Customer Reviews

Get on the Bus [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Get on the Bus is one of Lee's best works. Poignant, funny and introspective, it tells the tale of various black men from various walks of life; a father and his estranged, angst-ridden son, a gay couple, an arrogant actor, an ex-Crip turned Muslim, a half white cop and Ossie Davis as the "spiritual grandfather/moderator" type. They travel from California to DC for the Million Man March, and along the way come to terms with prejudice and hatred they have felt without as well as within.

Some may criticize the "stereotypical" treatment of the white characters, but this may be a bit much. The Jewish Bus driver is an honorable character, and in a scene with him and Charles Dutton, director Lee let's him speak his side of the story "OK, I may have some problems with blacks....but no more worse than the problems you have with whites. I don't have anything to prove to these guys". Randy Quade's redneck cop may have been over the top, but suffice to say, there are people in parts of America who still treat people that way.

Overall, I think this film is definitely Lee's most underrated work.

set against the backdrop of the Million Man March.

I believe that many people see us as one person, with a single set of feelings, motivations, values, abilities, temperments what have you. Spike Lee has done a wonderful job of chronicling the many different facets of what the black male experience is in america. But at the same time he very accurately shows how despite our differences, political affiliations, generations, educational levels, economic realities, and even sexual orientation we have a common goal and collective spirit that binds us together perhaps in a way that no other group (in america) will hopefully ever have to be bound.

As only a small minority of the populace falls within the spectrum of the characters represented in the film so too will only a small minority of the viewing public recognize the importance and quality of this film.

As a participant in the March itself I felt tremendous pride in seeing such a large and diverse representation of black america assembled united in a common cause. Not one that is directed angrily at anyone but one that hopes to inspire the individual to take greater responsibility to himself, his family, community, and mankind as a whole.

Accordingly this film is a fitting tribute to that event and the spirit of its participants and sympathizers.

His best: social journalism. Nobody brings perennially pressing issues to the screen as consistently and vitally as Spike Lee---love or hate his films as you may, there's no argument that he does a superb job of provoking debate and reflection. Here it's Lee's two favorite topics, racial history/injustice/relations and (less prominently but still significant) gender/sexual issues...treated with a vast amount of humor and often insight.

His worst: at times some of his films implode when Lee gets on his soapbox and goes too heavy-handed---the Message blots out the Movie. This happens towards the last one-third, with the last 10 minutes especially preachy and contrived. The film craft breaks down, characters and dialogue that before had been pretty much spot-on suddenly verge into labored allegory and caricature.

It's like Lee drew up a laundry list of Pressing Societal Problems (brings to mind Larwence Kasdan's "Grand Canyon") and tried to allot 5-10 minutes for each one. Sometimes he does so with grace and wit, but sometimes he stumbles into glibness and stereotyping.

I was a little disappointed that Lee didn't show more of the actual Million Man march, maybe explore the controversial Louis Farrakhan a little bit more deeply. I was however pleasantly surprisd that Lee does take a fairly mature, gutsy stand on homosexuality and homophobia absent in some of his earlier films.

Had Lee made this film more as a straight (or pointed) documentary rather than trying to turn it into a heavy-handed inspirational treatise, I'd gladly give it 5 plus stars. Even in its current form it's well worth watching.

Don't get it wrong this movie is not about the Million Man March. This is an excellent work portraying the diversity amongst African-American men. This movie not only showed these differencies but also the interaction between their different views on current affairs, and how this affects unity amongst African-American men and women. I like how Spike Lee used the camera on the bus to give the viewer the feeling of actually riding on the bus with the travellers. The documentary feeling of the film also served to bring your psyche into the work.

The first time I saw this movie , I wasn't impressed with it. It seemed boring and pointless. Then I watched again with friends and got the message behind it. Spike Lee has made a great male bonding film that everyone should see no matter what color you are.

October 16, 1995 was the day of the Million Man March, a march of 1,000,000 black men to the nation's capital. In watching and reviewing the Million Man March of 1995, one cannot help drawing parallels to other civil rights marches, e.g., Bus Strike of 1955 and the Selma, Alabama March in 1965.

The movie concentrates on a group of men leaving Los Angeles for the Nation's Capital. Charles Dutton is the intrepid, unofficial "leader" of the group and he tells the passengers as soon as they "get on the bus" that HE will be their mother AND their father for the next six days.

The men are a good cross section of people anywhere. They range in ages from 14-year-old Evan, Jr., sullen and angry about being handcuffed to his father under court order to senior citizen Ossie Davis ("Pop"). Pop is looked to for guidance and appears to take on the role of a benevolent father. His is the gentle voice of reason and his is one of unquestioning acceptance. When one man, a Muslim, criticizes a gay couple for their lifestyle, it is Pop who provides a calm defense on the couple's behalf.

I liked the way the men introduce themselves in song. A nod to Africa, the men use a "boom-chaka-laka" beat and introduce themselves in rhyme. It is funny and done in a humorous manner.

My favorite characters were Pop and a young, biracial police officer. He identifies strongly with his black heritage and, like his father, joins the police force. Like Pop, he, too, provides intelligent arguments for his position and offers a different perspective when confronted by his peers. For example, when one man describes a childhood beating by belt he received for lying, the officer describes a stern talking to and a month long grounding he got for stealing from a store. The other men look at him aghast -- he had a mother who didn't beat him? The officer explained yet again that although he had a white mother, he was still black and he still identified strongly with his black heritage. He reminded everyone on the bus yet again that being black is congenital and not contingent upon speech mannerisms and behaviors. One is either black or they are not. He was right.

I laughed at the 1970s James Brown classic, "Papa Don't Take No Mess," which the men insisted upon listening to shortly after the bus left the Los Angeles Depot. "Papa was a man/Who understands/That a man's got to do whatever he can./Hit me!/Papa Don't Take No Mess." The song tied in perfectly with the arguments about beatings that both sides presented on the bus.

Another part that made me laugh was when the Million Man Marchers threw a loudmouthed, pompous, crass car salesman off the bus after he made a few too many inappropriate remarks. Seems the car salesman had riled the folks bound for D.C. and they decided they weren't going to take him anymore, so they ousted him from the bus.

It was a long, bumpy ride to D.C., but once there, Pop's heart started acting up....

This was truly an excellent movie and the film footage of the real Million Man March that was included in this film was a very effective touch.

This is Spike Lee's best movie. You get a diverse look at black men, not your usual stereotypical, one-dimensional character. It's humorous, yet serious. I found it refreshing and I strongly recommend it. I think there's something in this movie for everyone.

it's amazing how black people in particular black men are somehow viewed as just the same but the dynamics of this film shatter that stereotype to bits and pieces.15 different personalitys and backgrounds.spike being the genius that he is shows another side of his depth and craft.

I recieved this product in a timely manor and I loved it.It was an older dvd that I had been looking for a long time and I was so happy I found it.You will enjoy this movie because of the group dynamics they have a whole ccontinum of situations and tells about a lot of differnt emotions and how people react to each other.

I first viewd this film on television, and thought it was a jewel of a film!
It celebrates community and diversity in our country as men share their lives and
faith journeys with each other while traveling on a bus to the Million Men March in Washington D.C.