Monday, March 02, 2015

McFarland, USA

McFarland, USA

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McFarland, USA
McFarland, USA poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byNiki Caro
Produced by
Screenplay byChristopher Cleveland
Bettina Gilois
Grant Thompson
Story byChristopher Cleveland
Bettina Gilois
Starring
Music byAntônio Pinto
CinematographyAdam Arkapaw
Edited byDavid Coulson
Production
company
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Release dates
  • February 20, 2015 (2015-02-20) (United States)
Running time
129 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$17 million[2]
Box office$22 million[3]
McFarland, USA is a 2015 sports drama film directed by Niki Caro and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Based on the true story of a 1987 cross country team from a predominantly Mexican-American high school, McFarland High School, in McFarland, California, the film stars Kevin Costner as Jim White, the school's coach, who leads the team to win a state championship.[2] The film was released on February 20, 2015 and received positive reviews from critics.


Plot[edit]

In 1987, in Boise, Idaho. Football coach Jim White is chastising his players for a rather underwhelming game. One of his players starts to give off a bit of an attitude. After having had enough, Jim orders the player to leave. When he doesn't, Jim throws a shoe at a locker, which bounces off and strikes the player in the face, cutting his cheek. Following this incident, Jim is forced to move away with his wife Cheryl and two daughters, Julie and Jamie. They settle down in McFarland, California in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood. On their first night there, the family goes to a small restaurant and leaves to find a large gathering of Latinos in cars surrounding the place. One man makes suggestive motions toward Julie, prompting the family to leave faster.
Jim starts his new job as the life science teacher/PE and football coach assistant at school the next Monday. He meets Principal Camillo, who pairs Jim up with the current football coach. Jim later sends the students to do a lap, while three boys, the Diaz brothers - Danny, Damacio, and David are forced by their mother to leave. The football team plays a game against another school. One of the players, Johnny Sameniego, gets injured on the field. The coach wants him to get back out there, but Jim orders Johnny to sit this one out. The home team then loses the game to an embarrassing 63-0. As the family continues to adjust, Jim's neighbor gives him a rooster as a gift. He goes to the store to buy it some feed. Outside, he sees some of his students drinking water from a hose. A man named Javi picks up his nephew Victor Puentes. The other boys tell Jim that Javi just "got out" while Victor's dad is still in there.
The coach complains to Camillo about Jim's actions during the game and demands that he step down. Jim later sits out on the bleachers and watches the boys run a lap around the track with Jamie joining him. She comments that the boys, particularly Victor and Johnny (who got cut from the football team) move very fast. This sparks an idea in Jim. Jim goes to Camillo to convince him to let him start a track team to compete in the upcoming state championships. Jim also enlists Johnny's help to recruit six more runners for the team, starting with Victor. Johnny also asks the Diaz brothers, as well as two other students - Jose Cardenas and Thomas Valles. Thomas has gotten in trouble at school for being involved in altercations with other boys that mocked his younger sister for getting pregnant, so Jim negotiates for him to join the team to avoid suspension. Although the boys are initially reluctant, they agree to join the team and run with Jim across the town, with Danny lagging behind as he is the fattest of the team.
After some training, the team goes to their first meet in Palo Alto. The boys from the other teams taunt the McFarland team with derogatory comments. The race commences, and the McFarland team lands in the final spot. Knowing the boys are disappointed, Jim takes full responsibility for the loss to not let them get discouraged.
Jim learns of some of the boys' personal issues during their practice session. Thomas expresses his frustration due to his not seeing a better way out for himself and that he and his friends are only suited to picking fruits and vegetables in the fields all day. At home, Thomas's father has returned after a long absence. Thomas returns home one afternoon to find his parents arguing. His father starts punching the wall, and Thomas runs in to stop him. Jim takes up a lot of practice time that it causes him to be late for a birthday dinner for Julie, and he forgets to pick up a cake for her. She goes to her room, angry and disappointed. Jim later drives by a bridge and sees Thomas sitting over it. He approaches the boy and notices a bruise on his eye, which Thomas says was his own fault because he tried to stop his dad from hurting his hands so that he could keep working. Jim talks the boy down and tells him that he has good things ahead of him, encouraging him to continue doing something worthwhile.
The Diaz brothers are pulled out of the team by their father, who wants them to keep working the fields. Jim goes to their home and offers his services to them. He even gets up as early as they do to go to the fields to pick produce in the blazing sun. By the end of the day, Jim is exhausted. The team goes up for another race to qualify for the championships. Danny notices the hill they must run over is VERY tall, to his dismay. The team competes, and they manage to just break into the top four teams, enough to qualify. Meanwhile, a coach from Palo Alto gives Jim a card in case he is interested in an open full-time position.
Cheryl befriends Javi's girlfriend Lupe when her car breaks down in the streets. Lupe invites Cheryl into her salon for a free manicure while Javi fixes the car. The Diaz family later shows up to the White home to make tamales and organize a car wash for team fundraisers. The Diaz matriarch says the team ought to use better uniforms and shoes. She says Jim is a good man, and then tells him to go take a shower. The team continues to practice harder, allowing Jim to bond with the boys. They name their team the McFarland Cougars. They even get new uniforms and shoes to go with it.
The people in town learn that Julie just turned 15 and decide to help organize a quinceañera for her. They bring Cheryl, Julie, and Jamie to the salon while everyone sets up at home. Jim gets Julie a pretty dress, and she loves the party. Thomas gives her a bracelet that his grandmother made. Later, Javi and Lupe offer to take Julie out for her own "parade", with Thomas accompanying them. Not long after, their car is confronted by a group of punks that bother Javi. They attack the group, while they push Julie out of harm's way. The authorities contact Jim, forcing him and Cheryl to drive to the scene and find Julie on the ground, unharmed but with scrapes on her legs and shaking tearfully. Jim is angry over this, despite being assured that Julie was protected.
Jim meets with the Palo Alto district for the coaching position. The boys and his family know about this, and they are upset with him. He tells Cheryl that he could bring them the better life that he promised them. Cheryl argues that they have settled in just fine here and it would be wrong for Jim to abandon the team and the friends they have made. The day arrives for the state championships. The whole community goes out to support the team. The race commences, which already sees a problem when Jim notices that Jose is moving too fast and worries that he will overexert himself. Thomas runs faster to pick up the slack as Jose starts to slow down. Thomas ends up crossing the finish line first, while the others come in closely. Jim worries when he doesn't see Jose, but to both his and Thomas's surprise, it is Danny that runs faster and picks up the slack.
The judges tally their scores together, and, coming in first place is Mcfarland. The townspeople cheer for their team. Jim approaches the Palo Alto coach, which his family and the boys see. He comes back and smiles, simply stating, "McFarland." He hugs his family and then gets a hug from his team.
The ending text says that the McFarland team won nine state titles over 14 years, all of which Jim White coached. We see the real coach and team running by a hill, all of them now grown men. The boys went off to college, and some, including Thomas Valles, the Diaz brothers, and Johnny Sameniego, went on to teach at the McFarland schools. Victor Puentes served a sentence at the penitentiary, but continued his education and got a good job. Jose Cardenas became a writer for The Los Angeles Times and is currently serving his country in the U.S. army. The McFarland team continued to run races in North America, Europe, and Asia. Jim White retired from coaching and still lives in McFarland.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

William Broyles Jr. was hired to write the screenplay for the film, which was in development since 2004.[8] Negotiations for Kevin Costner to star began in 2012, and were finalized in July 2013.[9] Principal photography took place in Camarillo, California.[10]

Release[edit]

The film was previously slated for a November 21, 2014 release, under the title McFarland,[11] but was pushed back to February 20, 2015 and given a new title.[12][13]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

The film opened in North America on February 20, 2015 and earned $11 million in its opening weekend dubuting at No. 4 at the box office.[14]
As of March 1, 2015 the film has grossed $22 million, against a budget of $17 million.[15]

Critical reception[edit]

McFarland, USA received positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes has reported a 78% approval rating, based on 96 reviews, with a rating average of 6.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Disney's inspirational sports drama formula might be old hat, but McFarland, USA proves it still works — especially with a talented director and eminently likable star in the mix."[16] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 60 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17] In CinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, cinema audiences gave the film an average grade of A on an A+ to F scale.[14]
Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter gave a positive review, writing that "While the beats of the story are often stock, the picture benefits from sensitive direction by New Zealander Niki Caro and from a most appealing performance by Kevin Costner."[18] James Rocchi of The Wrap wrote "A feel-good movie that earns all those good feelings, McFarland, USA might be running on a predetermined track, but the heart it shows along the journey is what makes it a winner."[19] A.O. Scott of The New York Times described the film favorably as "a slick and safe Disney version of a fascinating and complicated reality", and that "Mr. Costner, with his knack for grumpy understatement, manages both to dominate the film and to deflect attention from himself."[20]

Soundtrack[edit]

McFarland, USA (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album by Various artists
ReleasedFebruary 17, 2015
Genre
Length46:31
LabelWalt Disney
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Juntos (Together)"  Juanes3:18
2."The Real McFarlands"  Antônio Pinto2:39
3."Me and Baby Brother"  War3:26
4."Let's Hit It Again"  Antônio Pinto1:54
5."Lord's Prayer"  Antônio Pinto3:48
6."Watermelon Man"  Mongo Santamaria2:26
7."Barbie Bike"  Antônio Pinto1:45
8."Flashlight"  Parliament4:29
9."Convoy to State"  Antônio Pinto2:05
10."Whittier Blvd."  Thee Midniters2:28
11."Beach"  Antônio Pinto2:26
12."This Ain't Golf"  Antônio Pinto2:10
13."That's Not Danny Diaz"  Antônio Pinto7:52
14."McFarland Theme"  Antônio Pinto2:43
15."América"  Los Tigres del Norte3:02
Total length:
46:31

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k "McFarland: Project Profile". Disney.com. The Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved July 15, 2014. 
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Kit, Borys (20 July 2013). "Kevin Costner in Talks to Star in Disney's Sports Drama 'McFarland'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 December 2013. 
  3. Jump up ^ "McFarland, USA". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 28, 2015. 
  4. Jump up ^ Kroll, Justin (1 July 2013). "Kevin Costner Running with Disney’s ‘McFarland’". Variety. Retrieved 1 December 2013. 
  5. Jump up ^ Sneider, Jeff (21 August 2013). "Maria Bello Joins Kevin Costner in Disney’s Sports Drama ‘McFarland’ (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 1 December 2013. 
  6. Jump up ^ Yamato, Jen (14 October 2013). "‘Homeland’s Morgan Saylor Joins Disney Sports Drama ‘McFarland’". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 December 2013. 
  7. Jump up ^ Ford, Rebecca (17 September 2013). "'The Bridge' Star Joins Disney's Sports Drama 'McFarland'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 December 2013. 
  8. Jump up ^ Foreman, Liza (29 November 2012). "William Broyles Jr. Boards Disney’s ‘McFarland’ (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 1 December 2013. 
  9. Jump up ^ White, James (1 July 2013). "Kevin Costner On For McFarland". Empire. Retrieved 1 December 2013. 
  10. Jump up ^ "Disney movie starring Kevin Costner filming in Camarillo". Ventura County Star. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013. 
  11. Jump up ^ McClintock, Pamela (18 September 2013). "Pixar's 'The Good Dinosaur' Pushed Back Nearly 18 Months After After Losing Director". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 September 2013. 
  12. Jump up ^ Busch, Anita (August 22, 2014). "Kevin Costner Movie ‘McFarland’ Moves Out Of 2014". deadline.com. Retrieved August 23, 2014. 
  13. Jump up ^ McNary, Dave (August 22, 2014). "Kevin Costner’s Sports Drama ‘McFarland USA’ Pushed to 2015". Variety. Retrieved August 24, 2014. 
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Ray Subers (February 22, 2015). "Weekend Report: Moviegoers Flee From 'Fifty Shades'". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 28, 2015. 
  15. Jump up ^ "McFarland, USA". Box Office Mojo. 
  16. Jump up ^ "McFarland USA". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved February 25, 2015. 
  17. Jump up ^ "McFarland USA Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 23, 2015. 
  18. Jump up ^ Farber, Stephen (February 4, 2015). "'McFarland, USA': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 22, 2015. 
  19. Jump up ^ Rocchi, James (February 4, 2015). "‘McFarland, USA’ Review: Kevin Costner Goes the Distance in This True-Life Sports Tale". The Wrap. Retrieved February 22, 2015. 
  20. Jump up ^ Scott, A.O. (February 19, 2015). "Review: In ‘McFarland, USA,’ Kevin Costner Coaches Cross-Country Runners". The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2015. 

External links[edit]

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