That's What Friends Are for

MICHAEL HUFFMAN’S parents are killed in an automobile accident and he is sent off to live with ROBERT HUFFMAN, his drunk, abusive uncle. A retired, African-American Professor, MILES DAVIS, meets Michael at a park by chance kicking an old dilapidated football. The young man shares the abuse with his new friend. Miles rescues him from his uncle and with the help of his friend, MAYOR BOLLANDER, he becomes Michael’s foster parent. A strong bond forms between the two. They battle against the system and racist socio-political agenda of the 1960s. The mixed-race companionship proves unacceptable in the general public eye, and together, they face persecution. At a packed Courthouse, JUDGE CAPUTO, rules in favor of MILES officially adopting Michael despite the wishes of Social Services. Michael plays decisive role in reuniting Miles with his estranged son, EUGENE DAVIS. Eugene blames his father for the death of his mother who suffered a stroke. Eugene and his wife also face condemnation from the public over their interracial marriage. Michael dreams of being an NFL kicker. Miles coaches him in the art of kicking a football in an unconventional fashion. Initially mocked by a high school team because of his unorthodox kicking style, he transfers and becomes a standout on the football field. The boy’s uncle returns from prison and attacks him, causing a serious injury before the State Championship game. In the stands, Miles is wheelchair-bound due to a diagnosis of terminal Cancer. The young man sits on the bench in street clothes. At the start of the fourth quarter he appears in uniform. With three seconds left on the clock, Michael enters the field in an attempt to win the game for the team and his dying father. He kicks an unbelievable 50-yard field-goal. At Miles’s funeral, Michael reads a heartfelt letter to him. He tells his father that he has turned down a football scholarship to Notre Dame and will accept an academic scholarship to Harvard. Fifteen years later, Michael watches an eleven-year old boy kick a winning soccer goal. His name is MILES DAVIS.