 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
A Mile in His Shoes
- Review Date: July 26, 2012
- PG
- Genre: Drama
- 2012
Common Sense Media says
Inspirational baseball tale about an autistic pitcher.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that A Mile in His Shoes is a Christian-themed baseball story about an autistic 18-year-old named Mickey who learns to be a winning pitcher in the minor leagues. The film goes to great lengths to show how Mickey perceives and comprehends the world around him, and on the whole, Mickey is presented with dignity and humanity. There is one minor instance where a player pulls a prank on Mickey, but the other players like Mickey for who he is and stand up for him. There is also a scene where Mickey is jumped by two men in masks in a park and punched in the face. Still, on the whole, A Mile in His Shoes is a wholesome baseball movie about compassion and understanding for those who are a little bit different from most.
What's the story?
Coach Murph (Dean Cain) is the manager of a minor league team in Ohio that has yet to win a game this season. When the owner sends Murph to Indiana to scout a pitcher, his car ends up in a ditch. When he gets out, he makes the acquaintance of Mickey Tussler (Luke Schroder), a boy living on a nearby farm who has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism. When Murph arrives at the farm to call AAA, he sees Mickey throw apples at a washtub, and believes that with the right training, Mickey has the abilities to be a great pitcher. He convinces Mickey's strict and skeptical parents to let him take Mickey back to Ohio with him, where Murph must be patient and understanding as he learns to understand Asperger's Syndrome and the myriad ways it affects Mickey. The players must do the same, and as Mickey starts to pitch and win, one of the players, a pitcher named Lefty, concocts a scheme to try and get Mickey off the team and sent back to the farm.
Is it any good?
A MILE IN HIS SHOES is a Thomas Kinkade (the "Painter of Light") production, and is clearly striving to be a wholesome baseball movie that encourages compassion and understanding toward the character with Asperger's Syndrome. The results are successful, even as they have to stretch the story sometimes to make it work -- for instance, having the rival manager bail the antagonist out of jail so he can pitch against his former team in the inevitable climactic championship game. Characters generally treat Mickey (the pitcher with Asperger's) with a great deal of patience and understanding and consider him a friend and teammate. The acting is above average for productions like these, and is not the heavyhanded production some might expect, even with the occasional Christian and biblical themes and references.
As the title implies, the movie goes to great lengths to make the viewer empathetic to Mickey's perceptions and understandings of the world around him. Flashbacks and internal point-of-view go far to help people to understand Mickey and Asperger's. Even though the climax is fairly predictable, it is this sense of empathy that has viewers rooting for Mickey and the team who brought him into the fold without judgment or scorn.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about how this is similar to and different than other sports movies. What are some standard conventions that often appear in sports movies like these?
How accurately does this film reflect the realities of someone with Asperger's Syndrome? How are people with disabilities or who are "different" usually treated in TV and movies?
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Adult
November 6, 2012
AGE
A positive message about Asperger's Syndrome
I like how this movie addresses Mickey's Asperger's, but also portrays him as a natural part of the team and the world. I want my children to receive this kind of message in a normalized, understated way, and I love that a movie can be one way to do it. Another positive message is one that comes from the coach, who puts the player before the game.
On the other hand, having the person who instigated a physical attack by two faceless characters on Mickey be able to come back and play for the other team may create more tension and excitement, but it is also confusing, plot-wise, and morally. The attack scene is the only violent one in the movie, lasts only a few moments (and, given what's out there, is relatively benign).
This was a decent movie and a fun time, not only for my sports fan, but for the kid who just wants a compelling story!
What other families should know:
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Adult
April 17, 2013
AGE
A Mile In His Shoes - Great family movie with a good message
I just watched this movie with my kids (7, 8 and 11) and we really enjoyed it. There were times when I grabbed the remote, because I was not sure how a scene was going to be handled, but the film makers did a great job of telling the story without rubbing your face in the hard parts. Highly recommend this movie!
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| Topics: | sports and martial arts, great boy role models |
| Studio: | Vivendi |
| Director: | William Dear |
| Cast: | Dean Cain, George Canyon, Luke Schroder |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 91 minutes |
| DVD release date: | January 10, 2012 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | some mild thematic elements |
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