Original subtitles

? I know my parents loved me ?

? Stand behind me, come what may ?

? Mmm ?

? I know now that I'm ready, yeah ?

? For I finally heard them say ?

? It's a different world ?

? Ooh ?

? Than where you come from ?

? Yes, it is now, yeah ?

? Here's our chance to make it, hey! ?

? And if we focus on our goal ?

? You can dish it! ?

? We can take it, hey ?

? Just remember that you've been told ?

? It's a different world ?

? It's a different world ?

? It's a different world ?

? It's a different world ?

? Yeah, than where you come from ?

? Ooh ?

? Than where you come from! ?

Fifty-three Africans chained in the belly

of the slave ship, Amistad, sailing from Havana, Cuba to Haiti.

Food is scarce,

and when the slaves dare ask for more, the cook just laughs.

"Ha! You'll soon be eating your own flesh."

And he stirs a huge, boiling cauldron�

Finally, the good part.

Hush your mouth, boy, before I throw you in this pot.

Led by Joseph Cinqu�, the great Mende warrior,

the men make a pact to fight their captors.

Then what happened?

Joseph finds a nail on the deck,

and with a skillful hand, he picks the lock that holds them captive,

and soon they are free.

They rush the deck, take command of the ship,

and set sail for Africa.

Did they make it?

Well, you'll find out next time.

Aw!

Man, well, I think Cinqu� was stupid.

He should have hijacked the plane.

They didn't have planes in slavery days. Right, Colonel?

Very astute, Alex.

What's a "stoot"?

All right, let's give a hand to Professor Randolph

for that wonderful story right there.

All right, come and get it.

Grab a bag. Hot roast beef sandwiches to go.

I can't stay closed all day, got hungry students to feed.

They get stupid when they don't eat.

Hey, Mr. Gaines, you feeding anybody over 12 here?

See what I mean? Stupid.

Can't you read the sign?

It says come back in ten minutes.

Okay, thank you. Alex, can I get half a sandwich?

Oh, I'm starving, bro.

Well, you shouldn't be.

I think we have one little sandwich left.

I wonder what it could be?

Oh, it's roast beef,

with cheese and fresh tomato.

Mmm!

- You are so evil. - Mmm-hmm.

All right. Ten-hut.

All right. Outreach children marching home.

Marching home. Marching home.

Outreach children marching home.

What do you say? How about a movie tomorrow night?

Not tomorrow.

I already have a date. I'm going to the fair.

To the fair? That's cool. I haven't been on a Ferris wheel in ages.

Can I go?

It's not that kind of fair.

It's an adoption fair.

- An adoption fair? - Yeah.

Where foster kids like me go to find parents.

Are you making this up, Alex?

No. People take lots of kids home.

I'm wearing a tie this year. Do you like it?

Well, yeah. Yeah, this is a beautiful tie, Alex.

But you don't need this tie, you know.

You just be yourself,

'cause you're cute, you're adorable.

You know it. But every little bit helps.

Somebody is taking me home this year.

All right, Alex, my man. Let's go, dude.

- Good luck, Alex. - Thanks, Freddie.

I already have all the luck I need.

Come on, little rusty butt.

Hey, this tie, I kind of like. Can I borrow this?

- Maybe. - Yeah, right.

Slow down, you're not at the Kentucky Derby.

I don't know why I bother to cook.

Might as well throw you all sugar cubes.

Oh, this doesn't look so bad. It's a party.

A party?

Look at that.

It's a couple holding a baby.

They're picking over them like cattle.

Freddie, don't you think you're overreacting a bit?

No. This whole idea of an adoption fair is appalling.

Hi, Freddie.

- Don't I look sharp? - Ooh!

Super fly.

Alex, this is my friend, Kim.

- Hi. - Hi, my name is Alex, I'm eight.

I like to fish, swim and skate.

Alex, she can't adopt you.

That's okay, I was just being polite.

I really like those people there.

Okay, you've seen what you came to see. Now we gotta go to class.

Wait a minute.

Hi, I'm Alex. I'm eight. I like to fish, swim and skate.

Modest.

He's an excellent swimmer, form, poise, you wouldn't believe.

Hi, Alex. What else do you like?

I like to read books.

- Oh, you do? What books? - He reads voraciously.

I even caught him reading Shakespeare.

Freddie, Freddie.

I like to play video games.

Well, he's a computer genius, and everything you want in a boy.

He's bright, inquisitive, charming.

- Look at this little face. - Freddie, Freddie!

Alex is not a used car.

I am just trying to help, Kim.

I know you're-

Who's running this circus?

Excuse me. Are you in charge of this?

Yes, I'm Ernie Miles. What can I do for you?

How could you do this to Alex?

Who are you?

My name is Freddie Brooks.

I work with Alex at Operation Outreach.

And this. This is an outrage.

Look, I know you mean well, but I've got a caseload of 50 kids

who desperately need homes.

It's my job to find them.

There's got to be a better way than this.

Look, you're not getting the picture.

Children and parents find each other here.

It was W.E.B. Du Bois who said,

"The price of liberty is less than the cost of oppression."

And I second that emotion. Hey!

W.E.B. Du Bois with a dash of Smokey Robinson.

Know what he meant?

Du Bois or Smokey?

Just kidding, of course.

Brother Du Bois talked about

how blacks could achieve equality at a time when our rights were eroded.

Very well put, Mr. Johnson.

You've been doing your reading.

What happened? Did your date stand you up?

Rain check.

The "talented tenth." What does that mean?

Oh! The talented tenth, as brother Du Bois put it,

was the intellectual leader of the Black community,

not unlike some people in this class.

Well, I think this philosophy of the "talented tenth" is divisive.

I agree more with Booker T. Washington,

who supported education for the masses.

Would you have anything to add to that, Miss Brooks?

Oh�

Winnifred, where are you?

I've been asking myself that for years.

Today, Kim and I went to an adoption fair.

There were all these children

with no place to go and nobody to love them.

People only wanted the little ones.

So what happens to the rest of them?

Unfortunately, they get stuck in the system until they're 18.

There are half a million children in foster care.

A significant number of these are African-American.

What can we do about these unwanted children?

Nothing. Now, getting back to W.E.B. Du Bois�

Sorry, we're out of time now, Mr. Johnson.

No, no, wait, wait! Sit back down.

Mr. Johnson, you have a semester's worth of reading with which to amaze us.

But I may not get stood up again.

Well, we can always hope.

Ooh! The more they fight, the sweeter the catch.

I appreciate your compassion, Winnifred.

I'm so angry, I could scream.

Well, go ahead on and scream.

We need strong voices to call attention to the problem.

Well, it's not enough just to talk.

We need to�

Are you married?

Yes.

Do you have any children?

No, not yet.

Well, this is perfect.

Then you can adopt.

I know this cute, cute, really sweet, eight-year-old,

who would love to call you "Papa."

Actually, my wife and I have discussed the possibility adoption.

But we think we would prefer a newborn.

A newborn?

Well, it would be easier for the child to adjust.

Easier for the child or easier for you?

Winnifred, this really is a personal matter.

Alex has been in foster care since he was four years old.

He's supposed to sit there while you wait for a kid to be born?

Winnifred, that is enough.

There are some things you really don't understand.

Oh, I understand, Professor.

You're too busy writing about our problems to do anything about them.

Some would consider W.E.B. Du Bois as an elitist,

but in actuality, his concerns were to elevate the entire race

to a level of intellectual achievement and advancement.

Ron, you're boring the building.

I'm trying to uplift the race, sisters.

You can open up the door.

It's a safe neighborhood. The door's unlocked.

No, I don't want any of your nasty little cookies.

Now scram.

I'm looking for Freddie.

Well, she's not in my apartment, baby.

Try across the hall.

Hey, what you doing here?

I was just helping this little lamb find Freddie.

Uh-uh, you told me to scram.

I was just playing with you, you silly willy.

My name's Alex.

You don't do much baby-sitting, do you?

No. I prefer boys closer to my own age.

You might get one if you learn how to treat them right.

Alex, Freddie's at my place.

Would you ask her to come out?

- Why don't you just go in. - We'd love to.

Freddie!

Alex. What are you doing here?

I followed you.

Okay. Guys, I think Alex would like to talk to me alone.

Take his hookhead out in the hallway.

Okay, Alex, you followed me all the way here,

so it's something important.

You can tell me, whatever it is. I'm your friend.

Goodbye, Freddie.

What? Where are you going?

- Far away. - Why?

I hate those stupid fairs! I hate them.

I know, but you can't run away.

Okay, I'll stay with you.

Well, I wish you could, but that's not possible.

Why not?

Well, because I� I'm still in school.

I don't even have a job.

You don't want me, either.

Of course I do.

What's wrong with me?

Nobody wants me.

That's not true.

Nobody even looked at me today.

Don't make me go back. Let me stay with you.

I made it!

I made it over the moat.

You cheated.

Well, that's it. game over.

Time to go home.

Ron�

Freddie, we got to do something.

He's been here an hour. The authorities will be looking.

Oh! That's all we need,

a SWAT team to arrest us for aiding and abetting a runaway.

Don't you have a heart?

Freddie, he has a point.

Look, I like the kid, and I'd be happy to play computer games with him all night

in your dorm room.

I can't take him there, because if Walter finds him,

he'll take him to the adoption center.

I need more time.

- For what? - I don't know yet.

That's why I need more time.

Would you keep your voices down?

The C-H-I-L-D is H-E-A-R-I-N-Ging you.

Whitley, the boy is eight. He can spell.

S-O?

Whitley's going to get you some cookies.

Okay.

Walter!

Jaleesa, have you seen Freddie?

No. Why?

Well, Alex, one of my kids, ran away today.

And him and Freddie are tight, so I thought they might be together.

He's not in any trouble, is he?

No, no, he disappeared from the adoption center today.

I'm starting to get worried.

I'll be sure to tell Freddie if I see her.

I'll see if Ron and Dwayne can help.

- Okay. - All right.

It's the police!

- Walter, what a surprise! - Have you'll seen Alex?

- No. - Not at all.

Come help me find him. He's out there alone.

- Yeah, okay. - Uh-huh

Yeah. Bye, Walter.

Hi, Jaleesa.

Who is this?

Who's who?

Is this the little boy that Walter's been looking for?

No.

This is a different little boy.

My name is Alex. I'm eight.

I can fish, swim and skate.

This is the little boy Walter's looking for!

Calm down. You're scaring him!

Walter, we found him!

Nice try, everybody.

Come on, Alex, time to go.

- Walter, wait. - Please don't make him go.

Hiding him won't stop the problem.

And taking him is?

I care about Alex as much as everybody here.

I have no other choice.

I'll try to figure something out.

Come on, Alex, it's time to go.

Ah, piece of pie, piece of pie. Now, throw this trump in your eye.

Yeah, it's all right. You still got to make your books.

All four of them.

Before I'm done, I'll have a library full.

Gentlemen, if I had a partner�

If you had a partner, you still couldn't beat me.

I'm the king of clubs.

Now, give me my book.

Walter, I'm glad you're here. Come on, teach this man some humility.

Might as well be waiting for it to snow in the Sahara.

Hey, Walter, why is your lip hanging on the floor?

I ain't whupped you yet.

What's wrong, Walter?

I just dropped Alex off at the adoption agency.

- Oh, boy. - Man, it was rough, man.

I asked if he could stay with me till they place him,

but they said, "If we bend the rules for you,"

we'll have to bend them for everyone else."

Who's dealing?

You are, and I have the profound pleasure of being your partner.

Feel sorry for you, Professor.

Hey, he who talks the most trash,

be whistling blues on that midnight train to Boston.

Ooh! All aboard. All aboard.

So does it look like Alex is going to find a home soon?

He got a few possibilities, but nothing permanent.

Whatever happened to his parents?

His father died.

His mother abandoned him when he was four.

He's been moving from one foster home to another.

His last family gave him up.

So now he's in the child welfare system again.

You got it.

It's a shame.

You know, there was a time when folks took care of their own.

Now it is a different time now.

The system makes it difficult for parents to take care of their own.

Don't talk to me about no system.

I'm talking about responsibility.

My mama raised 14 children, ten of her own and four of my cousins.

We wore the same clothes.

Sometimes, at the same time.

I hope, for your sake, you had boy cousins.

The point is, Brad, we were family.

We had a will and we found a way.

All I knew is, when I was taking him to the center,

I wanted to turn around and bring him home with me.

He didn't even cry.

Oh, shoot, Velma and I should go and get that boy.

Nobody'll give you Alex. You ain't got no hair.

Velma does.

Well, that's a noble thought, Vern, but they look for people my age.

- Your age. - Or mine.

Ah!

- Do you have children, Professor? - No. None yet.

Ah, don't be in no hurry.

You got to wait till you're ready.

Children are a blessing, but they're yours for a lifetime.

It's not that bad, Vern.

Your son is only 18 years old.

Wait till he turns 35 and moves back home.

Quit talking that trash.

You know you wouldn't have it no other way.

'Cause I know I'm the light of my parents' life.

- Mmm-hmm. - Ouch!

That queen of diamonds died a miserable death.

Doc, what are you playing, old maid?

I'm sorry, Walter.

I just lost my concentration.

And five of my hard-earned dollars.

Well, are we going to play? I mean, time is running out.

What would it be, Professor, play or sway?

- Let's play. - All right.

Mr� Gaines.

Oh, yes, one and the same.

I come to see about adopting a child. His name is Alex Webb.

My wife, Velma, she would have come, but she threw her back out of shape.

But I got a picture of her.

That's all right. I'll take your word for it.

- I'll be with you in a minute. - Okay.

Vern, is that you?,

No.

It's Little Richard.

What you doing here?

I'm doing the same thing you are, only without the rug.

Shh! It makes me look younger.

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

Great minds think alike.

You've been going through Velma's drawers again.

Mr. Gaines, I'll see you now.

Oh, okay, okay.

Good luck, Vern.

I get it. I can't have Alex

because you think I'm too old.

Do you see any gray hairon this head?

No, sir, it's not that.

We want you to take some time and think about it.

"Take time."

All you got is time�

Colonel Taylor?

Oh, I know what it is.

It's because I don't have a wife.

I had one for 15 years.

Just take some time to think about it.

I got your time�

Mr. Oakes.

I have thought about it.

All last night. Ain't that time enough?

Brother get a suit, start tripping�

I can't believe they turned me down.

Me! A Colonel in the United States Army.

I've raised two children.

Hey, they didn't turn any of us down.

They just want us to think about it.

What's to think about?

A man of my credentials, I should be able to adopt Alex just like that.

I think Alex would be lucky to have either of you.

Specially me. That's why I'm going to keep on trying.

It hurts me to think that that boy could have been eating

this food for free.

Well, no use crying over spilt milk. What's done is done.

Good, then maybe you could take that mangy rug back to the pound.

Oh, my goodness!

I've got an overdue rental on my head.

Now they're going to charge me for two extra days.

Maybe they got a drop-in slot.

Freddie! Freddie!

- Alex, hey. - Hey!

- Guess what? - What?

Mr. Miles said someone wanted me today.

Of course someone wanted you. Who wouldn't?

That means I might have a family.

Oh, that's great.

Yes, I could not agree more.

Professor Randolph, you�

Yeah!

Well, hopefully it will be me.

My wife and I put in an application for adoption.

Well, congratulations, Professor.

Yeah. Well, this calls for a celebration.

How would you like me to fix you

a super-duper chocolate fudge, double fudge, banana split

with sprinkles on the top?

Great.

Who are you?

James Brown. Now come on.

Professor Randolph, you are not going to regret this.

Alex is such a great kid. I'm going to baby-sit for free.

I'll take him to the zoo, for walks�

Winnifred, slow down.

Alex is not coming home with us right away.3

Now we have lots of paperwork we have to go through screening,

and hopefully, if everything works out, then I'll have a son.

Hey, hey, you did the right thing, man.

Yes, you did, and I owe you a huge apology.

I was way out of line yesterday.

Yes, you do.

You were rude, intrusive, hysterical�

and you made your point.

Hey, Alex, Alex!

Come back here, you little hellion!

I'll lose my deposit.

Get that boy! Come back here with my hair!

- That's my boy. - Yeah.

Repair and Synchronization by Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0