Entertainment : In Depth: McFarland, USA

The Palace Theatre is pleased to welcome coaches John Frazier and Jeff Mangold and the Vinton-Shellsburg Cross Country team for next week’s run of “McFarland, USA.”

This inspirational, feel-good film starring Kevin Costner races onscreen Friday, March 20 through Thursday, March 26 at 7 pm, and Monday, March 23 at 2 pm. “McFarland, USA” is rated PG and runs 129 minutes.

We are confident the VSHS cross country runners will keep pace in concessions with our regular Palace volunteers, but thank you in advance for your patience with these hard working competitors. It’s the off season, you know!

Costner’s Coach Jim White has a quick temper that gets him in trouble and lands him in rural Southern California, where, surrounded by Latinos, his name quickly becomes the new school joke. Although there may be no future for football in McFarland (his sport of choice), Coach White soon notices how quickly his hard-working students literally race to help their parents after school on the produce farms. An idea and new passion is discovered. White sets out to learn all he can about cross country and the lives of his farming families. The caring coach hopes to inspire new confidence and a winning spirit for the whole community by capitalizing on the strength and endurance of his students.

This is the type of film that Disney does best. Regular movie-goers are loving “McFarland, USA.” Critics give it high praise as well:

Kevin Costner reaches a welcome career high in this new movie, a live-action based-on-a-true-story inspirational tale of school sports, produced by Disney. ~Glenn Kenny

In a time when organized school, college, and professional sports are tainted by corruption, this is a throwback to sports movies of old. It inspires us, and shows us we are stronger united than we are when we are divided. ~ Robert Roten

The first great film of 2015. Kevin Costner knows his way around this kind of story and is wonderful. Inspiring. ~ Pete Hammond

It will make you want to sign up for a 5K immediately after...hopefully you have the endurance to finish. Or Bull Durham as your coach... ~Mark Ellis

Special thanks to Coach Frazier for organizing his runners to sponsor the show and inviting other area cross country teams to watch “McFarland, USA” at the Palace. Please come out and show your support of VSHS Cross Country!