Line #19 WesternAnimation/OurFriendMartin


1	[[quoteright:258:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/our_friend_martin.jpg]]
2	''Our Friend, Martin'' is a DirectToVideo film released by Creator/DiCEntertainment in 1998. A boy named Miles is doing none too well at school, and unless he improves his grades, not only will he have to repeat the 6th grade, but his mother won't let him play baseball. One day, while with his class on a field trip to a museum, he and his friend, Randy, come across an artifact that takes them back in time to meet one of history's greatest icons, [[UsefulNotes/MartinLutherKingJr Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.]]
3	----
4	!!The film provides examples of:
5	* AbusiveParents: Kyle's dad who's always shown in a bad mood, smokes next to his son, and complains about having to take him to school.
6	* ActorAllusion: MLK senior appears to his son in the clouds and gives him words of wisdom that motivate him into doing what is right. He's voiced by Creator/JamesEarlJones, who did the same thing as Mufasa in ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994''.
7	* BadFuture: Miles causes one that's filled with racism, sexism and pollution after he brings Martin to the present day.
8	* BigNO: Miles says this to [[spoiler: Martin as he decides to go back to his time, worried about the good King's inevitable death]].
9	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Martin ultimately goes back to his original time period to reset the sequence of events and make sure all the good he does will restore the present, but given history, it ultimately costs him his life. Miles though has his friendships with Randy, Maria and the new one with Kyle all restored, the true value of Martin's actions and their impact—with Miles also getting an A on his report—are all fully realized and appreciated and the students create a mural in Martin's memory while intending fully to continue his work moving forward as well]].
10	* TheBully: Kyle, [[spoiler: ''especially'' in the alternate timeline where Martin's work never happened (Randy becomes one as well in this timeline)]]. [[HeelFaceTurn He gets better by the end.]]
11	* CassandraTruth: Before Miles and Randy go on their second time travel adventure, Mrs. Peck vaguely warns them that "messing with the fabric of history can result in a busted seam". Miles brushes it off and goes on with Randy.
12	* DeadpanSnarker: Mrs. Peck when it comes to Martin and Randy's intentions.
13	* DeepSouth: Randy has a southern accent.
14	* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Since this film is about why MLK was so important, it naturally shows the racism of the past [[spoiler:and an alternate timeline where MLK never did his work for civil rights]].
15	* DisappearedDad: Miles' dad is never seen or mentioned.
16	* DrivesLikeCrazy: Old Man Willis has a reputation as a reckless bus driver. Ironically, he's a safer driver in the BadFuture.
17	* ForegoneConclusion: The opening scene of the movie shows [[spoiler: Martin deciding to go back to his own time while Miles desperately pleads for him not to go back]] which is the movie's climax.
18	* FreezeFrameBonus: When Maria takes out her ID card, it shows that her birthday is on January 29, 1988.
19	* FreudianExcuse: Kyle's bad attitude seems to stem from an [[AbusiveParents abusive dad]].
20	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Throughout their travels, Miles and Randy are shown in the background of the RealLife footage of the Civil Rights' protests. [[spoiler: Those events get recorded and shown in the present era which tip off Maria and Kyle about their shenanigans.]]
21	* GoGetterGirl: Maria is a responsible straight A student with a no-nonsense attitude.
22	* GratuitousSpanish: Maria, being the token Hispanic character, does this every now and then.
23	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Randy has light blonde hair and is a good-hearted boy. [[spoiler: This gets subverted in the BadFuture where he becomes a racist bully. But it's played straight again after Martin fixes the timeline]].
24	* HardWorkMontage: The ending of the cartoon has [[spoiler: Mile's class cleaning an old alley and repainting a mural in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. And to everyone's surprise, it was all ''[[TookALevelInKindness Kyle's]]'' idea]].
25	* HeldBackInSchool: Miles is in danger of having to repeat 6th grade unless his grades improve. Fortunately, it's averted by the end: a few trips through history help him learn a lot about the subject, [[StableTimeLoop allowing him to get an A+ on his history test and advance to 7th grade.]]
26	** Inverted with Maria, who [[GradeSkipper skipped two grades.]]
27	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:After seeing just how bad the future would be if he was absent from history, Martin willingly goes back to his time despite knowing he'll be killed when he's an adult.]]
28	* HowWeGotHere: The movie begins with Miles and Martin sitting in front of the burned down museum in the alternate timeline, and Martin telling Miles that he has to go back to his timeline to correct the present, and with Miles begging Martin not to go. The rest of the film explains how it got to that point.
29	* IJustWantToBeSpecial: At the start of the movie, Miles is mainly interested in becoming a famous baseball player. He sees no reason on improving his grades if they won't help him achieve his athletic dream.
30	* ImpliedDeathThreat: The racist mother Mrs. Dell from the first visit gives one to Randy when he proudly declares that he and Miles hang out all the time.
31	-->'''Mrs. Dell:''' I suggest you leave them negroes alone, or the only 'hanging' you'll be doing with them is from a tree.
32	* InSeriesNickname: Martin refers to Miles as "My-My-Miles" after their first meeting.
33	* InsufferableGenius: Maria is one of the smartest students in her class and is condescending towards classmates she thinks are unintelligent. She even compares Miles, Randy and Kyle to the Three Stooges at one point.
34	* LanguageBarrier: PlayedForDrama in the BadFuture. [[spoiler:Miles finds Maria working as a cleaning girl who timidly speaks pure Spanish because she was never given the opportunity to learn another language]].
35	* MediumBlending: The movie is told through animation but includes clips of RealLife footage from the Civil Rights movement and historical figures of interest.
36	* MistakenForClown: The ticket man on the train believes Miles and Randy are circus folk due to their colorful attire.
37	* MrExposition: Martin becomes this to Miles and Randy as he explains how the African American community is mistreated and oppressed throughout history. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] since this is an educational cartoon based on Dr. King's civil rights' activism and his motivations behind it.
38	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: After learning that Martin was assassinated, Miles decides to save him by bringing him to the future. [[spoiler:However, this means that he was never able to get involved in his activism, with ''terrible'' results.]]
39	* OlderThanTheyLook: Ms. Clark was present for [[spoiler:Dr. King's "I Had A Dream" speech in Washington D.C. in 1963]] and has aged gracefully in the present day.
40	* PayEvilUntoEvil: Turner, one of Martin's followers, tries to convince the African American community to do this against the white segregationists who burned Martin's home to the ground. The Good King convinces them not to use violence and should instead use more peaceful methods, like what UsefulNotes/MahatmaGandhi did in British occupied India.
41	* PoliceBrutality: The boys wind up in Birmingham, 1963 where they witness a legion of police officers attacking Martin's protesters with attack dogs, fire hoses, and unrated violence.
42	* ThePowerOfLove: The King family have a strong belief that love is a powerful emotion that can change people's hearts for the better. Their son Martin has used this message as the back-burner for his campaigns in fighting for equal rights.
43	* RedSkyTakeWarning: [[spoiler: The skies turn red-violet when Miles and friends unintentionally create a world without Martin Luther King Jr.]]
44	* RunningGag: Kyle always loses his shirt.
45	* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Miles tries this by bringing Martin to his timeline to prevent his assassination, [[spoiler: [[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight but unintentionally does the opposite instead]]]].
46	* SetWrongWhatWasOnceMadeRight: [[spoiler: After seeing what happens to the future without him, Martin Luther King Jr volunteers to go back to his time, [[HeroicSacrifice knowing that it will end in his death.]]]]
47	* SpicyLatina: Maria is a tween example, regularly having something sassy to say at the others’ expense.
48	* SurroundedByIdiots: Maria's reaction when she ends up in the same group as Miles, Randy and Kyle.
49	-->'''Maria:''' Great. Madame Curie meets the Three Stooges.
50	* TearsOfJoy: Maria gets these after watching Martin deliver his 'I Have a Dream' speech in Washington.
51	* ThereWasADoor: Kyle initially tries to break into Dr. King's house via window, much to Maria's annoyance. Mrs. Peck even informs them that the door is open.
52	* TimeMachine: The watch that Miles and Randy find allow them to travel back to the past. Specifically, Martin Luther King Jr.'s past.
53	* TokenBlackFriend: Inverted. Miles, an African-American, is the black protagonist, while his best friend, Randy, is white and exists largely to be a friend to him.
54	* TookALevelInKindness: Kyle becomes nicer as the film progresses.
55	* WouldHurtAChild: In the BadFuture, [[spoiler:the principal orders Randy and Kyle to attack Miles and Martin]].

Context WesternAnimation / OurFriendMartin