While part of his current comeback included the sports drama Draft Day, Kevin Costner will now actually hit the field, so to speak, with another entry in the genre. Trading a football for running sneakers, today we have the first trailer for the forthcoming inspirational sports drama McFarland, USA.
Coming from Whale Rider director Niki Caro, the film tells the true story of a California town in 1987 in where a cross-country team coach led a predominantly Latino team to victory. Also featuring Maria Bello, Morgan Saylor, Vincent Martella, and Daniel Moncada, the results look like about what’d you’d expect with the premise, particularly its Disney-endorsed, feel-good tone. Check out the trailer below.
Inspired by the 1987 true story, McFarland, USA follows novice runners from McFarland, an economically challenged town in California’s farm-rich Central Valley, as they give their all to build a cross-country team under the direction of Coach Jim White (Kevin Costner), a newcomer to their predominantly Latino high school. Coach White and the McFarland students have a lot to learn about each other but when White starts to realize the boys’ exceptional running ability, things begin to change. Soon something beyond their physical gifts becomes apparent – the power of family relationships, their unwavering commitment to one another and their incredible work ethic. With grit and determination, the unlikely band of runners eventually overcomes the odds to forge not only a championship cross-country team but an enduring legacy as well. Along the way, Coach White realizes that his family finally found a place to call home and both he and his team achieve their own kind of American dream.
McFarland, USA opens on February 20th, 2015.