Rustin (2001)

I just got the DVD and I was blown away by the cast of Rustin. I saw some familiar places in the movie (since it was filmed in my hometown) and I believe even though it was over 100 degrees during filming in the dead of summer, everyone seemed to have fun being a part of it. Our town of 20,000 appreciates the work Rick Johnson, Meat Loaf, Ashley Johnson, and my favorite two fat buddies Rick Burgess and Bill "Bubba" Bussey, (aka Rick and Bubba) put into the film. Thank you Rick Johnson for putting high school football into perspective without going overboard like "Varsity Blues" did. I wholeheartedly suggest going out and buying this film for yourself.

I rented this movie thinking it was about high school football plus the fact it was mostly (if not all) filmed in Alabama. I was pleasantly surprised - so much in fact, I will probably wind up buying my own copy on DVD. I don't know who Rick Johnson is (or was) and I presume that Ashley is his real-life daughter playing the part of "Lee". I didn't even recognize "Meatloaf" as the Coach until I saw the closing credits and the kid from TVs "Home Improvement", Zachery Ty Bryan, played a spoiled, rich football "star" player. Having lived in Birmingham, I kept looking for locales and familiar faces. Two radio personalities (Rick & Bubba) had small parts as bartenders and Michael Papajohn (makes me think of the pizza chain) played a redneck character named Trent that loved to drink and party with the students, most of whom didn't look old enough to drink. Still, the script is good even though probably unseen by many since it was independently produced.

Rustin is a great film from beginning to end. What starts off as quite a light, easy watching film takes an unexpected dramatic turn and pulls it off beautifully. The screen play is entertaining and thought provoking and the direction solid but the performances make the film - particularly from the two leads, Rick Johnson and Ashley Johnson. Definitely worth a look.

Beautiful story, with a deep emotional impact. Sends a tremendous message of how our actions affect the lives of others. Although the actors are not all well-known, they all performed magnificently. The chemistry between Rick Johnson and Ashley Johnson was key to the outcome of the movie, and came through in every scene between them. They are spectacular together! The music was absolutely fabulous, and was very well synchronized to flow of the movie.I would recommend this movie to everyone, and although there is a brief moment of female nudity (backside), young adults could also enjoy this film.