Running towards the dream

The team

Nothing beats a good underdog story and no one does it more than Disney. The house of mouse has given us true life feats in just about every sport in existence from football to golf. In this case, we take a look at the true story of the 1987 McFarland high school cross country team. After an altercation from his last job obligates Jim White (Kevin Costner) to quit, he uproots his family and moves to McFarland, California, a predominantly Hispanic town, and takes up a job as a PE teacher at McFarland high school. During one of his classes, White notices two of his students Johnny (Hector Duran) and Vector (Sergio Avelar) and their uniquely high level of speed as they are doing laps. White

is confident enough to start a cross country team with his students and their talent for "running really fast," but the challenge here isn't beating the competition but conquering the differences in races by coming together. Much like the previous Disney sport films, McFarland, USA comes alive with a great cast and a dedicated attention to detail and setting, as well as a focus on characterization and story to make the film stand above the rest. There really isn't much else to say about it other than that Disney hits all the right notes and delivers another winning sports story that entertains as much as it inspires.


-Reviewed by Razor, 6/14/15