“McFarland,
USA” is a film that should be busting records this weekend but will
probably be lucky to even make it in the top 5 grossing films. Based on a
true story, showing the real people at the end, the reel people do an
excellent job holding your interest in what is a formula movie where you
know it is heading, including who will ‘save the day’.

Directed
by Niki Caro and a story and screenplay by Christopher Cleveland and
Bettina Gilios,  will put a smile on your lips and occasional tears to
the eyes not by any manipulation but just presenting what happened.
About half way through the movie, from the scene where poor boys who
have never seen the ocean dive in with pure joy until the fade out you
will be moved.

We are taken to the real town of Mcfarland,
California, where the population are mainly poor Mexican-Americans and
teenagers are lucky just to graduate high school. The most they can see
of their life is picking vegetables and fruits, not getting paid by the
hour or pound  but by the field, to help their family.

Having
recently been fired from his job for being too rough with a student Jim
White (Kevin Costner) and his wife  (Maria Bello), teenage daughter
(Morgan Saylor) and preteen (Elsie Fisher) finds themselves fish out of
water in McFarland where you don’t find hamburgers but tacos, neighbors
present you with a live chicken as a welcome present and not only
explain what a Quinceanera is but make one for the teenager as she
celebrates her 15 birthday.

White, of course, is made fun of not
only for his name but his not understanding what people who are
different from him go through just to make it to the next day. Talking
the principal (Valente Rodriguez) into letting him start a cross country
running team, after seeing a couple of the boys run, not knowing
anything about coaching runners you know where the picture is going even
if you aren’t aware of the true outcome.

Never having been a fan
of Costner’s in the sense I had to go see his pictures I will say after
seeing him last month in “Black & White” and now in this one I am
definitely a fan of his. All the adult performers, including the mother
of  3 boys who are runners, and who live next door, played by Diana
Maria Riva, are excellent but it is the boys: Ramiro Rodriguez, Carlos
Pratts, Hector Duran, Sergio Avelar, Rafael Martinez, Johnny Ortiz and
Michael Aguero that are the backbone of the movie.

“McFarland,
USA” is a must see movie if you like upbeat, moving, feel good, get your
pulse going and leaving with a smile on your face movies.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOupcStlL0c