Starring Kevin Costner. Rated G.

The unexpectedly durable Kevin Costner has returned with a tale plagued by almost the same problems as his similarly themed Black or White. Like the other flick, McFarland has fine performances attuned to worthwhile issues. But both are premised on the arguable notion that white Americans cannot grasp the value of fellow citizens unless seen through the eyes of someone “like” them.

Here, the average Joe is called Jim. Jim White, in fact, is the name of the real P.E. coach and science teacher who, in 1987, turned one of the most impoverished schools in the U.S. into a sports contender. Originally called McFarland, USA, the two-hour film was shot in the flatlands north of Bakersfield, where events took place. That’s where coach White (Costner) showed up after perfectionist temper tantrums saw him banished from deluxe jobs he previously blew in the Midwest.

As depicted by New Zealand director Niki Caro (Whale Rider), White and wife Cheryl (an underused Maria Bello) and their two young daughters (Elsie Fisher and Homeland’s Morgan Saylor)—each blonder than the last—are freaked out by the cash-starved low-rider culture they encounter.

Soon, though, they’re impressed by the work ethic of kids who get up before dawn to help their Spanish-speaking parents pick produce in sun-baked fields. Lacking cars, the boys (the movie shows zero interest in local girls) run everywhere, and White—initially called Blanco by the locals—notices that speed, not strength, makes them better candidates for track sports than for football.

As usual, the best athlete is the most troubled teen (Carlos Pratts). The new cross-country team are hobbled by poor equipment and other problems before proving themselves—making this an example of how doubly hard some people work to be taken seriously by the Jim Whites of the world. Apart from that, the film makes entertaining use of its central sport, which is rarely confined to static spaces. California may keep its gates closed to some, but looks pretty golden here.