McFarland, USA

What a great story. Mr. White (Costner), a down-on-his-luck football coach, moves his family to McFarland in the central valley of California to take the only teaching/coaching job he can find. His younger daughter voices what the rest of the family thinks: "Are we in Mexico"? What transpires over the next 2 hours is a transformative experience for White, his family, seven kids, their families and the entire town of McFarland. The film does not skirt the racial and class tensions, nor does it focus on them as THE conflict. Instead, we learn how what is really a cross cultural experience enlivens and enhances both cultures. There is nothing here that is unpredictable or surprising. But everything falls together the way a good sports film should. Best sports film I have seen since Moneyball, but good for entirely different reasons.

5 stars (out of 5)