Marquee Mama Reviews McFarland, USA

This may seem counterintuitive, but as a reviewer, I try to know as little as possible about a new movie going into a screening so that I can be as objective as humanly possible in order to deliver a completely honest review, free from studio spin. This usually works well. But in McFarland, USA, I was distracted more than once wondering whether this was a true story. It is.

No spoiler alert necessary, to the contrary, I think knowing this movie is based on a true story will instill in viewers more appreciation.

Click ahead for my family-friendly review of Disney’s “McFarland, USA“

A controversial locker room moment costs head football coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) his job at a Boise high school, and he’s forced to take a teaching job in a remote immigrant farming town (McFarland, in central California). Suffice it to say, he and his blue-eyed, blonde family of females do not match the local demographic. At first sight of their new town, his youngest daughter (Elsie Fisher) asks in earnest, “Are we in Mexico?”

McFarland, USA

Mild laughs result from the family’s sore thumb transition, but at the heart of this movie is the story of this downtrodden coach who discovers untapped and utterly unrecognized talent in a group of students who work before and after school in the fields, as “pickers”. Their daily schedules – astounding yet expected – require these teenage boys to run from the fields to school in the mornings, and back to the fields after school. It’s a harsh reality of the economic condition of the families in this community. But it also makes them fast endurance runners.

White, dubbed “Blanco” by the students, convinces 7 students to form a cross country team, resurrecting his coaching career, and launching this against-all-odds enterprise to create athletes and contenders out of the team of kids who are expected to compete against well-funded and well-established teams, and whose families don’t immediately see the value in running.

McFarland, USA

So many valuable lessons are learned in team sports, and that shows in McFarland, USA. But even bigger lessons are conveyed in learning about McFarland’s culture, tight-knit families and supportive communities, the kinds that don’t always exist in some affluent areas, where entitlement abounds.

Despite a slow-ish start, McFarland’s build to emotion and excitement is well worth the wait. If you aren’t cheering for these guys and your heart isn’t racing when they are, you may have left your seat for popcorn too many times. Enjoy this amazing story and relish in its truth. McFarland, USA is inspiring x10…make that x7!

McFarland, USA

What I Loved:

• Parents of tween and teen boys rejoice! Finally a family film that didn’t forget about this hard to please niche demographic.
• Kevin Costner authentically shows his age as he huffs and puffs after running with his team. (I’m quite sure this was called for in the script, but I’ll bet the actor appreciated it!)
• Very exciting races – anyone can cheer for this team.
• A particularly amusing and touching dinner scene with the Diaz family (with Senora Diaz, played by Diana Maria Riva, stealing the show).
• Very true to life depiction of the Mexican culture. It was a pleasure to see their support, love and devotion to each other.
• A very heartfelt essay written by one of the team members. In a movie “inspired by a true story”, this writer hopes the essay was true!
• What a realization when the coach, also the team bus driver, takes a detour and tells a parking attendant “I have 5 bucks and 7 kids who have never seen the ocean.” You will celebrate this moment with the team.
• A local convoy through town was a wonderful show of support for the team – a victory was never even necessary.
• Little moments throughout the movie remind you it’s 1987 (egg timers, chalk board rankings and VCRs)
• As the mother of a track athlete myself, I was happy to see this coach reading books and watching tapes about running. (Early coaching seemed lacking in instruction)
• STAY IN YOUR SEAT through the end the film and be treated to an update on the real lives of the characters in the movie. It’s a fantastic payoff!

McFarland, USA

What I Didn’t Love:

• Kevin Costner does a capable job in this role but he so consistently plays the same understated, chill middle-aged man these days. I can think of many actors who would do this role even more justice.
• The stereotyping was rampant in this movie, something I don’t appreciate but perhaps some truth exists in them. That makes me sad.
• A bleak commentary when a father can’t allow his son to aim for college. It’s not even a consideration for these families.
• Another sad reality is revealed when a meet’s route circles the prison, the same prison that is an unfortunate part of so many lives in this small town.
• Coach White shows unwavering devotion to his new team while simultaneously ignoring his own family. It was a real dichotomy, especially when this place is rife with families who put family above all else.
• The women in this film were kind of afterthoughts. What a waste of Maria Bello and her talented onscreen daughters.

McFarland, USA

What did you think of McFarland? Let us know in the comments below…

Official McFarland, USA one-sheet movie poster