mattkratz This is one of the most engaging true stories I have ever seen. Kevin Costner plays a coach who gets fired and moves to a small town in California to coach football, and winds up forming the school's first ever cross country team. Costner was good in the role. It details his relationship with his family and the kids on the team, and inevitably how his dedication to his new job takes a toll on his family life. My favorite scenes were the practice scenes, the actual tournament scenes, the part where they see the ocean, the quicenerra scene, the part where the daughter is involved in a car accident, and the opening scene that makes him change jobs. If you are into true inspirational sports stories-this is the movie for you!*** out of ****

vimmiya Always true and success stories are inspirational. It drives people from common middle class background to have to dream and strive to reach for their ambition. Psychologically it makes us feel good that we hope to achieve something in our limited span of time in this cosmos.Few movies that made an impact for me are the likes of Pursuit of Happiness and Shawshank Redemption. The movie focuses on a semi- urban locality McFarland that is a habitat for the immigrants' population of US. Here their survival depends upon agricultural produce and is not uncommon to view children entering the labor force at a very young age. It is a boardroom management lesson – the character of Jim White. Call it circumstances or act of God he is supposed to train the students in American Foot Ball. It is public school where funding is a scarce resource and students less motivated to take up sports. All he understood was the children had a natural ability to run for their daily chores. He capitalized that aspect and trained them to their maiden 'Cross country race'. We always need to see opportunity within our limited resources. Allowing ourselves to be stagnate and complaining leads us to depression. Life is never going to be linear and all I saw from the movie whether a teacher / team Leader should be in a position to impart knowledge and show us something best from the better. The film will remain with me as an enjoyable and inspiration source. I give credit to the cast and crews' members making us understand their joys and sorrows, vulnerability and strength and finally inhibitions and liberation.

LAtoSEA After a million years as an IMDb member I'm finally inspired to write a review. This movie is guileless and sweet in the most beautiful way. Not heavy-handed, no huge buildup over the races (in all aspects of the word), but rather huge focus on interpersonal relationships and the judgments every human makes about one another. There's also huge pride in the small working towns I've personally driven through on my way to somewhere else, and the seemingly small people whose backs we live off of. There is so much heart here. I'm surprised this is a Disney movie.Anyway, I believe love drives us. And this is such an affirmation of the different types of love and relationships that can push us in the best ways and help us achieve greatness. I'm so deeply pleased to have seen this film. Every one of us has a moment or period when we are down for the count. We don't always handle it with grace. That doesn't mean we are without grace.

gradyharp New Zealand director Niki Caro (Whale Rider North Country, A Heavenly Vintage) adds another success to her resume with this moving portrayal of a true story about a coach and his team in 1987 overcoming odds and learning trust, hope, and a belief in attainable goals. Based on a story by Bettina Gilois and Christopher Cleveland who also wrote the screenplay with Grant Thompson, the film may be overly long, but the emotional impact is so strong that the viewer stays with every minute of it without lapses.The year is 1987 and Jim White (Kevin Costner) moves his wife (Maria Bello) and two daughters (Morgan Saylor and Elsie Fisher) after losing his last job as a football coach because of anger management related causes. McFarland, CA is in the San Joaquin Valley, an agricultural community that is basically populated with migrant workers who make their living form harvesting crops (it is one of the poorest cities in the country). He is at the end of his rope, feeling that this assignment is his only hope for supporting his family. He struggles, fails as a football coach but gets the idea of having a cross-country track team when he observes the stamina of the young lads running after being up early to pick crops. He turns seven students with no hope into one of the best cross-country teams, learning as much about equality and fulfillment of goals as his runners do.In addition to the interpersonal reactions among the students and Jim's family (his friends create a Quinceañera for Jim's 15 year old daughter) there are many moments of inspiring beauty in this radiant film – not the least of which is a letter written by one of the runners: 'We fly like blackbirds through the orange groves, floating on a warm wind. When we run, we own the earth. The land is ours. We speak the birds' language. Not immigrant no more. No stupid Mexicans. When we run, our spirits fly. We speak to the gods. When we run, we are the gods.'This is a moving film, so very timely during this struggle with border problems and immigration and racial distrust. Films like this serve a purpose far greater than mere entertainment.