This is a true story about McFarland, California. Itâs a town of 12,000 people located in the San Joaquin Valley, famous for its rich farmland and vegetable production. The population is 95 percent Hispanic, virtually all of them dependent on picking crops as their only source of income. The high school students join their parents in the fields in the morning before school, and then again after classes are over. It is a hard life, with no way out in sight for many of them.
The year is 1997 and Jim White, played by Kevin Costner, is a burned out high school P.E. teacher and sometime football coach, who has outlived his welcome in one location after another. Desperate for work, he takes a job at McFarland High School never having seen the town before. Itsâ a rude awakening as he, his wife, and two daughters drive in for the first time, and their dismay is only compounded by the housing options.
White arrives at a high school low in morale, with virtually no extracurricular activities, except a football team that canât score a point. The one thing he does learn quickly is the young men have endurance, as they run from the fields in the morning to get to school and run back in the afternoon. It doesnât take him long to determine that a cross country team would be a perfect fit for the school. He fights through the red tape, parental unhappiness, and bureaucracy and finds six boys who are willing to compete.
McFarland, USA
Entertainment Rating: ★★★
Rating: PG: No profanity, sex or violence.
Possible Oscar Nominations: None.
This is where the story really begins. Starting with nothing, except skepticism from virtually everyone to the teamâs first competitive meet, is a great story in itself. Slowly but surely these young men will win you over, fighting through one obstacle after another. Interestingly, Costner stays low in his role, and while he is the lead character, he does not dominate the story, rather complements it. It goes without saying that some success follows, but youâll have to see the story to appreciate it. I never thought that cross country meets could be exciting, but director Niki Caro does a superb job staging them.
The audience liked this movie, which was very apparent as I walked out.
Now for a bonus: today and today only, two for the price of one.
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE
After sitting through 150 or so âFâ bombs during the first thirty minutes I walked out. The scriptwriters couldnât come up with any meaningful dialogue so they substituted what must be their favorite word, which speaks for itself. Add in Samuel L. Jackson, arguably one of the worst actors on his best day, attempting to speak with a lisp, and you may get some idea of what you are in for. Colin Firth, one of my favorites, did himself no favors in this one, a story with lots of action and no substance at all. In all fairness, I missed the last two thirds, but you couldnât have paid me to stay. That, of course, is just one manâs opinion.
