Our Friend Martin

The story is also remarkably moving, as Matt and Randy learn what Dr. King did for humanity, and come to see him as a real person, not a historical figure. Matt and Randy experience segregation firsthand when they aren't allowed to eat on a train together. Together, they witness the bus boycott, the Birmingham riots, and the "I Have a Dream" speech. They discuss the theme of "non-violent resistance" with their new friend Martin and the work of Ghandi in India. As King tells Matt, "We must meet hate with love. It will take time, but somebody's got to start." Authentic historical footage blended with animation make this an excellent choice for teaching kids about the legacy of Dr. King. --Elisabeth Keating

This video truly encourages children to think about the choices they make. Not only does it make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. someone a child can relate to, but it explores the idea that one person can make a difference. It urges children to stand up for the right thing even when it is difficult.


Mixes cartoons and real footage to teach history!   January 20, 1999
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

This kid-focused video seeks to teach viewers about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. It's attention-grabbing format combines a cartoon story about 4 sixth graders who travel back in time to meet Dr. King at various points in his life, with genuine footage of his speeches and various marches. The characters' voices are provided by such famous celebrities as Whoopie Goldberg, James Earl Jones and Susan Saranden. The plot is fast pace, and hooks viewers in through it's clever time travel premise, while getting its message across. Certainly, the most gripping segment of the video occurs when the main characters try to prevent Dr. King from being assassinated, by bringing him forward in time. Viewers are suddenly thrown into a world untouched by King's dreams of racial equality, and the gross differences between our lives with and without King's accomplishments are starkly revealed. This is definitely an exceptional video.


yuck   May 10, 2004
11 out of 24 found this review helpful

I've been forced to watch this film every year for the past five years at school. This movie is probably the stupidest thing to ever grace the Earth. If you are going to teach kids about the civil rights movement than do it right, show them a documentary or a realistic film. This movie is a real joke and the characters suck.


Eh, Mediocre   April 1, 2005
Bryan J. Sajecki
11 out of 23 found this review helpful

Although this movie had a couple deep and emotional momements, the hokiness of the rest of it bled over that. The characters were horrible, the kids came off as kind of mentally hadicapped, except for maybe the Mexican girl. The obese kid and the blonde skateboard kid sounded like they should've been in a resource room. Because of this, the most disturbing points in the movie didn't deal with the mistreating of the African Americans, it was more of the blonde skateboard kids slow, sluggish manner of speaking and the obese kid's toplessness at the march in Washington. The celebrity voices only left me playing a game of 'yea, that voice sounds familiar'. Oh, and the running bit with the bad busdriver, first off it was inconsistent, second off, it's scary to show kids that a school district would allow a bus driver who can't stay on the rode, keep his job driving children to school. 'Our Friend Martin' does acheive it's goal, but it falls as being dumbed down for kid, and believe me, their minds need to be as sharpened as they can nowadays. Oh, and that Mexican girl, supposed to be in 6th grade, looks like she's 21.


Great Movie -- for children in 3rd grade or higher   January 20, 2004
10 out of 12 found this review helpful

Our child saw this video in school, the week before Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday -- and we were upset with the feedback we received when we asked him about it. We didn't know beforehand that it was being shown, but he mentioned that he was scared to go to sleep, the night after he saw it. The first thing he talked about was the gunshot, and the children being sprayed with water. He is in kindergarten, and too young to truly understand the nuances of this period in our history. Martin Luther King's message is so valuable, and we believe should be taught to all chidren. However, accompanying this message with the violent visual is too intense for 5-6 year olds. After watching the film again, this time stopping 3-4 times so he could ask questions, and we could discuss what was happening - we feel ok with him seeing it. We would still recommend that kids under the age of 8-9 do not watch it.