, one that is crucial for a screenplay so dependent on it being so tight knit and, dare I say it, intimate. Charles S. Dutton, Ossie Davis, Andre Braugher, Isaiah Washington, Hill Harper, Richard Belzer in a bit part, they're all spot-on choices, and they help elevate material that needs some 'umph' here and there, something to help out through one or two scenes that feel slightly stuck in the 90s (the kid doing the documentary-for-his-class thing wears off its welcome quick, and this was one of the only visual gimmicks that wasn't too bad). It's a very interesting movie hampered only by a director with nowhere to take the material past where it simply is, and its at its best when we get sucked into a conversation, or a moment, that is either riveting as theater or strikes a chord at the black experience.