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Bustin' Loose (1981) More at IMDbPro »

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13 reviews in total

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Good sentimental favorite made even more enjoyable by the comedy of Richard Pryor., 23 February 2001

Author: Brian-272 from Oakwood, Virginia USA

Over the years when nothing else is on I watch Bustin' Loose from time to time, it is such a good feel good movie. Neat story which has Richard Pryor as con man Joe Braxton who is maneuvered into taking a group of disturbed kids from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania along with their teacher Cicely Tyson to a farm in Washington state owned by the aunt and uncle of Cicely Tyson. This movie is a great journey of respect and friendship it shows just how that no matter how different people are they can become friends and learn to care and respect one another. This is not typical Richard Pryor you don't find much strong language but Pryor is plenty enough his comical and funny self to make this film a winner. So if you haven't seen this give it a watch it shows from time to time on cable. Probably one of the better movies of Richard Pryor.

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6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Another Great Comedy Starring Richard Pryor, 5 November 2002
Author: soranno from Las Vegas, Nevada

Richard Pryor portrays con men so often yet he always manages to make it funny. The plot this time around involves con man Pryor being on the run and taking the time to escort a group of kids and their keeper (Cicely Tyson) cross country by means of a bus that he has to drive. The comic hilarity that can be exepcted from Pryor is evident here.

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6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
A nice family comedy, 7 July 2001
Author: flicklover (elipequedo@aol.com) from miami fl

This is a really nice film. I bought it on DVD and saw it last night. I had seen it various times through the years. Last night was the first time I had seen it in along time. Without Richard Pryor it could have been an after school special. I have always liked Richard Pryor in his films, he always played a normal human being, he never got into the supercop comedies like Eddie Murphy did. Pryor showed in this film that he could be tender as well as funny. It is a little gem of movie, very lite, but very funny and heartwarming.

Grade: B

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6 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Good comedy, 12 January 2001

Author: sambuca from Thessaloniki, Greece

This is one of those movies that, unless you have too many expectations, turn out to be quite entertaining. It stars Richard Pryor as an ex-con who agrees to transport a teacher (Cicely Tyson) and eight misfit children from Philadelphia to Washington, as part of his probation. Richard Pryor is known for his abilities in physical comedy. Surprisingly enough, the best part of the film are the more emotional scenes, where he gets to interact with the children. However, there are some other scenes, clearly going for the big laughs, that are not as successful, like the one with the KKK or the ones in the bank near the end of the film, and they threaten to spoil the fun. "Bustin' loose" is a good comedy, although it would have been even better if the script had relied more on Pryor's relationship with the children than on the physical comedy parts. It is definitely not a masterpiece, but if you need an evening of relaxation in front of the TV, then this film is for you.

Rating: 7/10, or B1

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Funny, 24 May 2008
Author: Michael_Elliott from Louisville, KY

Bustin' Loose (1981)

*** (out of 4)

Richard Pryor plays a con man who is blackmailed by his probation officer into taking eight troubled kids on a bus trip from Philadelphia to Seattle. Having been made in a politically incorrect time and featuring Pryor with troubled kids means you're going to have a great load of laughs but the film also has a heart of gold but more on this in a bit. As for pure laughs this is probably the best film I've seen from Pryor, although Moving is still my favorite movie of his due to it just being a personal favorite. This movie here features non-stop laughs from start to finish and it really gives Pryor a chance to act and he proves to be very reliable here. Pryor does a great job with the comedy and really delivers the jokes but what's most refreshing is seeing how well he does with the more dramatic moments. The film has a heart of gold but I think there are a few too many tender scenes meant to make the viewer get tears in their eyes. A lot of these dramatic scenes are pretty heartfelt but I think there are just too many of them. Pryor handles all of this very well though. Cicely Tyson plays the woman trying to save the kids and she's does a good job, although the romantic subplot with Pryor is pretty weak. There are numerous great scenes in the film including a great sequence where Pryor runs into the KKK but the highlight of the movie is certainly the scene where Pryor is driving the bus and three of the kids, acting like thugs, come up and start messing with him.

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One of Richard Pryor's underrated films, 2 June 2009

Author: Jmac1988 from United States

This combination of comedy, drama, and adventure were the three main ingredients of this movie. Richard Pryor(who also produced the movie) stars as an ex-con who is given a second chance to redeem himself. He's hired to transport a bus load of kids and their teacher to Seattle for a better life. At first, Joe doesn't like the kids at all, but slowly begins to develop a friendship between them. Richard Pryor came up with the idea probably for the audience to see a different side of him and not the usual foul-mouthed comic we're used to. He does his best to keep the profanity to a minimum, but there's still adult language in it, but nothing inappropriate. The sudden change from comedy to drama is kind of jarring, since you don't know what's going to happen next. The music score, however, is amazing. Its use of piano synthesizers fits well with the non-comedy sequences. This is one of Richard Pryor's underrated movies and is definitely worth a look.

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Delightful Surprise, 8 July 2007

Author: gcd70 from Melbourne, Australia

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"Bustin' Loose" is a surprisingly delightful, even occasionally moving film. An ex-con (Richard Pryor) helps a teacher (Cicely Tyson) move a group of 'special' children three thousand miles across the U.S. from Philadelphia to Washington State.

After a slow, and somewhat not so promising start, the movie picks up as the journey across country begins. "Bustin' Loose" has its comic moments and remains quite simple throughout, with a warm and touching finale that makes it all worthwhile. Credit this to astute director Oz Scott, and the inspired teaming of comic genius Richard Pryor and co-star Cicely Tyson.

Monday, July 1, 1991 - Video

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Still a Lovable Film!, 30 April 2007

Author: Sylvia Marciniak (sylviastel@aol.com) from United States

Let's face it, Cicely Tyson and Richard Pryor play an unlikely pair. Cicely plays a good-hearted social worker who is determined to transport a school bus-load of abandoned orphans across the country to a farm with animals. She gets Richard Pryor's character who plays an ex-con who redeems himself in this film. Of course, Tyson and Pryor are quite simply marvelous in roles that would have otherwise failed. I know if I wanted somebody that would be Cicely who plays Vivian Perry whose heart and mind are always in the right place. While Pryor's character feels like a failure, she and the kids inspire him as well he inspires them. It's not a wholesome after-school special but it's touching at moments to see the outcasts look and treat upon each other as friends and family because they could have treated this film like silly film but it's a serious film about serious problems and they do it admirably.

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80's Kid Classic, 14 October 2006

Author: meldoy23 from United States

I watched this movie often as a kid growing up in the 80's and it was and still is one of my favorite movies. It's one of those movies where when it ends, you actually feel better than when it began. You go on a journey with these people and actually find out a few things about yourself along the way. I'm thinking that most people can relate to at least one of the characters in the movie and even though it is similar to an after school special, it's so much better than that due to the acting of both Richard Pryor and Cicely Tyson. The children are great as well, when needed. I LIKED the music score. There were some scenes that I could have done without, particularly in the last 30 minutes of the movie, but overall I could watch this movie on a Sunday afternoon, before Goonies and after The Toy.

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Warm-hearted comedy, 2 May 2006

Author: BDeWittP from Rochester, New York

When a movie can make you laugh and cry, it's a rare quality. Many people don't have a high tolerance for adults, but are suckers for kids. I am proud to say that I fall into this category, as does Richard Pryor's character Joe Braxton in this film. He plays a foul-mouthed, ill-mannered ex-con, who is, let's face it, a bum. For some reason, though, he is likable. Maybe it's because he still has an optimistic outlook about his life. His biggest strength, which almost proves to be his undoing, is that he is willing to do more for others than he is for himself. This is what I felt made "Bustin' Loose" such a touching movie.

Joe Braxton is a parolee who has been given a second chance to rebuild his life. His only problem is, he can't really seem to find a purpose on the outside, and just doesn't know how to make it. In a hilarious courtroom scene where he is about to be sent back to prison for larceny, in violation of his parole, he is given ten years probation by the judge.

His parole officer, however, is amused, but not at all fooled by the courtroom shenanigans. So, as a favor, his parole officers needs a favor. A group of disadvantaged Philadelphia youths have had their school closed as a result of budget cuts. Cicely Tyson, who portrays her character brilliantly, plays their supervisor who is also the girlfriend of Joe's parole officer. She and the kids need to be driven across country to her family's Washington state farm to start over. Joe is asked to drive the bus and return in 15 days.

This is where the movie takes a wonderful turn for the better and gives some pleasant surprises. It could have been a silly Disney-like movie with cute, fake dialog that cuts corners and makes you want to throw up at the end (like Dead Poet's Society). Instead of all that nonsense and garbage, we heard words of truth, and witness some convincing changes.

At first, Joe sees this as a chore and the kids as nothing but a bunch of losers. Later though, he begins to bond with the kids and discovers, as does the kids, that he actually really does care about them because he doesn't want what happened to him to happen to them. He finds a purpose, and a reason to be happy. He becomes a pleasant, and is actually a warm person after all who just needed the right people to bring out the goodness in him. Perhaps this is because his love for the kids makes him forget about his problems and worry about their well-being.

There are some tough scenes, too. There is boy who has experienced a tragedy, not intentionally, but because of a problem he cannot help. Another one of the youths solicits prostitution to Joe. There are also about whether the kids will be able to keep their new home, or if Joe can actually make it on the outside. All of these scenes show reality and how people find the courage to deal with their own lives. Richard Pryor plays these scenes with a quiet, subtle brilliance. He is not just a funny comedian, he is also a good actor.

The only flaw the movie has is that it seems to lack some little scenes to make Prior's character develop his relationship and bond together with the kids and Cicely Tyson's character. Don't get me wrong, it's usually better to keep an audience wanting more than to drag a movie out, but I think this one may have benefited from more running time. The transition from con to nice guy seemed just a little bit too quick, and I think this could have been the difference between making this a great movie instead of a good one. It's as though the screenwriter didn't sit down and rewrite quite thoroughly enough. That, however, is easily forgiven and forgotten.

I will not give away what happens, I will say only this: I was pleasantly surprised because this movie wasn't just a comedy. There are a lot of serious scenes, too, and the ending is very perceptive about human behavior. Bustin' Loose is not a masterpiece, but it is an entertaining, convincing movie, and it works because of the performances. If you pay attention, you'll be surprised at how moved you are at the end of this delightful comedy, and you might even shed a tear.

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