McFarland Review

Jim White (Costner) is a disgraced track coach who moves to a Latino neighbourhood, discovers a welter of running talent in a rundown school and seeks to energise the kids to start a cross-country team and beat the privileged poshos.

by Ian Freer |
Published on
Release Date:

24 Sep 2015

Running Time:

129 minutes

Certificate:

PG

Original Title:

McFarland

It’s like the ’90s never went away. Set in 1987, Kevin Costner is a disgraced track coach who moves to a Latino neighbourhood, discovers a welter of running talent in a rundown school and seeks to energise the kids to start a cross-country team and beat the privileged poshos.

You’ll predict every beat here, from the reluctance of Costner’s family to move to the slow earning of respect, but it has a nice feel for Latino life, the kids are a likable bunch and Costner, as ever, imbues the hooey with enough gravitas to make you care. Based on a true story, it ends with the real-life subjects running by a hill. It’s that kind of movie.

The kids are a likeable bunch and Costner, as ever, imbues the hooey with enough gravitas to make you care.
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