McFarland, USA

Play trailer

McFarland, USA

PG

2015

2h 9m

Drama

Biography

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

130 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Track coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) is a newcomer to a predominantly Latino high-school in California's Central Valley. Coach White and his new students find that they have much to learn about one another, but things begin to change when White realizes the boys' exceptional running ability. More than just physical prowess drives the teens to succeed; their strong family ties, incredible work ethic and commitment to their team all play a factor in forging these novice runners into champions.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Disney's inspirational sports drama formula might be old hat, but McFarland, USA proves it still works -- especially with a talented director and eminently likable star in the mix.

Read Critics Reviews

Brandon Ambrosino

Vox

Dec 17, 2015

What makes McFarland USA so successful, and so bracing, is the way that its protagonist becomes aware of something that is rarely broached in these sorts of narratives - his own privilege.

Go to Full Review

Geoffrey Macnab

Independent (UK)

Sep 25, 2015

Niki Caro uses every device at her disposal to make a rousing, feelgood movie but risks turning the film into a glorified fairytale in the process.

Go to Full Review

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Sep 24, 2015

McFarland, USA is a modern anomaly — a Kevin Costner sports movie that’s genuinely rousing.

Go to Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Feb 2, 2021

2.5/5

A standard issue inspiration coach movie.

Go to Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 16, 2020

3.0/4.0

Its feel good and inspirational story will raise your spirits and leave you feeling much better when you leave the theater than when you entered it.

Go to Full Review

Allen Almachar

The MacGuffin

Jul 16, 2020

B-

There are good intentions behind this, even when it contains a problem or two [or three].

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Robert P

@Superbad Sep 18, 2026

McFarland, USA = a 4.5 star movie!

See more

Tyler L

@Tyler131 Sep 1, 2026

A really good movie with great performances.

See more

June C

@june.coover Aug 23, 2026

Great movie and so inspiring.

See more

Caspian P

@RT71490233 Jul 31, 2026

As a cross country athlete myself, I loved everything about this movie. You can't tell me, "THAT'S NOT DANNY DIAZ!" isn't one of the most inspiring moments of television.

See more

Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 25, 2026

The worldwide gross is $45,710,059.00.

See more

Frederick S

@Sawickifr33 Feb 4, 2026

Bland movie. I watched this in school and I did not like it one bit. I found it so boring. The blood when he gets hurt really fits the expression.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Niki Caro

Director

Kevin Costner

Jim White

Maria Bello

Cheryl White

Morgan Saylor

Julie White

Michael Aguero

Damacio Diaz

Sergio Avelar

Victor Puentes

Secretariat

64%

76%

Secretariat

Watchlist

Safety

78%

78%

Safety

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Safety

Invincible

71%

73%

Invincible

Watchlist

My All American

30%

78%

My All American

Watchlist

TRAILER

for My All American

The Case for Christ

63%

80%

The Case for Christ

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Case for Christ

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Track coach Jim White (Kevin Costner) is a newcomer to a predominantly Latino high-school in California's Central Valley. Coach White and his new students find that they have much to learn about one another, but things begin to change when White realizes the boys' exceptional running ability. More than just physical prowess drives the teens to succeed; their strong family ties, incredible work ethic and commitment to their team all play a factor in forging these novice runners into champions.

Director: Niki Caro
Producer: Gordon Gray, Mark Ciardi
Screenwriter: Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois, Grant Thompson
Distributor: Walt Disney
Production Co: Mayhem Pictures
Rating: PG (Some Violence|Language|Thematic Material)
Genre: Drama, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 20, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 2, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.5M
Runtime: 2h 9m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings