Get on the Bus
Directed by	Spike Lee
Produced by	Spike Lee
Written by	Reggie Rock Bythewood
Starring	Richard Belzer De'aundre Bonds Andre Braugher Thomas Jefferson Byrd Gabriel Casseus Albert Hall Hill Harper Harry J. Lennix Bernie Mac Wendell Pierce Roger Guenveur Smith Isaiah Washington Ossie Davis Charles S. Dutton
Music by	Terence Blanchard
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	October 16, 1996 (USA)
Running time	120 min.
Language	English
Budget	$2,400,000
IMDb profile

Get on the Bus is a 1996 film about a group of African-American men who are taking a cross-country bus trip in order to participate in the Million Man March. The film was directed by Spike Lee and premiered on the one-year anniversary of the march.

Plot

The trip begins in Los Angeles, California and ends in Washington, D.C. where the March is being held.

The members of the group are:

• George (Charles S. Dutton), the bus driver and trip organizer.
• Jeremiah (Ossie Davis), a downsized senior citizen who is an expert on African-American history.
• Evan and Evan Jr. (Thomas Jefferson Byrd and De'aundre Bonds), an estranged father and son who are court ordered to be shackled together after Junior's arrest for petty theft.
• Kyle and Randall (Isaiah Washington and Harry J. Lennix), a gay couple in the midst of breaking up.
• Flip (Andre Braugher), a self-centered actor.
• Gary (Roger Guenveur Smith), a police officer who is half black and half white.
• Xavier (Hill Harper), a UCLA Film School student who is making a documentary.
• Jamal (Gabriel Casseus), a former gangster turned Muslim seeking redemption.
• Jay (Bernie Mac), a bubble gum company owner.
• Mike (Steve White), a member of the Nation of Islam who remains silent for the entire trip.
• Craig (Albert Hall), the original bus driver who is dealing with his teenage daughter's pregnancy.

Along the way, the men get to know each other and discuss various topics including their personal lives, their political beliefs and even the O.J. Simpson murder case. The stately Jeremiah reveals that after he lost his job, he became an alcoholic and eventually lost his family. He hopes the March will revitalize him and inspire him to turn his life around. Evan Jr., who fancies himself as a gangster named 'Smooth', manages to escape from his father at one point. In a visual reference to African-American slavery, he is running through the woods with his chains still attached. Evan Sr. finds Junior and realizes that he ran away from his son. He expresses regret and promises to make a sincere effort to be there for Junior.

Xavier aka X begins interviewing the passengers and is seated next to Flip. Flip is an aspiring actor who boosts his ego and sexual prowess and seems more concerned with getting a film role opposite Denzel Washington than the purpose of the March. Flip further reveals that he is homophobic discovering the relationship between Kyle and Randall. Flip is also relatively confrontational questioning X for going to UCLA (Flip is a graduate of rival USC) and Gary for his very light complexion. Gary reveals that he is a biracial police officer working a beat in South Central Los Angeles. Gary has often been made a target of resentment from other African-Americans due to his complexion and profession. He was inspired to become a policeman after his father, a black cop was killed by a black gang member. Being of a biracial background, Gary is further picked on by Flip when he reveals that his white mother did not physically punish him (All the black men talk about how their black mothers engaged in physical punishment).

Gary then gets into a conversation about his job where bus member Jamal reveals that he is an ex-Crip who has converted to Islam. Since his conversion to being a Muslim, Jamal works with children in his community to prevent them from joining gangs. In a tense conversation, the two debate over the causes of gang violence and the limits of repentance and forgiveness. When Jamal reveals that he committed murder and rape in his past, Gary states that he intends to arrest Jamal when they return to Los Angeles. Xavier captures as much as he can on his camcorder but the group often dismisses the earnest amateur filmmaker as "Spike Lee Jr." The level-headed George acts as sort of a referee and a counselor throughout the trip.

Kyle is a Gulf War veteran who reveals that he was purposely shot by his own platoon because of his race and sexual orientation. Being gay, African-American and Republican, he feels persecution from all sides which has made him bitter. Although they are having problems in their relationship, Randall, tries to comfort his lover but makes a point of outing Kyle when he refuses to talk. Kyle is harassed further by the homophobic Flip who mocks him claiming "Oh my God, a gay black Republican, now I have seen everything!" with additional homophobic statements rants. Flip also picks on Randall for his effete gay mannerisms following Kyle's outing. A heated argument between Flip and Kyle turns violent when Flip punches Kyle. In the resulting fistfight, Kyle is victorious and Flip is embarrassed. The Nation of Islam is known for their homophobia, too.

During the trip the bus breaks down and the group board a new bus. The new driver is Rick (Richard Belzer), who is white and Jewish. Eventually, he feels the need to speak out against Louis Farrakhan's Anti-Semitic statements. Rick talks about his parents' and other Jews' participation in the Civil Rights Movement but some members of the group fight back using Jewish stereotypes. At a rest stop, Rick quits the trip in protest telling George: "I wouldn't expect you to drive a bus to a Klan meeting." George drives the bus for the rest of the trip, with help from Evan Sr. who, while not licensed a bus driver, has experience driving trucks.

The group meet various people at rest stops including fellow travelers, White American Southerners (who, to the group's surprise, are friendly) and women (with whom Flip tries to flirt). At a diner, the group meets Wendell (Wendell Pierce), a Lexus salesman whom they invite to join them. On the route, Wendell reveals that he is a successful businessman who graduated from Vanderbilt University and is a Republican. In the process Wendell reveals himself as a self-loathing bigot who is only attending the march in hopes of networking business deals in Washington. He is physically thrown off the bus. While driving through Knoxville, Tennessee, the bus is pulled over by Tennessee state troopers (Randy Quaid in an uncredited cameo). They are stopped on suspicion of drug trafficking and searched with drug-sniffing dogs despite the pleas of Gary who reveals his police officer identity to the troopers.

As the bus approaches Washington, D.C., Xavier discovers Jeremiah slumped over and unconscious in his seat. They rush him to a hospital and watch the beginning of March on television as they await word on Jeremiah. A doctor later informs the group that Jeremiah has died of heart disease. The men are shocked and saddened by Jeremiah's death. They end up watching the rest of the March from the hospital. George tells the men that the March should be seen as merely the beginning of a larger movement.

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• In an effort to reflect the spirit of the March, the budget for the film was financed entirely by contributions from wealthy African-American men. Among the contributors were Will Smith, Danny Glover, Wesley Snipes, Robert Guillaume, Charles D. Smith and Johnnie Cochran.

• Although Louis Farrakhan headed the Million Man March and is talked about throughout the film, he is seen only very briefly from the back in the archive footage of the March.

• The end credits song, "On The Line", is composed by Babyface, sung by Michael Jackson and was recorded for this movie. It wasn't part of the soundtrack CD and later versions were released only on a special edition boxset for Michael Jackson's "Ghosts" (1997), and then again on his limited edition boxset "The Ultimate Collection" (2004).

• The actors who portray Flip (Andre Braugher) and Kyle (Isaiah Washington) had previously co-starred on Homicide: Life on the Street where like their characters on Get On The Bus they had gotten into a confrontation. This occurred on the episode "Black and Blue" where Braugher's character Frank Pembleton was investigating Washington's character Layne Stanley as a murder suspect. Additionally, Homicide co-star Richard Belzer was cast into the film.

Additional cast

• Wendell Pierce as Wendell
• Kristen Wilson as Shelly
• Paula Jai Parker as Jamilia
• Gina Ravera as Gina
• Joie Lee as Jindal (uncredited)
• Randy Quaid as Tennessee State Trooper (uncredited)

External links

• Get on the Bus at the Internet Movie Database
• Get on the Bus review by Roger Ebert

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