New Twist to Inspiring Sports Story in ‘McFarland, USA’

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Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Sports stories are made for the underdog, and it is the conduit for many immigrants and minorities to break through to the American Dream. “McFarland, USA” takes that idea and runs with it, as a high school cross country team of Mexican immigrants head towards the finish line.

Kevin Costner portrays the “coach,” with the same good vibes and unflappable air he has given all of his sports movie roles. This is based-on-a-true-story, so there actually is a cross country team in McFarland (north of Bakersfield, California), who kept winning because of the coach and the tradition established there. This is the origin story of that team in 1987, as the Mexican immigrant sons of “pickers” (field workers) become the core of the runners. The themes of poverty and wanting to belong to America run like a thread through the story, which per usual for sports stories involved second chances – for the coach – and triumphing against the odds.

Coach Jim White (Costner) has a temper problem, and is fired from an elite high school football program. He uproots his wife Cheryl (Maria Bello) and family yet again, and heads to the predominantly Hispanic town of McFarland, California. After learning that he’s not welcome in the football program there, he takes on the job of cross country coach, and starts assembling a team.

Thomas (Carlos Pratt) and Coach White (Kevin Costner) in ‘McFarland, USA’
Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios

The prime candidates are wary, and they mostly come from poor immigrant families who pick the various crops that grow in the region. The boys are expected at a certain age to pitch in, and that causes another strain on the slim resources of the team. But the goal is to win the state championship, and the aim of this determined group of outsiders is to do so.

There are the usual archetypes in the movie – the great athlete who is troubled, the white savior coach who knows exactly what to do, and opponents who mock the underdogs right before getting beat. What sets the film apart is the issues that these Mexican immigrant families have to face – abject poverty, back breaking work conditions and very little hope for change. The cross country championships become a way out, and are emphasized as such throughout the evolution of the team.

Cross country running is generally a 3-1/2 mile sprint, as such there is not much compelling action on the course, so the focus becomes the personality of the team. They all possess their parent’s sense of hopelessness, but are willing to create a new atmosphere that is attached to just running. For example, the “fifth man” on the team is pudgy, and an unlikely runner, yet he goes on to symbolize the determination of keeping one foot in front of the other.

Kevin Costner is the anchor of the film, and he again proves his worth in that position. His calm yet straight forward demeanor was perfect for the type of coach this story expanded upon. The excellent actress Maria Bello portrayed the wife, and although the domestic role was a bit below her scale of talent, she added a realism to the position that was felt throughout the family’s transition. These movies work when there is good casting and performances, even though they may rely on the same old stuff.

’Chariots of Fire’ Moment in ‘McFarland, USA’
Photo credit: Walt Disney Studios

At the conclusion of the film the real Jim White comes forward, riding a bike with his runners as was depicted in the film, and the original team as adults run beside him. It was the standard where-are-they-now treatment, but it was more intriguing with this group. Many of them parlayed their running skills into scholarships, and some of them headed in the opposite direction. In essence, they could run towards something, or run away from it. For any outsider, what is learned from this lesson can affect a lifetime.

This was produced by the Walt Disney Studios, and had the tradition of their live action heyday of the 1960s and ‘70s. Straightforward story telling with an inspirational tone – and an exceptional alternative for family film viewing.

By PATRICK McDONALD Writer, Editorial Coordinator HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com