McFarland, USA is a stunningly well crafted and inspirational film. Its initial plot structure seems formulaic, but it quickly elevates above convention into a drama that will pull your heartstrings. Kevin Costner has been a part of some excellent sports themed films. I am absolutely shocked and pleased to report that McFarland, USA ranks up there with Bull Durham and Field of Dreams. Director Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country) is masterful here in character building and exposition. She enthralls you in this story of how champions can come from the unlikeliest of places. McFarland, USA utterly defies expectations.

Kevin Costner stars as Jim White, a high school football coach whose career tanks after he accidentally injures a bratty player. In 1987, White is forced to relocate with his wife (Maria Bello) and daughters (Morgan Saylor, Else Fischer) to the poverty stricken, industrial farming town of McFarland, California. The Whites are incredibly uneasy in the predominantly Mexican town, where the high school sits next to a prison. White's first week as McFarland's High School new P.E. teacher does not go well.

Forced to quit coaching the football team; White notices a teen, Thomas Valles (Carlos Pratts), running across a field while driving home. He also observes the Diaz brothers (Rafael Martinez, Ramiro Rodriguez, Michael Aguero) and their wannabe gangster friend, Victor (Sergio Puentes), easily outrun his other students during class. That year, California allocated funding statewide for schools to have cross country running teams. White convinces the principal (Valente Rodriguez), then approaches the boys to join the team. As he endeavors to train them, both sides embark on a journey of discovery. White learns the incredible hardships and deep family bonds of his team. They embrace him, and equally importantly, his family into their community. The result is a forged relationship that elevates them all to heights where they never dreamed they could soar.

I almost cried in this film. Not because it was sad, although there are quite a few poignant scenes, but because the moment of triumph is so spectacularly uplifting. McFarland, USA from the marketing seemed like another film where the white teacher takes the poor minority kids to greatness. This bare bones summary is true. But where McFarland, USA surpasses convention is the brilliant execution of the plot. We get to know these characters. We deeply understand their hopes, dreams, and fears. The White family is afraid of their surroundings. Are their demure daughters safe in this poor, unfamiliar, Spanish neighborhood? The boys on the team have spent their whole life in abject poverty as produce pickers. No one they know went to college, had money, or won any kind of acclaim. The idea at being the best at anything just never entered their minds as a possibility.

Niki Caro deserves the lion's share of credit for this film. She understood that this story is about the journey. But in order to really grasp the magnitude of the team's triumph, the audience must now where they came from and who they are. McFarland, its citizens, and the players are intensely explored. Even though Jim White is the central character, the ensemble cast has their story told with identical conviction. We see Thomas at his lowest, suicidal, where his father tells him, "No picker ever needed a book in the fields." The Diaz brothers, their family, even White's daughters and wife have a distinct place in the film. Niki Caro is an exceptional director. Her work is so emotionally powerful. I applaud her for taking a story that could have easily been trite to greatness.

McFarland, USA is an unexpected delight. It reminds me of the surprising and transformative nature of film. There is no audience that will not be moved by this story. I sincerely hope it finds success at the box office. Highly recommended to say the least.