McFarland USA
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: February 20, 2015 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
60
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
17
Mixed:
14
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyFeb 19, 2015
Costner’s uncanny evocation of Gary Cooper masculinity and Gregory Peck compassion in the role of coach Jim White is the glue that holds it together, but the rest of the cast is equally inspired. Read full review
83
The PlaylistDrew TaylorFeb 19, 2015
While McFarland, USA doesn't reinvent the wheel (in fact, it makes "Million Dollar Arm" seem even more abstract, due to its virtual absence of actual sports), it does deliver in all the ways you expect that a Disney sports movie should: it's heartwarming, handsome, and features an exceptional Costner performance at its center. Read full review
80
TheWrapJames RocchiFeb 5, 2015
A feel-good movie that earns all those good feelings, McFarland, USA might be running on a predetermined track, but the heart it shows along the journey is what makes it a winner. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaFeb 20, 2015
There are good things to say about the inspirational Disney sports film McFarland, USA, starting with its up-from-the-scrap-heap story, which happens to be true. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliFeb 19, 2015
McFarland USA, like "Hoosiers," makes characters a priority. The film, directed by New Zealander Niki Caro, focuses on the people involved in the drama. The narrative doesn't saddle them with cliché-riddled subplots; it makes them and their concerns real. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleFeb 19, 2015
Even good stories are never quite like a movie, and to its credit McFarland, USA doesn’t try hard to be like a movie. It tries to be something like life. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigFeb 19, 2015
A cross-cultural charmer, an endearing true story told with intelligence and warmth by director Niki Caro (2002's Whale Rider). Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsFeb 19, 2015
It's nice to see a movie that is, well, nice. Nice but not dumb. It's also a comfortable fit for Costner. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperFeb 19, 2015
Hardly the sporting-movie equivalent of a Hail Mary touchdown pass or a homer in the bottom of the ninth, yet McFarland, USA still has plenty of moments where you find yourself rooting hard for these kids, even though you know you’re watching a re-creation of events from the mid-1980s Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriFeb 22, 2015
It comes by its emotions honestly and wins you over. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranFeb 19, 2015
A canny combination of elements unites with an unlikely true story to make this more effective than you might be expecting. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzFeb 19, 2015
Caro's direction, Costner's performance and the winning cast, along with the shining of a sliver of light on the plight of field workers, however thin that sliver may be, combine to make McFarland a much better movie than it has any right to be. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterStephen FarberFeb 5, 2015
While the beats of the story are often stock, the picture benefits from sensitive direction by New Zealander Niki Caro (Whale Rider, North Country) and from a most appealing performance by Kevin Costner. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerFeb 20, 2015
The fact that it's based on a true story doesn't alter the fact that, like most such Hollywood movies, it seems fabricated. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovFeb 18, 2015
Set in 1987, this inspirational Disney sports film (that’s a niche, but a growing one) hits all the schmaltzy, sappy notes you’d expect, but never falls to its knees under the burden. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversFeb 19, 2015
Thanks to the fleet direction of Niki Caro and no-bull performances by the boys, notably Carlos Pratts as the team's best runner and Ramiro Rodriguez as the worst. Along the way, McFarland, USA gives us a vital sense of hardscrabble lives and dreams of glory deferred. All cheers here are fully earned. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreFeb 18, 2015
McFarland is old-fashioned without being dull, pandering without feeling cloying or racist. Read full review
60
Time OutDavid EhrlichFeb 23, 2015
Whatever the film’s virtues, subtlety was never going to be one of them. Read full review
60
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottFeb 20, 2015
The result is a feel-good, family-friendly trip film that promises drama, suspense, humor and -- in a rarity for sports dramas -- no small amount of modern relevance. Read full review
60
The New York TimesA.O. ScottFeb 19, 2015
Aims to be rousing rather than revelatory, and it mostly succeeds. Read full review
60
The DissolveScott TobiasFeb 19, 2015
With its genuine interest in the immigrant experience and what it means to be an American, McFarland USA ekes out a victory in the margins, proving that a little openness and a little self-awareness can do wonders. Read full review
60
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlFeb 17, 2015
It works, kind of, despite its broadness, its obviousness, and its howlingly awful opening. Read full review
60
The GuardianJordan HoffmanFeb 17, 2015
There’s more to this movie than sweeping music and celebrating in slow motion. It all stems from Costner’s remarkable, taciturn performance as Coach White. Read full review
60
VarietyJustin ChangFeb 5, 2015
A rare studio entertainment featuring a largely Latino ensemble, yet necessarily fronted by a big-name draw like Costner, McFarland, USA feels at once mildly progressive and unavoidably retrograde. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerFeb 18, 2015
Of course, it would be even nicer to see this story from a student athlete’s point of view. Beyond the representation issue, it might allow the movie to eliminate its dull and unevenly developed scenes. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerFeb 19, 2015
Costner is Coach White, in every way imaginable. Read full review
50
Washington PostStephanie MerryFeb 19, 2015
A new sport doesn’t equate to new ground, but there is pleasure to be had in a formula that works. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternFeb 19, 2015
The script is dreadful and everything else suffers from its impoverishment. Yet Kevin Costner, wily veteran that he is, makes the tale affecting, if not inspiring. Read full review
50
New York PostSara StewartFeb 18, 2015
Director Niki Caro, whose 2005 film “North Country” gave creative life to another true story, doesn’t allow this one enough narrative twists; it starts off at point A and heads straight for point B, much like one of its many racing scenes. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineChris CabinFeb 18, 2015
If there's a general air of emotional authenticity woven throughout all this garden-variety, faith-in-family hokum, it's in the racing scenes. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierFeb 19, 2015
The actors are in good form, but McFarland, USA can’t find its footing. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeTom RussoFeb 19, 2015
This chronicle of an ’80s high school cross country coach leading a team of Mexican farm laborers’ kids to competitive glory may be based on a true story, but the forced drama doesn’t help it to feel that way. Read full review
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