Not just your average sports film!

Rating: 7/10 (24 March 2015)

-McFarland, USA (2015) movie review: -McFarland, USA is based on a true story about a football coach (played by Kevin Costner) who ends up having to move to the small town of McFarland, which is predominately Latino. While there, he sees the opportunity to create a cross-country running team.
-I am not always a big fan of inspirational sports movies, but I thought McFarland, USA was pretty great. Apparently if you follow the inspirational sports movie formula and add some small elements deviating from cliché, you get a really compelling film.
-The story is inspirational, partly because it is true, because of the themes it tackles, such as success and self-worth. It played with elements of race and family, but was not too pushy about race, nor too Lifetime about family.
-The film did feel longer than two hours, but I enjoyed the entire thing, so at least I was not bored.
-The acting is good. Kevin Costner plays the same character he always plays recently, but he has still been good. The supporting cast also did a great job! Carlos Pratts was probably the best in the film. I love it when unknowns impress me.
-The characters were all pretty deep characters and had a lot to offer. I really liked seeing them deal with different aspects like dealing with a dad who disappears and comes back or trying to be on a team while dealing with working in a field as a full time job that supports your family.
-The music varied from fun Hispanic music to an inspirational score that I enjoyed.
-The film has a lot of heart and is full of scenes that are either fun or emotional or tens or happy. None of it went beyond realism, and when it set things up to look like a cliché, it ended up beating the cliché in a realistic way.
-McFarland, USA was a by-the-numbers inspirational sports film that feels a tiny bit too long, but it is also full of really good performances, a lot of emotion and meaning to the film, and it was just really easy to get involved in the film. I will say McFarland, USA impressed me, and it is definitely worth seeing in theaters! -McFarland, USA is rated PG and has no language or anything, but does have some violence and a few racial slurs.