The Stream: Another paint-by-numbers historical biopic.

The Big Screen: A confident and powerful performance by Colman Domingo anchors the film.

The Final Bill: A powerful story about an unsung hero of the Civil Rights Movement told in a ho-hum way.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: George C. Wolfe
Writers: Julian Breece and Dustin Lance Black; story by Julian Breece
Stars: Colman Domingo, Aml Ameen, Glynn Turman, Chris Rock, Gus Halper, Johnny Ramey
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Rating: PG-13 for thematic material, some violence, sexual material, language including racial slurs, brief drug use, and smoking
Runtime: 1 hour 48 minutes
Production Companies: Higher Ground Productions
Platform: On Netflix November 17, 2023

Hey, Streamers! Yes, awards season brings out all the prestige pics, which means there may be a glut of biopics released in theaters and on streaming in the coming months.  One of those biographical movies is on Netflix, which is the story of civil rights activist, Bayard Rustin, called Rustin. Mr. Rustin was the chief organizer of the March on Washington in 1963. Civil rights biopics can be a dime a dozen, so let’s see what Rustin tells us about this tumultuous period in American history.

Produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, Rustin tells the story of Bayard Rustin (Colman Domingo), who was an integral figure in the civil rights movement, but he’s not widely known. Although Mr. Rustin was charismatic and creative in his pursuits for equal justice, he was held back and ostracized for being homosexual, especially since it was essentially illegal to engage in homosexual activity in that time. The bulk of the movie depicts Rustin’s tenacity and ingenuity in organizing the largest civil demonstration in the famed March on Washington in 1963. Civilly disobedient hijinks ensue.

First, for the Culture, all must watch Rustin whether you know his part of the story or not. We’ve seen the March on Washington depicted on screen so many times, but it is typically from Martin Luther King’s perspective.  It is interesting to see what the other lesser known but equally as important people did in order to make such a monumental event occur. The film demonstrates its worth by presenting Rustin as this hidden figure in this very prominent history.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, Rustin doesn’t do enough to set Bayard Rustin apart from the story of the March on Washington itself. I think there should have been more focus on the man and how he got to the position where he’d be able to organize such an important event. Once the ball starts rolling with putting the March together, the individual story about Rustin himself seems to fade to the background.

Now, Colman Domingo gives a great performance as Rustin. He has a strong on-screen presence. Domingo shows vulnerability and the steadfastness that Rustin must have embodied.  Rustin was marginalized because of his race and his sexuality and yet he let neither hold him back. It is a very powerful story, and Domingo does the man justice.  The rest of the characters seem to be pretty bland archetypes. Jeffrey Wright has an impactful but brief appearance as A. Philip Randolph, but no one else really pops.

Ultimately, Rustin is an important film that tells the story of a man, whose story has gone untold for too long.  It is basically a typical biopic concerning the civil rights movement, but it is entertaining and you know it ends in success. For the Culture, I recommend heading over to Netflix and watching Rustin with a big box of popcorn. For those who already know Mr. Rustin’s legacy, then maybe a handful of popcorn will get you by.