McFarland USA

Kevin Costner is no stranger to sports movies, of course, although his big-screen playing days are over. Yet as many ex-athletes do, both real and fictional, he trades in his uniform for a whistle as a coach in McFarland USA, which gives a good effort but ultimately falls short at the finish line.

It’s based on the inspirational true story of a downtrodden California town brought together by the unlikely success of its high school cross country team. Yet for a movie about running, the focus isn’t really on the runners.

Rather, Costner plays Jim White, an intense football coach who becomes an outcast after an incident involving overzealous player discipline. Desperate for a job, he moves his wife (Maria Bello) and daughters to McFarland, a fledgling town with a predominantly Latino population and a horrible football team.

Hired as an assistant, Jim clashes with the school’s head coach so instead he’s assigned to the track team. Almost as an afterthought, he decides to start a squad in cross country, a sport in its infancy during the 1980s, and begins assembling a ragtag group of underdogs. But before it can win championships, the team must bridge plenty of cultural gaps.

At least McFarland USA shines a worthy spotlight on cross country, a sport often viewed as marginal but whose athletes often are just as courageous and hard-working as those on the football field or the basketball court. Perhaps more importantly, it authentically conveys a coach’s ability to impact kids by teaching life lessons through sports.

The slick if predictable film features a handful of crowd-pleasing moments and some endearing performances by Costner and his scene-stealing young harriers. Their charisma is appealing, especially during the race sequences, which are nicely staged by New Zealand director Niki Caro (Whale Rider).

However, the screenplay exaggerates the culture-clash angle to the story – Jim’s initial naivete about the kids and the town feels particularly forced – then makes sure all the heartwarming cliches are in place while pounding home lessons of racial harmony and forging blue-collar community spirit in the face of socioeconomic strife.

In other words, the coach and the athletes learn plenty from each other, and not just about running. Such universal issues are tackled with well-intentioned verve, but in a way that lacks subtlety or surprise. And those heavy-handed tendencies keep the film from taking the gold.

Rated PG, 128 minutes.