Predictable but manages to hit most of the right notes

Rating: 7/10 (13 September 2015)

We all know the drill by now: a teacher, usually white (the one exception seems to be Sidney Poitier in "To Sir With Love"), is sent to teach in a tough, predominately minority high school, filled with troubled teens and burned-out faculty members. At first, the hapless newbie is met with bemusement and resistance from the recalcitrant students, but, eventually, said teacher ultimately earns the trust and respect of all, often leading the kids and their school onto victory and glory in some sort of high-stakes contest (sporting event or whiz-kid competition, preferably). The granddaddy of them all, 1955's "The Blackboard Jungle," established the blueprint that all the others that have come after it have felt obliged to follow. Indeed, the narrative arc is so familiar to us by now that only the names, places and specific details offer anything in the way of novelty.
Enter "McFarland, USA," the umpteenth version of the above scenario, this one featuring Kevin Costner as Jim White, a real life PE teacher/football coach who, out of desperation, takes a position at a high school in an impoverished farm community near Bakersfield, California circa 1987. The population of the town is composed almost exclusively of first and second generation Hispanic immigrants, mostly pickers, leaving White, his wife (Maria Bello) and their two young daughters ("Homeland's" Morgan Saylor and Elsie Fisher) feeling a bit like fish-out-of-water in their new home.
When he discovers that several young men in his PE class are phenomenal runners, Mr. White decides to start a cross country team at the school, bucking a skeptical principal, school board and rival teams every step of the way - not to mention straightening out the various personal and familial problems of the boys on his team (as well as coping with his own inadequacies as a father to his teenage daughter). Yet, after some early setbacks competing against a series of snooty white schoolsah well, you get the picture. And, of course, there's the inevitable offer of a position at a "better" school, leaving White with the dilemma of either leaving his charges in the lurch or staying on for the long haul.
The thing is, though, that, while it would be easy to dismiss "McFarland USA" for its lack of freshness and originality, formulas are formulas for a reason, I suppose, and that is because they work. So, while you can resist it all you want, in the end you'll probably find yourself cheering on the boys as they cross the finish line, just as you'll be championing Mr. White for his ability to lead and inspire his charges both on the field and off. In short, though your brain may be looking for ways to reject "McFarland USA," your heart will be telling you to let it in. It's pretty easy to predict which will emerge victorious in that battle.
Nobody does the inspirational phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes bit better than Costner, and he is backed by a first-rate cast of young performers (Carlos Pratts, Johnny Ortiz, Rafael Martinez, Hector Duran, Sergio Avelar, Michael Aguero) who exude both naturalism and charm in their roles as disadvantaged youth who find meaning and pride in personal accomplishment and camaraderie. The movie also does a nice job showing how the bridges between various cultures are best built on the willingness to suspend preconceived judgments and to be open to new experiences.