McFarland, USA movie quotes tell the true story of the 1987 McFarland High School cross country team. The sports drama was written by Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois and Grant Thompson. Directed by Niki Caro, McFarland, USA opened in theaters on February 20, 2015.
In McFarland, USA, Jim White (Kevin Costner) takes a job as the physical education teacher at a predominantly Latino high school in McFarland, California. While he struggles with racial barriers which prevent him from truly connecting with the students, he does notice that they have a remarkable work ethic, going from school to working in the fields to running home, and an astounding athletic ability to run, which gives him an idea.
Coach White starts the school's first cross country running team and trains them for the state championship. While they have no experience and little funding, especially in comparison to nearby affluent schools, they do have the drive and the motivation to work hard for their goals, which might be better than winning all together.
Maria Bello, Morgan Saylor and Carlos Pratts co-star in the film which opens alongside other February 2015 movies such as Hot Tub Time Machine 2, The DUFF, Kingsmen: The Secret Service, and Fifty Shades of Grey.
McFarland, USA Movie Quotes,
You Guys Are Super Human
Jim White: "I'll be honest with you. The odds are stacked against us. You guys are super human. There's nothing you can't do with that kind of strength, with that kind of heart."
Before a competition, Coach White gives the runners a pep talk. He knows they are the underdogs but urges them to not let that bother them.
I'd Like to Ask Your Father Something
Jim White: "Can I give you a hand with those tubs. I'm saying, can I help you out?"
Señor Diaz: "No, gracias"
Jim White: "David, I'd like you to ask your father something for me."
David: "Yeah"
Jim White: "You know what, just tell him, just tell him it was an honor to be invited into his home."
David: "Dad, he said it was an honor to be invited into your home."
Señor Diaz: "Tell him I say thanks."
Jim White: "I'm sorry, I thought you..."
Señor Diaz: "I get by."
Jim White: "Thank you for your hospitality."
Coach White mistakenly thinks that Señor Diaz doesn't speak English and asks David to translate. David does just that.
You're My Anchor
Victor Puentes: "Danny Diaz?"
David Diaz: "Hey, we needed seven."
Victor Puentes: "Yeah, seven runners, not six runners and Danny Diaz."
Jim White: "Hey, Danny's our anchor."
Victor Puentes: "Yeah, and he'll drag our ass down."
Jim White: "All right, knock it off, Puentes. Let's see if those legs work as fast as your mouth. Elmo Bridge and back, go! Go!"
Jim White: "Hey, I mean it. You're my anchor, Danny, and not because you're fat. You are a little fat, okay, so you better lose some weight."
Danny: "So, why am I running?"
Jim White: "Cause you're going to hold this team straight. If I lose you, I'll lose your brothers. You're important, Diaz. Let's go."
Coach White explains to Danny his very important part on the team. Danny might not be the fastest runner in the bunch, but he is the glue that holds the team together, which is equally as vital.
Lowest Score Wins
Jim White: "Okay, here we go. Remember, scoring's based on your individual places, all right. You finish first, that's a one. Second that's a two and so on. The team with the lowest combined score for their top five runners wins."
David: "So the lowest score wins?"
Jim White: "That's right. It's like golf."
Victor Puentes: "You think we play golf?"
Thomas: "We don't got a country club. We don't even got a Kmart."
Sammy: "I bet he plays golf."
Danny: "Hold on, my score don't count? Why am I even here?"
Sammy: "To make us look faster."
Jim White: "All right, look, just try to remember, lowest score wins. You get ahead of any of their top five guys, that adds points to their total, even you, Danny. Got it? It doesn't matter. Let's go show them how it's done."
Coach White tries to use a golf analogy to get the team members to understand how cross country scoring works. Unfortunately, they don't golf to get the reference but in the end, they understand how it works.
Cross Country Running
Jim White: "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Principal Camillo: "Yeah"
Jim White: "You mind if I shut the door?"
Principal Camillo: "This requires a shut door?"
Jim White: "Cross country running, California's holding their first state championship this year."
Principal Camillo: "Cross country, that's a private school sport. They breathe different air than we do."
Jim White: "Come on, it's the same air."
Principal Camillo: "You do understand we don't have a cross country team?"
Jim White: "Yeah, what I don't understand is why we have a football team instead. I mean, we have, we have kids here who seem like they can run forever. They carboload on rice and beans. They pick in extreme heat. They go to school all day. Some of them even run home. I've seen it. It's unbelievable."
Principal Camillo: "Yeah, and you've just described half the kids in the central valley. Jim, let me ask you something. You've coached cross country before?"
Jim White: "No"
Principal Camillo: "Track?"
Jim White: "No"
Principal Camillo: "But you ran, competed in high school maybe?"
Jim White: "No"
Principal Camillo: "Well, you sound perfect."
Coach White approaches the school principal to propose creating a cross country team. While Jim has no experience with the sport and the sport really isn't suited for their student body affluence, the principal gives him the go ahead anyway.
Nothing American Dream About This Place
Thomas: "No one stays in McFarland unless they have to. There ain't nothing American dream about this place."
Thomas breaks things down for Coach White. The town of McFarland isn't what they dreamt about when they thought about America and no one stays there by choice for this very reason.
Run a Lap
Jim White: "I'm Coach White, the new PE teacher. Diaz... Diaz... Diaz... Popular name where you guys come from?"
Victor Puentes: "White, that a popular name where you come from?"
Jim White: "All right, run a lap. Go!"
Coach White tries to make a joke during his first day of class, a joke that is handed right back to him. This exercise, however, allows him to see that these students have an athletic ability to run, one he might be able to put to use.
Welcome to McFarland
Lupe: "Welcome to McFarland. This is a farming town. These kids working here are invisible. They come from the fields and they go back to the fields. These are good kids, smart kids. They just need a chance at a better future. Mr. White, if we're going to reach them, now is the time."
Jim White is introduced to the school at which he will be teaching by a fellow educator. She explains how these students may be a little different than those he's taught before but they are not without merit or potential.
Fourth Place
Cheryl White: "Fourth place, that's not too shabby."
Jim White: "Fourth out of four, also known as last."
Wife Cheryl tries to reassure Jim that their fourth place finish is not that bad considering they are a brand new team. Jim, however, reminds her that when you place fourth out of four, that's the same as last place.
Food Off Our Table
Señor Diaz: "Mr. White, each hour that my boys train with you, they do not work with me. That's food off our table."
Not everyone in town supports the idea of the cross country team, Señor Diaz included. As Mr. Diaz explains, time spent away from the fields affects their family's income, which is something to consider.