I’m a Valley Girl. Not the kind in the old song, but a real one. I was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley. My father was a farmer until I was thirteen and then decided he really wanted to be a minister. So we moved to San Jose when I was sixteen but the Valley Girl still pops out once in a while even after all these years.
McFarland is a small town on Highway 99 about 25 miles north of Bakersfield. If you’re just heading to Disneyland you probably take the “5” and it gets you there in a hurry. Highway 99 takes you through more small towns than you can count. McFarland is just one of those. Yes, it is a real town, and no, I don’t believe Kevin Costner ever lived there—Jim White did.
Jim White was a teacher and coach. He lost his job in Los Angeles and found that seemingly, the only place that was hiring was McFarland. This was not the highlight of his career or so he and his family were convinced. They pretty much “sucked it up” and moved.
Did I mention that this 2015 Disney film is a true story? Well, it is. Jim White is observing the boys running around the track one day during P.E. and had to do a double take at his stopwatch. He had found a team of runners and they didn’t even know it. These kids had been raised to go to the fields early to work and then grab their books and run to school. Then after school they repeated their run so they could spend as much time as possible helping with the family livelihood.
This is a poignant, uplifting tale, even though there’s a certain predictability in movies about sports underdogs. Coach White isn’t the only hero in this story, in fact he had never coached a cross country team before creating the team. He and the boys are basically winging it! The team challenges their coach, just as much as he guides and pushes them to look beyond being a “picker” for the rest of their lives and to see what gifts hard work and discipline are—not only in running but in life. I love Costner and he’s in fine form as a grumpy older coach unsure of what to make of his unfamiliar surroundings and his team full of boys who’ve been working fields since they were 10.
You’ll fall in love with these boys. Carlos Pratts broody Thomas (who naturally falls for Coach White’s daughter) and the eternal optimist Danny Diaz, who never gives up, despite being 30 pounds heavier than his brothers and teammates. Hint, he saves the day! There are so many touching moments in this movie, you just have to love it. The boys learn to work hard as a team while setting their sights on California’s first statewide cross-country championship.
These kids had rarely ever left McFarland. I loved the scene where they are on the bus going to a meet and Coach White sees a turnoff for the ocean. He tells the bus driver to pull off. They hadn’t ever seen the ocean. The expressions on their faces as they headed straight in, clothes and all was priceless. That scene has been stuck in my brain since the first time I saw this movie.
Jim White put McFarland on the map, but McFarland put heart back in Jim
White. The whole community was looking for a champion and he stepped right into the role. The White family had found a home in an unlikely little town in the middle of nowhere.
McFarland didn’t get nominated for an Oscar or even a Golden Globe. It did get a well-deserved award from Common Sense Selections for family content. More than just physical prowess drove these teens to succeed; their strong family ties, incredible work ethic and commitment to their team all played a factor in forging these novice runners into Champs. Everyone needs to be called “Superhuman” once in their lives! This is a great family movie, especially 10+ years old.
As always, I invite your comments at carolyn@carolynhastings.com.