McFarland, USA

McFarland, USA
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Niki Caro
Produced by	Mark Ciardi Gordon Gray
Screenplay by	Christopher Cleveland Bettina Gilois Grant Thompson
Story by	Christopher Cleveland Bettina Gilois
Starring	Kevin Costner Maria Bello Morgan Saylor
Music by	Antônio Pinto
Cinematography	Adam Arkapaw
Edited by	David Coulson
Production company	Walt Disney Pictures Mayhem Pictures
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release dates	February 9, 2015 (Hollywood) February 20, 2015 (United States)
Running time	129 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$17 million[2]
Box office	$45.7 million[3]

McFarland, USA (also known as McFarland) is a 2015 American sports drama film directed by Niki Caro, produced by Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, written by Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois and Grant Thompson with music composed by Antônio Pinto. The film was co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Mayhem Pictures. Based on the true story of a 1987 cross country team from a mainly Latino 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 also stars Maria Bello and Morgan Saylor.

McFarland, USA was released on February 20, 2015, received mixed to positive reviews from critics, and grossed over $45 million. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 2, 2015 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Plot

Jim White, a football coach, loses his job and moves with his family to take a new job at McFarland High School in McFarland, California, which is predominantly Latino. Discovering that some of his students are strong runners, he organizes a boys cross country team with seven members who have little hope for their future. Under his guidance the team becomes outstandingly successful, winning multiple state titles over the years, with many members escaping poverty and being first in their families to go to college or into military careers.

Cast

• Kevin Costner as Jim White^[4]
• Maria Bello as Cheryl White^[5]
• Morgan Saylor as Julie White^[6]
• Carlos Pratts as Thomas Valles^[7]
• Elsie Fisher as Jamie White
• Johnny Ortiz as Jose Cardenas^[1]
• Hector Duran as Johnny Sameniego^[1]
• Sergio Avelar as Victor Puentes^[1]
• Michael Aguero as Damacio Diaz^[1]
• Rafael Martinez as David Diaz^[1]
• Ramiro Rodriguez as Danny Diaz^[1]
• Diana-Maria Riva as Señora Diaz
• Vanessa Martínez as Maria Marsol^[1]
• Martha Higareda as Lupe^[1]
• Valente Rodriguez as Principal Camillo^[1]
• Chris Ellis as Coach Jenks^[1]
• Eloy Casados as Dale Padilla
• Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Señora Valles

Production

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 were finalized in July 2013.^[9] Principal photography took place in Camarillo, California, and many of McFarland's residents were extras in the movie.^[10][11]

Historical accuracy

In an interview, Jim White noted that while the movie was based on a true story, it was not a documentary. He acknowledged that not everything in the movie was factual, but that "it's still an enjoyable movie... it turned out fine." Some of the more notable differences included:^[11]

• Jim White had not been fired from numerous prior teaching jobs before starting at McFarland. He started teaching in the McFarland school district after graduating from Pepperdine University in 1964. During that time, McFarland was predominantly white in terms of demographics. White taught different subjects at numerous grade levels (fifth grade science, seventh and eighth grade woodshop, and PE) before starting his coaching career in 1980. White retired in 2003 after 23 years of coaching.
• White did not establish the cross-country team at the school, but instead restarted it after it had been dropped for a year. He rebuilt both the boys' and girls' cross-country teams, despite only the boys' team being featured in the film. Similarly, White took both teams to the California coast beach at Cayucos during the 1985 (not 1987) season.
• Not all of the runners from the 1987 team are featured in the film. Director Niki Caro wanted to show more family in the movie, so Luis Partida, who was on the team, was replaced with David Diaz, Damacio and Danny's brother. David, however, had graduated the year before McFarland's first state title win.
• Jim White and his wife Cheryl have three daughters, not two. Their oldest daughter, Tami, does not appear in the film. Julie and Jami are also portrayed relatively younger than their real ages at the time of McFarland's first state title win in 1987 (all three were in college during that time).
• Danny Diaz was not overweight as a kid. He was, however, the seventh person on the team and still instrumental to its 1987 state title win.

Release

The film was previously slated for a November 21, 2014 release, under the title McFarland,^[12] but was pushed back to February 20, 2015 and given a new title.^[13][14] The film was released in Canada under its original title, McFarland.

Home media

McFarland, USA was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 2, 2015 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

Soundtrack

McFarland, USA (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film score by Various artists
Released	February 17, 2015
Genre	Latin pop
Length	46:31
Label	Walt Disney
Antonio Pinto chronology
Trash (2014) McFarland, USA (2015) Amy (2015)

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Length
1.	"Juntos (Together)"	Juanes	3:18
2.	"The Real McFarlands"	Antônio Pinto	2:39
3.	"Me and Baby Brother"	War	3:26
4.	"Let's Hit It Again"	Antônio Pinto	1:54
5.	"Lord's Prayer"	Antônio Pinto	3:48
6.	"Watermelon Man"	Mongo Santamaria	2:26
7.	"Barbie Bike"	Antônio Pinto	1:45
8.	"Flash Light"	Parliament	4:29
9.	"Convoy to State"	Antônio Pinto	2:05
10.	"Whittier Blvd."	Thee Midniters	2:28
11.	"Beach"	Antônio Pinto	2:26
12.	"This Ain't Golf"	Antônio Pinto	2:10
13.	"That's Not Danny Diaz"	Antônio Pinto	7:52
14.	"McFarland Theme"	Antônio Pinto	2:43
15.	"América"	Los Tigres del Norte	3:02
Total length:			46:31

Reception

Box office

McFarland, USA grossed $44.5 million in North America and $1.2 million in other territories for a total gross of $45.7 million.

The film opened in North America on February 20, 2015 and earned $11 million in its opening weekend, finishing 4th at the box office.^[15]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes has reported an 80% approval rating, based on 119 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.^[15]

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]

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref(s)
Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie: Drama	McFarland, USA	Nominated	[21]

See also

• White savior narrative in film

References

1. "McFarland, USA: Press Kit" (PDF). Disney.com. The Walt Disney Studios. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
2. 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. "McFarland, USA". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
4. Kroll, Justin (1 July 2013). "Kevin Costner Running with Disney's 'McFarland'". Variety. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
5. Sneider, Jeff (21 August 2013). "Maria Bello Joins Kevin Costner in Disney's Sports Drama 'McFarland' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
6. Yamato, Jen (14 October 2013). "'Homeland's Morgan Saylor Joins Disney Sports Drama 'McFarland'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
7. Ford, Rebecca (17 September 2013). "'The Bridge' Star Joins Disney's Sports Drama 'McFarland'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
8. Foreman, Liza (29 November 2012). "William Broyles Jr. Boards Disney's 'McFarland' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
9. White, James (1 July 2013). "Kevin Costner On For McFarland". Empire. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
10. "Disney movie starring Kevin Costner filming in Camarillo". Ventura County Star. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
11. "History vs Hollywood: McFarland, USA". www.historyvshollywood.com. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
12. 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.
13. Busch, Anita (August 22, 2014). "Kevin Costner Movie 'McFarland' Moves Out Of 2014". deadline.com. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
14. McNary, Dave (August 22, 2014). "Kevin Costner's Sports Drama 'McFarland USA' Pushed to 2015". Variety. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
15. Ray Subers (February 22, 2015). "Weekend Report: Moviegoers Flee From 'Fifty Shades'". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
16. "McFarland USA". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
17. "McFarland USA Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
18. Farber, Stephen (February 4, 2015). "'McFarland, USA': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
19. 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. Scott, A.O. (February 19, 2015). "Review: In 'McFarland, USA,' Kevin Costner Coaches Cross-Country Runners". The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
21. "WINNERS OF TEEN CHOICE 2015 ANNOUNCED". Teen Choice Awards. FOX. August 16, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.

External links

• Official website
• McFarland, USA at the Internet Movie Database
• McFarland, USA at History vs. Hollywood