McFarland, USA

After a million years as an IMDb member I'm finally inspired to write a review. This movie is guileless and sweet in the most beautiful way. Not heavy-handed, no huge buildup over the races (in all aspects of the word), but rather huge focus on interpersonal relationships and the judgments every human makes about one another. There's also huge pride in the small working towns I've personally driven through on my way to somewhere else, and the seemingly small people whose backs we live off of. There is so much heart here. I'm surprised this is a Disney movie.

Anyway, I believe love drives us. And this is such an affirmation of the different types of love and relationships that can push us in the best ways and help us achieve greatness. I'm so deeply pleased to have seen this film. Every one of us has a moment or period when we are down for the count. We don't always handle it with grace. That doesn't mean we are without grace.

In making this movie Kevin Costner stuck to the formula, the one that most feel good sports movies use, and made it work beautifully. There are no unexpected fancy twists in this one. The acting is straight up and solid. The ethnic background of the movie adds to the movie in good way. I enjoy a few of the scenes that involve the interactions between the coach or his family and the locals. They demonstrate how cultural interaction and familiarity can eliminate fear and breakdown the walls that divide us. Don't get me wrong, the movie is not trying to give you a social/cultural lecture, this stuff comes naturally mixed with the main story line.

If you like the genre, you'll enjoy this movie.

Okay, Kevin Costner can do this character in his sleep. His "Coach/Manager/Player who has seen it all" character is standard stuff for him. It's basically "Bull Durham", "Draft Day", "For Love of the Game" all rolled into the same guy. That's not a bad thing. I like him in those roles. It's just nothing new. What's surprising is the plethora of fabulous performances by the kids and townspeople in this terrific little TRUE story. They ROCK this picture. Special recognition to the set designers who created a beautiful location for all the running sequences. It was a rich assortment of landscapes that mesmerized the visual senses on BluRay.

Basic plot: Costner (Jim White) is a football coach at a reasonably successful high school program. Because of a mistake in the opening sequence, the coach is fired and lands in a dead-end town in Nowhere'sville, USA - aka McFarland, CA. The fish-out-of-water family has a few brushes with the local Mexican population where they think being the only (seemingly) white family in the area is a bad idea and are intending on moving immediately. Then Costner sees a kid running a sub-5-minute mile on his way to work in the produce fields with the rest of the population of minority workers in the area. What follows is fairly standard Disney stuff of our innocent but willing racially-inferior minnows who fight to get better against the racist, elitist killer whales (rich kids) of the other schools. What makes this watchable is how true the story is. Don't get me wrong. There are some formulaic sequences here. But how they pull it off is worth the cinematic journey. For Disney, I'm proud of them for taking a racial theme and turning it into a positive story for all involved.

I have to say the reason I'm giving this a "7" is because of the EXCELLENT behind-the-scenes stories where the filmmakers interview the runners from the team, along with the real coach, Jim White, and Kevin Costner all at the same sitting. Hearing them reminiscing (the movie is set in 1989), talking about the movie, and showing genuine care and respect for their beloved coach and each other... It's what a coach could only hope for in the children who grow up to be fine adults. Mr. White created a dynasty of runners that forged an ironclad identity with hope for the future in this nothing town when nobody was giving them a chance. One man can still make a difference on a global scale if you work hard enough. It's inspiring stuff.

The highest praise I can give this movie: My two teenage athlete children (soccer and baseball/softball) who have watched literally hundreds and hundreds of movies were against it. It was Disney for crying out loud. And a movie about CROSS COUNTRY no less. They would rather watch "Mission Impossible 15" or anything else. These are seasoned moviephiles. But Dad just wouldn't be denied. ;-) Within the first 15 minutes, they were hooked and enjoyed every minute of the rest of the movie. They even sat through the behind-the-scenes interviews. It was a family experience I won't forget. Well done, Disney.

As a coach myself, this is the kind of stuff that inspires me to work with kids who don't have a future in their current situation. And if you're already a coach, it may open your eyes to kids who have natural talents that may be wasted on something other than where their true skills lie. Much recommended. :-)

I had read the story of Jim White and the McFarland cross country team long before the movie came out. I was glad to see it made into a feature film, but Disney's heavy hands keep it from being fully satisfying.

Most of the actors playing larger roles acquit themselves well. Yes, Kevin Costner is his overly familiar world-weary self, but there's always a certain charm in seeing him inhabit that role. Many of the young men portraying McFarland's runners are both charming and believable, and some of the quirky townspeople (such as the mother of three runners and the owner of the local variety store) add nice depth to the story.

In addition, the scenery is interesting, from the running trails to the fields where the McFarland runners pick crops.

One real turnoff was when, repeatedly, opposing runners were shown talking smack before the start of races, and opposing coaches made snarky comments about the McFarland team. I've coached youth sports for many years and am accustomed to seeing much better sportsmanship than that. The movie makers apparently needed to set up cartoonish villains so that the audience would root even harder for the good guys.

Another clunker came at the first race, the "Palo Alto Invitational." The race director was surprised when McFarland showed up - but if it was an "invitational," then either they'd been invited (so he shouldn't have been surprised) or they hadn't been (in which case they had no business going to the race).

This was a generally pleasant two hours, and it was good to know that the basic heartwarming events took place in real life. Could have been better (or at least less bad in some parts), but it was OK. I recommend you find the story "Running for Their Lives" by Gary Smith, the captivating real-life tale of Jim White and McFarland (told as only the brilliant Smith could).

"These are good kids, smart kids. They just need a chance at a better future." Jim White (Costner) is a football coach at a prestigious high school. After a halftime outburst he is fired and takes a job in McFarland high as an assistant football coach. When a disagreement strips him of that position as well he isn't sure what to do next. When he sees one of the students running he decides it's time for the school to have a cross country team. Fighting with the runners, parents and school he does his best to transform the students, the school and the community. In terms of movies there is really one sure bet. If you put Kevin Costner in a sports movie it's gonna be good. Even with those high expectations this did not disappoint. The movie is tremendously inspiring. While watching there is a way you want it to end, and you are right there training and running with them hoping for the outcome you desire. The only bad I can say about it is that I liked his other ones better, but only because I like football and baseball more than running. That in no way diminishes the greatness of this movie though. Overall, Costner proves again why he is THE choice for sports movie actors. I give this an A.