McFarland, USA Parent Guide

Google “best high school football movies” and you can easily come up with a couple dozen films like Remember the Titans, The Blind Side and Friday Night Lights. Google “best high school cross country running movies” and you get…well…you get a 2008 documentary called The Long Green Line. Even high school wrestlers get more screen time than high school runners.

Director Niko Caro (Whale Rider, North Country) changes that and turns the camera on the sport of distance running in McFarland, USA. In the movie, Jim White (Kevin Costner) is a high school teacher and coach who lets his temper flare up way too often. After losing his job in Boise, his only option is to move his family to McFarland, California where he gets a position in a high school beleaguered with poverty, teen pregnancy and gangs. Unable to afford to commute from a nicer neighborhood, Jim, his wife Cheryl (Maria Bello) and their daughters Julie and Jamie (Morgan Saylor, Elsie Fisher) move into the middle of the predominantly Hispanic community where many of the locals work as crop harvesters. The other main employer in town is a prison.

Jim is hired to teach physical education and life science, but his goal is to put in just enough time to repair his resume and get a better job at a more prestigious school. However in P.E. class, Jim, who sits in the bleachers and barks out orders to run laps, notices how fast some of his students are—even after working in the fields before coming to school. It’s then he asks the principal to let him organize a cross-country team. The principal is hesitant—understandably. Jim White isn’t even a runner. But he finally agrees if for no other reason than to get Jim out of his office. However persuading the boys’ parents is even harder. Many of the students are working in the fields by age 10 to help support their families. Letting their boys give up time in the fields to practice running doesn’t make sense, especially after the team takes dead last at their first meet.

Like any studio, Disney has had some hits and misses over the years. But sports movies seem to be one genre where the studio consistently captures the spirit of the underdog, the incredible work ethnic needed to succeed and the strength of a team. Yet in this case the script may have actually underplayed the inspirational story the film is based on. Jim White is, in truth, a man who made an amazing impact on the community of McFarland.

Although all of the “facts” may not be accurate, this movie depicts the taxing individual effort it takes to compete in an endurance sport where running fast is less important than running fast for a long time. The script also explores the disparity between the McFarland runners and their competitors from much wealthier school districts. Like any sport, the playing field isn’t always level. While it takes away from the harsh reality of life in this small town, those imbalances, that include crime, impoverishment and domestic abuse, are glossed over in the story making the film more accessible to a much wider and younger audience. Rather the script focuses on Coach White, who learns to love these boys. He also understands that athletic achievements can lead to academic accomplishments. With that in mind, he does more than just push the boys on the race course. And the results? Well, they are remarkable.

About author

Kerry Bennett

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.