Original subtitles

'And the pitch.'

'That little drive hit deep down the field'

Going back-back-back-back-back!

Goal! Home run!

Ticket, ticket. Man, this is great.

I haven't been in an Orioles game since we were kids.

Come to think of it, I haven't made a bet

on Orioles game since we was kids. Let me use your phone.

Don't touch that phone till you pay your bill.

Yeah, alright, man.

You know, that was the only time I ever caught a foul ball.

I had to climb over three people to get that ball.

- You remember that, Roc? - 'Course I do.

I was one of the three.

You stepped on my wrist and broke it.

Oh, yeah, I still got that ball somewhere

And my wrist still hurts when I turn it wrong.

Hey, you don't wanna go with us, Elli?

I'm sure.

Women get offended by all that scratchin'

and spittin' that goes on.

Hold on, this woman gets offended

by a major league team that has no bullpen

no bench, can't turn a routine double play

hit for average or pull off a suicide squeeze

to save their sorry souls.

Women!

♪ Them that's got shall have ♪

♪ Them that's not shall lose ♪

♪ So the Bible said ♪

♪ And it still is news ♪

♪ Mama may have ♪

♪ Papa may have ♪

♪ But God bless the child ♪

♪ That's got his own ♪

♪ That's got his own ♪ Them that's got shall get ♪

♪ God bless the child ♪ Them that's not shall lose ♪

♪ Them that's got shall get ♪

♪ Them that's not shall lose ♪

Hey, pop, ready to go to the ballgame with us?

I ain't goin'. I'm sorry, boys.

- What's up? - It's Frankie.

- I just spoke to him again. - Is it bad?

Well, I'm no doctor.

But does a black man need white blood cells?

- I think so. - I always liked Frankie.

Yeah, me too. He was, he was always like an uncle to us.

God, I'll miss him. He was a hell of a man.

Made my life better. Happier.

He was always there when I needed him.

Hey, pop, he ain't dead yet.

Oh, you right. I better stop now.

I won't have anything good left to say for the eulogy.

Oh, I'll be real lonely without him.

- Hey, well, you've got us. - Hmm-mm.

Yeah, I know.

But it ain't the same as havin' someone

who you grew up and grew old with.

Someone who's been a big part of your life.

- I gotta get to the hospital. - You want us to go with ya?

Um, I don't wanna spoil your fun. Go on, enjoy the game.

- Y-you'll be alright? - 'Course.

I better get a move on, I don't know how much time he's got.

Eleanor, you made your chicken.

I wish I had time to eat some before I go.

I understand, but you know you may never get a second chance

and you could end up regretting it your whole life.

You're right.

I will have some chicken.

What's up, Frankie?

My time on this here planet.

Oh, don't talk like that.

You've been sayin' the same thing for weeks.

If I have to listen to that one more time

I'll die before you do.

Don't go gettin' sentimental on me, Andrew.

Here, I brought you somethin' to eat. Chicken.

Thanks. But my doctor says I can't eat any snacks.

- I snuck a peek at your chart. - And?

You could eat the bag.

You know, Andrew...

...I'm glad you're with me now.

Hey, you get to thinkin' about things

when you're lyin' here dyin' and the TV don't work.

What kinda things, Frank?

I don't wanna leave this world

with you thinkin' I was such a great guy.

- You know, perfect? - You?

I never thought that.

Oh, hell, I wasn't perfect either.

You remember the time somebody took your old Plymouth

for a joy ride? Brought it back with the bumper missin'?

Well, that was me.

- Really? - Mm-hmm.

- I always wondered about that. - See?

Things like that at a time like this seem so unimportant.

I'm glad you feel that way, Andrew.

'Cause there's something I have to get off my conscience.

Just so happened, I took your wife Loretta for a joyride once.

'Course, I didn't knock nothin' off her.

You slept with my Loretta?

I thought joyride was a little tasteful.

I can't believe it!

You can't believe it? Imagine how shocked I was?

I never considered myself good looking.

How could you take advantage of my wife like that?

I wasn't takin' advantage, Andrew.

I came to see you.

Found Loretta in the kitchen cryin'.

Seemed she found out about that affair

you had with that salad girl in Macon.

She knew?

Yeah!

And she was mad

called you names and made me blush.

She was really hurting and she needed someone.

So I...comforted her.

O-one thing led to another, and before when knew it

we were waxin' the kitchen floor with our booties.

Where is the plug? I'm pullin' it.

Come on, Andrew. It wasn't my fault.

We both felt terrible.

Afterwards that is.

C-can you forgive me?

Forgive you?

You ought to just thank your lucky stars you dying

'cause otherwise I'd kill you!

I haven't told you the worst part yet.

You two waxed the whole downstairs?

No...

...well... yes.

'B-but it's worse than that.'

You see, it's just possible...

...that one of your boys...

...is mine.

What?

Oh, this is beyond belief.

Well, I...

...I suppose you better tell me.

Go ahead.

Which one of my boys may not be my boy?

No, I ain't sure, it's either one of 'em.

But if it is...

...it's...

It's...

It's...

Who?

Who? Frankie, which one?

Frankie! Oh, you can't be dead yet.

Soon, but not yet.

Doctor! Nurse! Someone, help!

Ah, do something, you gotta save him, doctor.

I'm real sorry. He's gone.

I didn't ask you for a diagnosis.

Just bring him back for a minute.

He's gotta tell me somethin'.

I don't think he has anything to say right now.

I'm really sorry.

Hey, if you ever find out which one of your kids it is

let me know.

♪ Whoa ho whoa ah ♪

- Thirty-three strike-- - Hey! How was the game?

Oh, sweetheart, you should have been there, it was fantastic.

Hey, listen to this.

Ripken swings. Phut!

And it's off to the stands and out of play.

Or is it? Is that... yes it is! It's Roc Emerson.

He's back, he's back to the wall. He leaps, he's got it.

He's got it. What a catch! what a great catch!

Yeah!

How much longer we gotta hear this crap, bro?

- Oh, you don't like it, Joey? - No, I don't.

Then, forever!

What happened to your arm, Joey?

Your husband is what happened to my arm.

I'm standin' under the ball waitin' to catch it

and then the Emerson building fell on me.

- I was going for the ball. - You going for me.

I went for the ball...

A-alright. Cut it out, you Emerson boys.

Or I'll put the both you to bed without your supper.

- Yes, ma'am. - Sorry, babe.

Now shake hands and make up.

- What? - Go on.

- Oww. Oww! - Oww, oww, oww!

- Hey, pop, how's Frankie? - Fine.

- He's gonna pull through? - No, he's dead.

- Oh, Frankie's dead? - Yeah, dead.

We gonna dwell on this?

What's your obsession with dead people?

A man dies, it's not the end of the world.

My God! Did I just hear you say your friend, Frankie's dead?

- I'm so sorry. - Who are you, his mother?

- You must be devastated. - Yeah, I'm all to pieces.

- How was the game, fellas? - What the hell are you doin'?

- Asking how the Orioles did? - They lost.

I mean, your best friend dies and you're messin' with my nose?

Joey, come here, let me check out yours.

Look, pop, you're acting crazy. Now, what's wrong?

A man wants to feel a couple of noses

and automatically something's wrong?

Hey, pop, this is strange behavior. Even for you.

Look, I think you're taking Frankie's death

a lot harder than you think.

- Yeah. - 'Yeah.'

Why? I'm fine.

Absolutely fine.

- And stop callin' me pop. - Whoa, what does that mean?

- W-w-what's goin' on here? - Hey, come on, dad.

You're hidin' somethin'. Now, give it to us straight.

Come on, daddy. We're all family here.

We can talk about anything. Now, we can help you work this out.

Yeah, Joey's right. Now, give us the truth.

You want truth?

But I'm lousy with truth.

Well, here it is.

Frankie may have fathered one of you boneheads.

♪ Whoa oh-oh woah ♪

Okay, alright, look, look, look.

See, you've got Frankie's eyes.

Yeah, brown.

Same as you and a hundred million other people.

Okay, now, my hairline is more like his

but that might be just because I got a hairline.

Man, this is so weird.

I can't believe we might not be brothers.

Roc, we got the same mother. The least we'd be is half brothers.

Okay, I hope I get the half that doesn't borrow money.

But that's the half that loves you, Roc.

Hey, uh, l-let me, let me see you walk.

- Let's see yours. - Okay, wait...

Okay, wait, you want my ladies- might-be-checkin'-me-out walk

or ain't-no-ladies-around- so-don't-make

no-difference- how-I-walk walk?

Just-just-just walk!

See, I-I think you walk more like dad than I do.

That 'cause he walks like an old man.

I didn't always walk like this, fools.

Hey, papa. Or Mr. Emerson.

Look, this whole thing is unbelievable. Come on, pop.

Our mother sleeping with another man.

One of us, not being your son, come on.

Hey, look, I got it, I got it, I got it!

Frankie was just playing a deathbed practical joke on you.

Now, why on God's earth would he do something like that?

I ain't worked that out yet.

Come on, y'all, this is ridiculous.

Now, I-I mean we're driving ourselves crazy.

I mean, looking at photos of ourselves

measuring parts of our faces

I mean, we all resembled each other a lil'.

Well, that's 'cause we've been living together for a while.

- What do you mean? - It's a proven fact.

When you stay with someone long enough

you start to look like 'em.

Just like dogs and their masters.

Oh! Oh-oh, okay, I-I see what you mean.

Yeah, he's trying to say you look like a bulldog, Roc.

Okay, okay, alright, alright.

But you do, but it doesn't matter.

You see, I-I figure, I'm the one who's not in the family.

See, dad, uh, uh, Mr. E, here...

...wasn't musical.

Frankie was, that must be where I got it.

Yeah, he was also unemployed like you.

- That don't prove nothing. - Oh, Joey.

You get your music from your mother.

Loretta was always listenin' to music.

Singin' or hummin' some tune.

- That's where you got your ear. - Oh.

What about unemployment?

You all still like this?

You know, boys have been raised

by wolves and had a less of a problem.

Oh, we just trying to straighten this thing out, Elli.

Yeah, so don't be botherin' us.

Hey, don't order my wife around, dad, if that's who you are.

Well, don't you be yellin' at me, son, if that's who you are.

Yeah, Roc, if that's who you are.

Look at how y'all are acting.

Will you guys stop beating yourselves up

over something there's no answer to.

Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it.

I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner.

We can take a blood test, in a few days

we can find out who's related to who, no problem.

How do you know so much about blood tests?

'Cause I...

Hematology's always been a hobby of mine.

I mean, we-we could do it at the hospital.

- Isn't that so, Ellanor? - It is so.

But I didn't mention it

because I think it's a mistake.

Trust me, you can do yourselves a favor by leaving this alone.

Think about it before everyone gets hurt.

- Oh, we will, sweetheart. - 'Yeah.'

Hm-mm.

- When do you wanna go? - Now is good.

♪ Yeah-ye yeah ye-yeah-ye yeah-h-h ♪

Alright, daddy, I'm going to work.

You sure you want me to bring back

those blood test result?

- I'm sure. - You know.

I've been goin' over it for days.

And I can't quite figure why Loretta

may she rest in peace, would do somethin' like that?

I mean, from what I knew of her

she was a sweet, church-going woman.

Yeah, she was at that.

- You only left out one thing. - What's that?

- She was an adulteress. - Oh, now!

Stop talking like that.

It's just so inconceivable why she did it.

There must be some reason.

Well...

...it seems she was under the impression I had an affair.

Well, what gave her that impression?

I had an affair.

You cheated on Loretta?

Well, don't that just beat all, Mr. Holier than thou?

Telling me she had no cause for what she did.

- And she didn't. - And you did?

Well, let me tell you somethin'.

Now, don't you believe everythin' you hear

about the romance of the rails.

That was lost on us black poets.

There ain't nothin' romantic about workin' on the railroad.

A porter had to shine shoes.

Fetch things for rich people.

Carry luggage.

Trunks that was so heavy

your back felt like it would snap in two.

And the whole time wearin' a big wide grin

lookin' like you enjoyed it.

And everything that went wrong was my fault.

And they told me so.

It was my fault when there weren't enough

pillows for the train.

And my fault when the ride was too bumpy.

And damn if it wasn't my fault the sun was too bright

or the snow too deep.

Like beatin' a man into the ground

till he got no self-esteem at all.

So I needed somethin' more to make me feel like a man.

So I strayed to another woman far from home.

Well, you can understand that, can't you?

No, I can't.

Well, how about this.

Sally had a body that would stop a train.

That really doesn't help.

Well, she did, that's how I met her.

So you think Loretta had it better than you did, huh?

What do you think a waitress does, huh?

Wake up. Her life was no more rosy than yours.

Don't justify your weakness with the plight of the black man.

Black woman got it just as bad and worse.

Face up to what you did.

'You did wrong.'

I did.

I did wrong.

But she made love to my best friend.

Oh, look daddy...

...you hurt Loretta, Loretta hurt you.

She's passed away. Now, Frankie's gone.

It's over, done with, let it go.

They've both gone on to a better place.

Yeah, they're probably up there doing it right now.

Oh, now, come on, stop that.

Well, maybe you're right.

What's done is done.

I guess I'll forgive her.

But did she ever forgive me?

Oh, daddy, I'm sure she did, a long time ago.

Oh.

I gotta go to work.

You absolutely sure

you want me to bring back those blood test results?

Yeah, I gotta know. I owe it to my boys.

- At least to one of them. - Okay.

- Eleanor? - Yeah.

Roc's a lucky man.

He sure is.

I love you, Loretta.

♪ Yeah-ye yeah ye-yeah-ye yeah-h-h ♪

What're you doing with those?

I figured i-if it turns out that you ain't my son

I'm ready to move out.

Oh, come on, pop, that's crazy now.

You know, you'll always be welcome in my home

no matter what the results of the blood test are.

Although, you might wanna start kickin' in a little rent.

You know, I was thinkin'...

...this could be our last meal together as a family.

You're right. It could be our last cup of coffee together.

It could be the last time I ask you to pass the sugar.

Could you please pass the sugar?

This is also the last time I'll tell you two to shut up.

Shut up.

- Oh, daddy. - Oh, don't call me that.

Come on, pop, now this is ridiculous now.

We spent our entire life being a family.

And now we're gonna let a stupid blood test tell us we're not.

I mean, that's crazy! It's ridiculous!

- It's absolutely insane! - Yeah.

You know Joey's right.

I mean, I should've realized this before.

A-a-a test can't prove anything.

You boys are my sons.

Now, a test can't tell me I didn't raise you

and change your dirty diapers.

And a test can't tell me I didn't take you to the movies.

Played catch with you and teach you right from wrong.

When did you ever play catch with me?

Alright, I just threw that in.

But a test sure as hell can't tell me

I haven't had as much love for my sons as any father can.

So, so, w-w-what are you saying?

We're not gonna look at the results?

At least one of you should be smart enough

to follow me here.

No, we won't look at the results.

- Yeah, we love you, pop. - Yes, we do, dad.

- You're my dad no matter what. - Yeah.

Hey, dad, uh...

Frankie didn't mention anything about a will, did he?

Ah, I've got the results

but I'm gonna warn you one last time.

I feel you're making the biggest mistake of your lives.

We're not going to look at them.

I'm so proud of all of you.

Go ahead, Eleanor, rip it up.

- That's the end of that. - Hey.

What say, I hit my boys some fly balls like in the old days.

You never hit me any fly balls.

Alright, so I'm doin' it now. Lighten up.

- Great. I'll go get my ball. - No, mine is new.

Hey, pop, if he touch it... Hey, Joey, don't touch my ball...

Lord only knows why I want to take credit

for even one of those two fools.

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Keep on walking on ♪

♪ Oh Lord ♪

♪ Oh yeah yeah yeah ♪

♪ Yeah yeah Well well well ♪

♪ Oh good God now ♪

♪ Oh oh ♪

♪ Whoa whoa ♪

♪ Keep on walking on ♪

♪ Oh yeah walk on ♪

♪ Yeah ♪