Uplifting high school sports film

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2017)

Hollywood has been good in one area a couple decades into the 21st century. It has turned out some very good sports films based on true stories. "McFarland, USA" is one. The movie was made by Disney in 2015, from a screenplay that was being developed since 2004. It's based on a true story of a high school teacher, Jim White, who made championship cross-country teams in the mid-1980s at a small California high school. The town of McFarland is in the farm area of central California, north of Bakersfield. The high school is largely Hispanic.
Kevin Costner heads the cast as White, and all turn in fine performances. This is a very good drama, historical and biographical film. It is peppered with small doses of humor. The production qualities are superb. As with most such films, this one has been changed from fact to fiction in places. But, it tells a good story about a coach, a town and a high school team.
Some of the fictional changes including White having been fired from different teaching jobs before going to McFarland. In reality, he began there in 1964 after he graduated from Pepperdine University. White taught different classes and grades until 1980 when he began coaching. When he noticed the speed of some of the kids, he decided to start cross-country running which the school had dropped the previous year. The film is just about the boys' team, but he started both boys and girls teams, and took both of them to the Cayucos beach during the 1985 season.
White had three daughters, not two as in the movie. And they were older in real life. At the time of the cross-country championships, the girls were in college.
The move was a hit and apparently led to increased interest in cross- country running in schools around the country. This is a good film that should be of special interest to young teens.
Here are a couple of favorite lines from the film. Cheryl White, "Fourth place? That's not too shabby. Jim, "Four out of four – also known as last."
Jim White, "Tell your father I said it was an honor to be invited into his home." David Diaz, "Dad, he said it was an honor to be invited into your home." Senor Diaz, "Tell him I said 'Thanks!'"