It is true that Walt Disney Studios is actively producing “inspirational” sports-related movies as part of its master plan to dominate world entertainment — but it is also true that Million Dollar Arm was pretty good and McFarland, USA is even better. It helps to have Kevin Costner, the dean of sports movies himself, anchoring the thing as a troubled coach who unexpectedly brings cross country success to the dirt-poor immigrant residents of a small California town.
Based on a true story, coach Jim White (Costner) arrives in McFarland, California with deep trepidation and a lot of regret, but for the sake of his wife (Maria Bello) and two daughters, tries his best to fit in and earn a living. He notices that the high school kids are really strong runners, so he starts a cross country team — in the very same year that California begins its state competition for the sport. What do you know, White coerces seven Mexican-American kids to train together and run for the roses.
If it hadn’t really happened, this script would seem too good to be true. But director Niki Caro does everything in her power to position White as an awkward outsider who must find his way into the good graces of the community before he will be trusted. And once he is trusted, he learns how tightly-knit the community really is, despite the poverty and the hopelessness. In his own way, he really does help the kids, almost as much as they help him. The situation is formulaic, but the movie does everything possible to belie the stereotypes and clichés and build a foundation of realism, from which the inspiration can properly blossom.
McFarland, USA reminds me of Hoosiers in its structure, focusing on the coach while allowing the young players and their families to steal the spotlight. It isn’t quite as good as Hoosiers, which is an all-time sports classic, but it is certainly in the same ballpark. It’s a feel-good story which delivers exactly what it promises, with an epilogue that only enhances the film’s effectiveness. ☆ ☆ ☆. 24 February 2015.