Usually, I give this warning towards the end of a review but I'll tell you right now - you will not like this flick if you don't like movies with lots of dialog or the theatre. It's a two-hour long very prolific (and very heartfelt) drama on many sociopolitical issues especially black-white relations. Like all Spike Lee Joints, it's funny but serious and intense, at times over-the-top. It's messages and solutions are similar to Do The Right Thing and, if anything, that film was an early warm-up for Get On The Bus because this is truly a remarkable, very real film and bordering on masterpiece.
Now you know we love actors on this blog. If you said to me, "hey, show me the fifteen best African-American actors that were working in 1996," it would be a piece of cake, I would just have to mention this film. So many great performances here but of particular note are Thomas Jefferson Byrd once again, Ossie Davis who was always so good but this is a powerhouse from the elder thespian, my absolute favorite from him. Also, Charles Dutton is incredible - nomination worthy, especially his film-closing monologue, an as-to-be-expected Spike Lee doosie.
As far as what happens to them on their bus trip from LA to Washington DC, there are familiar plotlines - a breakdown, rest stop, restaurant scene and even a police pull-over. But it's all just background scenery for the script, just a beautiful piece of work from Spike. It's about time to add this one to the Library Of Congress list of culturally relative works, especially considering more than half of the ensemble cast is no longer with us.
Streams on Tubi only right now or VOD. 4.5 stars/5
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