McFarland, USA is a sports drama that based on the true story of the McFarland high school cross country team. The team is made up of Mexican-Americans and they’re the underdogs in a more privileged sporting event. The film is directed by Niki Caro and stars Kevin Costner as Jim White, the white coach that brings this Mexican-American team together.

The good; this film is pretty darn good. Sports movies follow a formula, yet I was still moved by this movie, the formula is played well here. What McFarland, USA brings to the table is heart, sure that can be said of all sports movies but there’s something else here. It’s about the white man being the outsider and learning to live in another culture, this message of empathy and acceptance is one that isn’t explored all that often. Bravo for tackling that.

The actors. They casted actors that look like their in high school, and what’s more, they casted “brown” actors, not people playing ethnic, but actors who are of the proper ethnicity.
Kevin Costner does a great job here, he really does a wonderful job in the way he’s a fish out of water then a coach, then a part of the community.

It’s based on a true story.

The bad; no one’s going to see this film. It’s really good, I hope it gets a chance on the home video market.
There’s not really anything that would go here.

Overall, good see this movie and feel inspired. You’ll root for the underdog and feel the sweat of each step they run. With the typical “based on a true story” movies, this one ends with a wrap up of where the people portrayed in the movie are today, they manage to pull that off but in a different way and not the way you’d expect. For a sports drama that hits all the right marks, McFarland, USA will take it one step further.