McFarland USA on Blu-ray DVD June 2nd

On your mark, get set, go!

Channel your inner champion and brace yourself for this inspiring adventure based on a true story of underdogs triumphing over tremendous obstacles in McFarland USA on Disney Blu-ray Combo Pack, Movies Anywhere and Digital HD June 2nd!

This moving story features Kevin Costner, Morgan Saylor and Diana Maria Riva amongst others.

The 2015 release McFarland USA is categorized under a Disney sports movie, another name for what I like to refer to as the “underdog true story” genre of film.  To be more specific, McFarland USA is about the struggle of a cross-country team as they get off the ground and reach the state championships.  I found myself really enjoying this film.

It’s always good to remember when dealing with underdog true story movies that they may be based on true stories, but they are Hollywood retellings of the events and not accurate documentaries.  McFarland USA is based on the story of a cross-country team from a majority-Mexican high school in the town that is the film’s namesake.  The team is coached by Jim White, played in the film by Kevin Costner.  Though McFarland USA is no less formulaic than other movies in this same genre, it genuinely surprised me with depth beyond the typical trite plot.While McFarland USA is a film about the cross-country team and their underdog effort—it doesn’t spend a significant amount of time dwelling solely on the sports aspect of the story.  Instead, the film goes much deeper than most underdog true story movies into investing the audience in the characters that are represented.  The conflicts that result from the personal lives of the seven boys on the team and Jim White himself are compelling and powerful.  Those personal stories are emotionally and literally tied back into their struggle as athletes, which makes the sports segments of the film more engaging.Since the audience already knows how the movie will ultimately end, it’s up to the film to make the journey as interesting as possible—and I feel as if McFarland USA did a great job of doing that.  I highly recommend it to those of you who enjoy this genre, and suggest that even if you don’t, that you consider giving it a watch.Bonus features include McFarland Reflections, deleted scenes, extended scenes and more!

You can pre-order McFarland USA at Amazon.com for $22.91 with free Prime Shipping (as of this post publish date), or find it in retail stores nationwide on June 2nd.

A media sample of this DVD was received for review purposes.