Starring Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Carlos Pratts, Ramiro Rodriguez
Written by Chris Cleveland & Bettina Gillois and Grant Thompson
Directed by Niki Caro
Rated PG (mild profanity)
Disney's latest feel-good formula sports movie mostly sticks to the tried and true conventions of the genre, but a strong cast lead by sports movie Hall of Famer Kevin Costner makes it a good one, with engaging character and just enough beneath the surface for those of us who don't really care about sports and want to be able to say "it's not really about (insert name of sport I don't care about here)".
Set in 1987 and "Based on a True Story", McFarland, USA stars Costner as Jim White, a high school football coach whose temper has gotten him fired from multiple jobs, forcing him to settle for a job as an assistant football coach and P.E. teacher in the small town of McFarland, California. McFarland is a dirt poor community with an almost exclusively Latino population, and White and his family stick out like . . . the only white family in an almost exclusively Latino community. While Jim isn't an out and out racist, he is the sort of privileged middle class white guy who automatically assumes a group of Hispanic youth in a parking lot belong to a gang, and drives away as fast as he can. He quickly decides this just a place to rehabilitate his reputation, then he and his wife (Maria Bello) and two daughters are out of there. But of course things don't go as planned, and Jim (nicknamed "Blanco" by his students) quickly loses his position on the football team, but keeps teaching. When he notices that the hard-working boys of the community have a talent for running very fast, he comes up with the idea to start a cross-country running team.
The plot plays out in routine sports/teacher movie fashion, with Jim recruiting the kid with the troubled family life, the fat kid, the hoodlum, the kid who smiles all the time, etc, and as they surprise everyone with their talent and tenacity, they learn some lessons about life. All of this could play as too corny to tolerate, but it doesn't, because director Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country) puts enough emphasis on character to make us care, which is what makes or breaks a movie like this. Costner couldn't been more in his element here, and he effortlessly carries the film on his shoulders with a natural, assured and mature performance. The mostly unknown supporting cast delivers as well (especially Carlos Pratts as Thomas, the star of the team), and while it's kept very low-key, the racial and class subtext makes the film feel considerably more relevant than it otherwise might, and its portrayal of Mexican-American culture is nicely respectful instead of patronizing. It also manages to mostly avoid feeling like a "white savior" movie, with the kids emerging as strong characters who don't really seem so much "saved" by Jim as working with him.
It's difficult to review a film like McFarland, USA, because on paper it sounds too corny and formulaic to work. But on screen, the emotion engages you and pulls you into having a great time. It's a movie intended for family audiences that want an old-fashioned "clean", feel-good, inspirational film. It's Disney with a capital D. It's not ground-breaking or edgy, but it's solidly entertaining, and even more cynical audience members might find themselves pulled in against their will. It may not be truly great drama, by the final reel most will drop their misgivings about formula and predictability and just get swept up in rooting for the underdog and wiping away some tears.
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