A Mile in His Shoes
Film poster
Screenplay by	Jason Koornick
Story by	Frank Nappi (The Legend of Mickey Tussler)
Directed by	William Dear
Starring	Dean Cain Luke Schroder
Music by	Stu Goldberg
Country of origin	Canada
Original language	English
Production
Producers	Tara Cowell-Plain Dureyshevar Jason Koornick Jack Nasser Joseph Nasser Dan Spilo Danny Webber
Cinematography	C. Kim Miles
Running time	89 minutes
Original release
Release	September 5, 2011 (2011-09-05)

A Mile in His Shoes is a 2011 Canadian made-for-television sports drama film directed by William Dear and starring Luke Schroder, George Canyon and Dean Cain. It was based on the 2008 novel The Legend of Mickey Tussler by Frank Nappi.^[1] The setting was changed from Ohio in 1948 in the novel to Bargersville, Indiana in 2002 in the film.^[2] The story takes place before autism was a recognized condition and people who had it were thought to have "special needs".^[3]

Plot

The film centers on Mickey Tussler (Luke Schroder), an 18-year-old from Indiana with Autism, who joins the semi-professional baseball team "the River Rats" after being discovered by Arthur Murphy (Dean Cain).^[2] At 18 Mickey has very severe autism. His speaking abilities are limited and he usually refers to himself in the third person. His parents plan to keep him working on the farm where he is safe from failures of school and camp.

Arthur Murphy ("Murph") who sees Mickey pitching apples to his pig recognizes that the boy with a lot of potential as a pitcher. He convinces Molly to let Mickey come with him to be a part of the team. He pairs him with a teammate named Pee Wee who takes Mickey under his wing.

Mickey is accepted by most of the team, except the top pitcher who feels threatened by Mickey's growing competence on the mound. With the help of the coach and Pee Wee, Mickey learns to manage the sensory overload he experiences on the field and pitch well through it.

Eventually, through his success on the field, Mickey proves to himself and to his parents that he has talent, he has a voice, and his autism cannot stop him from achieving his dreams.

Cast

• Luke Schroder as Mickey Tussler
• Dean Cain as Arthur "Murph" Murphy
• George Canyon as Clarence
• Chilton Crane as Molly Tussler
• Jarod Joseph as Pee Wee
• Jesse Hutch as George "Lefty" Rogers
• Andrew Wheeler as Warren Dennison
• Jaren Brandt Bartlett as Raymond "Boxcar" Miller
• Anna Mae Wills as Laney Juris
• Matthew Robert Kelly as Chip McNally
• Lee Tichon as Rocco Hightower
• Kenneth W. Yanko as Sheriff Billings
• Paul Jarrett as Pastor Bob

Background

The movie is adapted from the 2008 novel The Legend of Mickey Tussler by Frank Nappi, which was the first of a series. The subsequent novels, "Sophomore Campaign" and "Welcome to the Show," delve deeper into the mind and experiences of Mickey, as well as those closest to him.