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McFarland, USA (2015)

PG  |   |  Drama, Sport  |  20 February 2015 (USA)
7.5
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Ratings: 7.5/10 from 15,751 users   Metascore: 60/100
Reviews: 67 user | 99 critic | 32 from Metacritic.com

Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach. He sees that some of the students are worth starting a cross country team and turns 7 students with no hope into one of the best cross country teams.

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Jim White
...
Danny Diaz
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Thomas Valles
...
Jose Cardenas
...
David Diaz
...
Johnny Sameniego
...
Victor Puentes
Michael Aguero ...
Damacio Diaz
...
Señora Diaz
...
Señor Diaz
...
Principal Camillo
Danny Mora ...
Sammy Rosaldo
...
Cheryl White
...
Julie White
...
Jamie White
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Storyline

A struggling coach and teacher who has been had to move around for different incidents in his career finally comes to one of the poorest cities in America- McFarland, California. There he discovers buried potential among several high school boys and slowly turns them into championship runners and brings them closer than even he could ever imagine.

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Champions can come from anywhere

Genres:

Drama | Sport

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material, some violence and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

20 February 2015 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

McFarland  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$11,020,798 (USA) (20 February 2015)

Gross:

$44,469,602 (USA) (26 June 2015)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

|

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

'Lo n Slo', used in the movie, is Ramon's license plate from the Lightning McQueen "Cars" cartoons. See more »

Goofs

The Pyrex Easy Grab dish that Mrs. Diaz uses to serve her enchiladas was not introduced until 2010, 23 years later. See more »

Quotes

Cheryl White: Fourth place at your first meet? That's not too shabby.
Jim White: Fourth out of four; also known as last place.
See more »

Connections

Features Adventure Time (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

Whittier Blvd.
Written by George Dominguez, John Figueroa, William Garcia, Benjamin Lopez, Roy Marquez, Romeo Prado, Jose Rendon, George Salazar
Performed by Thee Midniters
Courtesy of Chattahoochee Records
See more »

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User Reviews

 
traditional underdog movie
20 July 2015 | by See all my reviews

It's 1987. Jim White (Kevin Costner) is struggling to coach high school football in Boise, Idaho. He throws a shoe near a disrespectful player and it ricochets bloodying him. He and his wife Cheryl (Maria Bello) move to McFarland, California with their two daughters. It's a lower class Latino area and the only teaching job he could get. He gets kicked out as assistant football coach in the first week. He notices that some of the kids have potential as runners.

Kevin Costner can do the hard angry white guy in his sleep now. There are some pretty interesting young actors among the Latino kids. It's an inspirational based-on-a-true-story. It follows the traditional underdog formula. They have to face the obvious racism and all the expected hurdles. There isn't much drama. There are a few funny moments. There are opportunities to dig a lot deeper. The incident with Julie could be expanded on. Instead the movie does a little before and after. The heart of the incident and the reason for it are never fully explained. There is also the problem of filming running as a sport. The film does it the best that they can but the calculating process makes it less dramatic. This is a perfectly fine sports movie.


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