Review: McFarland, USA

“A sports movie”

McFarland, USA is a sports movie. I would like to end this review here, but I am going to keep on going, just because I have to. 

That opening statement might make it look like I dislike, or even hate this movie. But I really don’t. The story is engaging, the setting is interesting, the characters are heartfelt and the end is satisfying. Or it would be, if I couldn’t tell exactly how the movie would finish. Because it is a sports movie; a good one at least; but, still, a generic, formulaic, sports movie. 

I am constantly puzzled that “Sports movies” is a subgenre of film. It is just so ridiculous! I would expect that to be a punchline, not a cliché; a novelty, not a trope! The emotional scenes in the second act of the movie do make you feel, but if you stop and think about what is happening, you would probably laugh out loud. They actually manage really well to keep you invested in the story and the world, I think it is almost like in animated movies, where they suspend your disbelief. That is, until you reach the end and the movie reminds you: “No pal, this is a sports movie”. Let me explain: 

Two thirds of the way through the film, I was really worried. I wasn’t keeping track of the time and it looked like it was about to end in the most lactose, cheesy way ever. And while sometimes the “cheese” can work wonders, I just didn’t think the movie had earned it. I was relieved when some extra drama extended the plot, though… Barely forty minutes later, the same thing happened. It had some glimmers of hope, of being something different and refreshing, but it wasn’t. Because it is just a sports movie.

I could maybe recommend watching this if you haven’t seen such a film before, but I don’t have any reason to give it an edge over any other generic sports movie. My final verdict is a “meh”: not offensive, but wasted potential.