McFarland is a city in California with a population of 13,745. It lies in the San Joaquin valley in Kern County. Taken from the 2010 Census and Wikipedia, the population density is upwards of about 4,700 persons per square mile. Within the population, a huge portion of the racial makeup is defined as Hispanic or Latino. That huge portion makes up 91.5% or 11,625 people who define themselves as Latino/Hispanic. And with that, I introduce you to the trailer for Disney‘s McFarland, USA
Directed by Niki Caro, this film stars Kevin Costner as a cross country coach who leads a team of Latino youths to the championships. If that plot seems familiar to you, it is because of the striking similarity to the Mighty Ducks films, one of my favorite movies before I discovered girls. Essentially an inspirational story, a team of misfits find confidence and self-esteem through the magic of recreational sports. Apart from that, this film also addresses the social concerns of Latino children born of migrant workers in the U.S.
Out of all the Latino actors in the trailer, Carlos Pratts, who plays Thomas, is the most prominent. He gets the most closeups and the most meaningful lines such as, “No one stays in McFarland unless they have to” or, “There ain’t nothing ‘American Dream’ about this place.” His character seems to be the one who is most identifiable with for young Latinos. None of the other actors seem to get as much attention.
On a different level you have Danny Diaz, the chubby member of the group. In my opinion, this character seems to be the most interesting because he’s the misfit in this group of misfits. He’s not counted as an equal among the group going so far as to say, “Yeah, 7 runners. Not 6 runners and Danny Diaz.” The next scene has Costner trying to be supportive, but regardless reasserting that Danny is fat and needs to “lose some weight.” Regarding what is seen in the trailer, the most interesting shot is when Danny, terribly fatigued, finally reaches the finish line. As Danny gasps for breath, Costner finishes the voice-over with “…also known as last.” The really sad part is at the time of writing this article, I couldn’t find Ramiro Rodriguez on IMDB. He is the actor who plays Danny, the only name mentioned outright, and I had to Google him to find his real name.
At this point, let us admit the obvious. If you identify as Latino/Hispanic, this film was created for your viewing pleasure. If you are not, then it’s still worth seeing if you happen to like stories similar to the Mighty Ducks movies. I personally want to see what happens to Danny Diaz. Other than that, it offers a view into different cultures while still retaining its identity as a feel-good movie. It’s also great to bring your kids to because you know, it’s Disney.
McFarland, USA hits U.S theaters February 20, 2015 and please click here for a list of worldwide release dates.
What other Disney films are you looking forward (excluding Marvel Comics and Star Wars franchises) to? What are your expectations of McFarland, USA? Share your thoughts below.
(top image: McFarland, USA – source: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
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