Get on the Bus

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

It's no accident that this film debuted on the anniversary of the Million Man March, the Louis Farrakhan-organized, historic gathering of, well, fewer than one million black men in Washington D.C. The film chronicles the 3,000-mile bus ride from Los Angeles to the march, with its 15 passengers trying to work out some heavy issues. Evan Thomas, Sr. (Byrd) and his petty-crook son, Junior (Bonds), are chained together per a court order and strengthen their troubled relationship. Biracial cop (Smith) has a chip on his shoulder since his father was killed by a black man. There's a gay couple (Washington and Lennix) who contemplate their role in the black community and give homophobe Flip (Braugher) some enlightenment. There's also a token white guy, a Jewish bus driver (Belzer), who wanted nothing to do with the march, citing Farrakhan's anti-Semitic views. The fresh dialogue and debates keep the film from seeming claustrophobic.