McFarland, USA (2015)
JJ, Mattson and Alec dive into the cinematic portrayal of sports and community through the lens of the film "McFarland, USA." We commence our discussion by acknowledging the intricate narrative that unfolds as Coach Jim White transforms a group of underperforming students into a formidable cross-country team, exemplifying the profound impact of mentorship and teamwork. The dialogue traverses the authenticity of the film's depiction of the athletes' struggles and triumphs, while also addressing the broader societal implications of their journey. They share personal anecdotes that resonate with the film's themes, drawing parallels between our own experiences in athletics and the challenges faced by the characters on screen. Ultimately, they reflect on the film's ability to evoke a sense of hope and community, underscoring the transformative power of sports in shaping lives and fostering connections.
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Transcript
Know what was funny?
Speaker A:The way you said when you first got into high school, I was like, oh, yeah, you got.
Speaker A:You.
Speaker A:I don't.
Speaker A:Got expelled and sent back to high school.
Speaker A:It felt like you're like, gone a couple times.
Speaker A:I mean, how old Jay is?
Speaker A:He's been to high school like three times.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:No, that could have been.
Speaker B:Welcome to the what's up?
Speaker B:Every podcast we fashion ourselves cinematic judge and jury.
Speaker B:My name is JJ Carter.
Speaker B:I'm here with my co hosts, Mattson.
Speaker A:Heiner, Better Red Than Dead and Alec Burgess.
Speaker C:Let's get it.
Speaker B:We appreciate you tuning in.
Speaker B:Go and hit that Follow subscribe like bell notification buttons.
Speaker B:Hit them all.
Speaker B:They hope you keep up with all of our episodes as they release weekly and then any other extra stuff we may or may not do on occasion.
Speaker B:But it also helps us grow the podcast.
Speaker B:And you know what else helps us grow the podcast?
Speaker B:Telling a friend, family member about us.
Speaker B:Let them come, listen, tell, tell a bunch of psychotic people that like to run long distances.
Speaker B:Matson would get along with them.
Speaker B:He used to do that.
Speaker B:Crazy.
Speaker A:He used to.
Speaker B:They are not my people.
Speaker B:So I don't.
Speaker A:I don't miss the long runs.
Speaker A:I do miss the team, but my.
Speaker B:Goodness, I used to.
Speaker B:I'm.
Speaker B:I still, during the summer and.
Speaker B:Or like the spring and summer months, drive around and see them out running and I'm like, you are stupid.
Speaker B:Enjoy.
Speaker B:But dumb.
Speaker B:So, yeah, there it is.
Speaker B:But it's.
Speaker B:Look, it's weak.
Speaker B:Knocking over.
Speaker B:It's week five and we're here talking about the final movie in our Kevin Costner sports film extravaganza, month of March.
Speaker B:And yeah, there it is.
Speaker B:So let's dive into.
Speaker B: ,: Speaker B:It was written by Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Giloy, and it was directed by Nikki Caro.
Speaker B:Stars Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Ramiro Rodriguez, Carlos Pratts, Johnny Ortiz, Rafael Martinez, Hector Duran, Sergio Avalar, Michael Aguero, Diana Maria Riva and Omar Leva.
Speaker B:It is about Jim White, who moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach.
Speaker B:And at his new school, he turned seven disappointing students into one of the best cross country teams in the region.
Speaker B:Fine.
Speaker B:It's an okay synopsis, I suppose, but it's really terrible.
Speaker B:Actually makes this movie sound much more boring than it actually is.
Speaker B:But that's okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, let's dive into it.
Speaker B:Was this one one of mine?
Speaker B:I think it was mine.
Speaker A:It was your pick, which is funny from what you just dissed most of movie like 30 seconds ago.
Speaker A:But you did pick this movie.
Speaker B:I didn't dis the movie.
Speaker B:I just the sport.
Speaker A:You dis the premise of the core part of this movie.
Speaker B:So, I mean, I dis the sport that it revolves around.
Speaker B:Now, with that this comes a lot of respect, because, again, I think they're stupid.
Speaker B:But that's only because I couldn't do it if I could do it, and I found any joy in running at all.
Speaker A:It's a great sport, jj, to.
Speaker A:To live where they live.
Speaker A:Let's.
Speaker A:We've talked about this recent podcast.
Speaker A:He would have just died walking out there.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, I know, I know.
Speaker B:Trust me.
Speaker B:Look, I football practice and I ran track, like, because our football coach made us run track and by running, like, shot put.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, so when I was in.
Speaker B:When I first got into high school, my freshman sophomore year and I was playing football, I ran track.
Speaker B:I ran the hundred meters, and then they got me to run the four by one, and.
Speaker B:Which is fine because I'm sprint.
Speaker B:Game on.
Speaker A:You ran the four by one?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:That's a terrible race.
Speaker A:Oh, man.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:You know what's funny?
Speaker A:The way you said when you first got in the high school, I was like, oh, yeah, you got, you know, got expelled and sent back to high school.
Speaker A:It felt like you're, like, gone a couple times.
Speaker A:I mean, how old Jay is?
Speaker A:He's been to high school, like, three times.
Speaker B:Yeah, no, I could have been.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Pretty close.
Speaker B:Anyway, definitely two and some change.
Speaker B:But no, yeah, I.
Speaker B:Freshman, sophomore year, I ran.
Speaker B:I actually ran.
Speaker B:And then my junior year, I was like this.
Speaker B:I'm not running anymore.
Speaker B:And so I didn't.
Speaker B:I just went right to shot put, jav, discus.
Speaker B:I did all the throwing events, and they forced us to run and warm up.
Speaker B:But that was my way out of having to run all the time, because I just don't.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:You know, and I wasn't in Arizona, thank God, or in Southern California, thank God.
Speaker A:This movie is like your form of punishment if.
Speaker A:If there is a hell.
Speaker A:And you had the rung for a long time in the dead heat.
Speaker A:I mean, you need life support.
Speaker A:Like, we just did that now.
Speaker A:Like, any of us would be dying, but I seriously think you would melt.
Speaker B:I'd have a heart attack before I melted.
Speaker B:But, yes, it would not be a pleasant experience.
Speaker B:And I'll tell you this.
Speaker B:This whole movie is like a giant torture sequence for me because not only are they running a lot, but then they're out in that Southern California heat, picking.
Speaker B:Nope.
Speaker B:Because that is some dastardly watching, like, I helped with that in Yuma, Arizona.
Speaker B:And it lasted for all of 20 minutes.
Speaker B:And I went, you keep going, boys.
Speaker B:I'll be over here.
Speaker B:And I carried water to all these the rest of the time because I was like, Nope.
Speaker B:It was 115 degrees outside.
Speaker B:You're bent over.
Speaker A:He threw his back out.
Speaker A:Dude, I.
Speaker A:I just threw my back out again recently.
Speaker A:Doing what?
Speaker A:God knows what.
Speaker A:It took me like a couple weeks to get back.
Speaker A:I still.
Speaker A:My sciatic nerves bothering me, but, man, I was like, bro, I know how that feels.
Speaker A:You'd be stiff as a board for days.
Speaker A:And then you think about.
Speaker A:You, like, didn't do that much.
Speaker A:You've just been overworking.
Speaker A:But they said in the movie if you're not used to that kills you, that position.
Speaker B:Oh, nope, no.
Speaker B:Like I said, I picked lettuce for about 20 minutes.
Speaker B:And I went, I can't now.
Speaker B:I was.
Speaker B:I'd already had one back surgery by the time I was doing this, so being hunched over like that couldn't help it was undoable for me.
Speaker B:It was misery, but.
Speaker B:And then the heat on top of it, it was terrible.
Speaker B:And I'm in a white.
Speaker B:It was just not good.
Speaker B:So I quit and then carried water to all everybody else.
Speaker A:You didn't change your meaty guys didn't have, like, service clothes on.
Speaker B:It was a last minute, like, thing.
Speaker B:We were.
Speaker B:Yeah, it wasn't a planned thing.
Speaker B:And so, yeah, that.
Speaker B:That white shirt and tie went in the garbage as soon as I got home because by the time we were done, it was no longer white, nor would it stay white.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:Yeah, so I have massive respect for people that run and live in these heated, Just misery desert climates.
Speaker B:And then on top of that, that kind of hard manual labor.
Speaker B:Massive respect.
Speaker B:My privilege makes it so that I don't have to do that and I never will.
Speaker B:So thank you for my privilege.
Speaker A:Alec, how did.
Speaker A:How did you feel watching this movie, knowing you live in heat just like this on the daily.
Speaker C:I mean, just fine.
Speaker C:I grew up.
Speaker C:I grew up running cross country and track, and I totally forgot about that.
Speaker C:I could taste the dust while they were racing.
Speaker C:It was great.
Speaker C:But yeah, so I had a couple beefs with this movie, but it was more from a.
Speaker C:Like, why did they choose the people they chose?
Speaker C:Because Tommy, right, the.
Speaker C:The guy that was like the best runner was terrible at running.
Speaker C:He ran like.
Speaker C:I was just watching him going, oh, dear.
Speaker C:Because you had the other guys who were like, on the team right the middle of the road, guys who were in the PE class.
Speaker C:Who first get Jim White's mind going.
Speaker C:All of them were like, runners, right?
Speaker C:They look like runners.
Speaker C:They run like runners, and they act like runners.
Speaker C:And you got Tommy over here, who's just like, the fastest one, but dude is running on all muscle.
Speaker A:When he did, like, they should be.
Speaker C:Alive by anybody who knows what a stride is.
Speaker A:The race that he lost.
Speaker A:When the first one, when they didn't know about the uphill, and he, like, dead sprinted in the middle of his.
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker A:I was like, you're not gonna.
Speaker A:You put on that type of gas that early, you're gonna die.
Speaker A:Like, you're.
Speaker A:And he obviously, he did as, like, what he's running for.
Speaker A:Made me think of, like, Tom Cruise with how he sprints him.
Speaker A:Like, they just.
Speaker A:They.
Speaker A:They made him.
Speaker A:When they wanted him to go fast, he, like, sprinted.
Speaker A:I was like, that's just not how it, like, actually would look in, like, a real distance race.
Speaker A:But, you know, what can we do?
Speaker B:It's the curse of doing athletic movies with actors.
Speaker B:Like, it happens so often because I was like, oh.
Speaker C:And then at the end, right, where he's running for state, and the dude keeps looking behind him like, you're an idiot.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, I saw that.
Speaker A:I was like, you.
Speaker A:No one ever does that.
Speaker A:No one in the right mind would do that, right?
Speaker C:So when I ran, I wasn't.
Speaker C:I wasn't fast, right?
Speaker C:Like, I'm not running these times.
Speaker C:They're putting up.
Speaker C:I put up decent times, but my kind of shtick was.
Speaker C:I.
Speaker C:I was more like Danny Diaz, right?
Speaker C:But if I see your ass before the finish line, I'm passing you, and so this guy's turning behind, looking behind, like, dude, I would have passed this guy.
Speaker C:Because as soon as they start looking behind, they slow down and you're.
Speaker C:You're just kicking in stride.
Speaker C:And then as you get closer and closer, you kept looking back.
Speaker C:And it's that added drama effect, right?
Speaker C:But as soon as you look back, you're gonna trip, you're slowing, you're done for.
Speaker C:Especially at State.
Speaker B:Well, I was going to ask, like, why is that a big.
Speaker B:Because, like, for me, we sprinted, which means I'm not looking back.
Speaker B:Or I was playing a sport like baseball, which the only thing you can do is look at a ball, which I'm not going to do that, because then you run crooked.
Speaker B:But like, in football, I always.
Speaker B:Like, if you break one in football, you're always looking because if they come up behind you, they'll punch the ball out, something like that.
Speaker A:Because you're worried you're going to get hit in cross country the worst.
Speaker A:You get a spike or like an elbow, but if you're in the front, they can't do anything.
Speaker A:So, like, what's the point?
Speaker A:You can hear them.
Speaker A:Like, I did run from the front, like, so I know what that just like, what am I doing?
Speaker A:Looking back, I put on the jets, dude, have the confidence you got somebody.
Speaker C:You're gonna have someone yelling at you going 20 meters, 15 meters, 10 meters if he's catching you.
Speaker C:Yeah, the coach is going to be screaming that out.
Speaker C:Like, he's not just going to be necessarily waiting at the finish line or there's somebody there who's going to let you know, hey, he's catching you.
Speaker C:It's time to go.
Speaker A:And you're also, if you're trying to run that fast, like football.
Speaker A:I know you do like the quick glance back with cross country when it's not a flat footing for one.
Speaker A:Just asking yourself to fall.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, that's the other part that I always laugh at because we go out and do our track stuff and then the, the cross countryers would go out and start running all over the campus and we're like, the, Are you doing like, Like, I don't want to run around.
Speaker B:Like, give me my nice flat football field in my track and I'm good.
Speaker B:I don't need to worry about tripping and falling on my face.
Speaker A:I did, I did laugh and they, they couldn't, they didn't have a hill where they lived, which is fine.
Speaker A:But like their version of the hill workouts wouldn't have nothing.
Speaker A:Yeah, I would have done absolutely nothing.
Speaker A:That workout would have been trash because just would have like kill Workouts suck.
Speaker A:And they are very effective.
Speaker A:That was not doing anything.
Speaker A:But it looked cool.
Speaker A:But we should say, was it.
Speaker A:I mean, granted, I'd love to actually ask the coach, is that what they did?
Speaker A:Because it looked great for the movie.
Speaker A:I just highly doubt that's what they actually did for hill training.
Speaker A:I'm sure there was something that was hilly enough that they found that worked for their, their purposes.
Speaker A:I just don't think that's what they actually did.
Speaker A:It looked cool for T or for the movie though.
Speaker A:I was like, oh, that's, that's creative.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And those hills are bigger.
Speaker B:I've seen those.
Speaker B:I've been around.
Speaker B:I've never ran one because why the would I do that?
Speaker B:But those hills are much bigger, those stacks than they look on the movie.
Speaker A:Like, and I, I've seen bigger ones.
Speaker A:They Just.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's, that's a fair but like.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:Like you could kind of get a mini.
Speaker A:Like the thing with distance running though, you need a hill that's like.
Speaker B:Sure, that's long.
Speaker A:200 to 300 meters where you're progressively going up that.
Speaker A:But I get to your point.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:It looked cool though.
Speaker A:But those ones were really small though because I have seen much bigger ones.
Speaker B:Yeah, those were.
Speaker B:I was like, those were built for the movie.
Speaker B:Like those aren't real.
Speaker C:I did like how they showed how much he'll work out.
Speaker C:Suck because when I, where I grew up, we had a, a terrible spot.
Speaker C:It was a two minute hill and it wasn't steep necessarily.
Speaker C:It was.
Speaker C:It was just a long and so you'd get going and about halfway through that's where we did like hill repeats.
Speaker C:And so you're not just running the shit once you're running it five.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You do it and you don't get any break.
Speaker A:Your break was running down the hill.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker C:Because it's fun, jj.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:It just gave you a lot of anaerobic strength and that was something I was good at cuz my longer legs like it was easier for me.
Speaker A:People that had a little bit of a shorter stride, maybe like an Alec or someone close, like it would be.
Speaker A:It was hard.
Speaker A:Uh.
Speaker A:But the things I hated the, the workout I hated the most was mild repeats.
Speaker A:You'd run.
Speaker A:We first do like in the off season.
Speaker A:We do like a 5:30 pace, 5:20 pace, 5:10 pace, 5 minute pace.
Speaker A:And then you do like a 4:50 or 4:45 or something and dude.
Speaker A:And you get like 4 minutes rest, 3 minutes rest.
Speaker A:And you have to do that successively.
Speaker A:Those are the times that I wanted to die and was like, I hate cross country.
Speaker A:I should just do track because I'm a middle distance runner.
Speaker A:I run 800 meters and I'm good at it.
Speaker A:Why do I have to die?
Speaker A:Those were, those were the days, dude.
Speaker A:Like just, just kill me.
Speaker A:I can vividly go back to those.
Speaker A:I hate it.
Speaker A:And I'm in the Virginia heat.
Speaker A:The humidity is just sucking the moisture out of you and then plastering it on your face.
Speaker A:Brutal.
Speaker B:Brutal.
Speaker C:You're not convincing JJ that he was anywhere near wrong.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker A:Running is every other sports punishment.
Speaker A:The only people that practice harder than we did look like get football practice can be hard.
Speaker A:There's a.
Speaker A:There's something about running like that and doing that successfully.
Speaker A:It's mentally draining.
Speaker A:I would have rather done football.
Speaker A:The only practice I would not have done wrestling practice.
Speaker A:They did do some running and then they.
Speaker A:I mean my buddy Martin was like brutal stuff that they.
Speaker B:Yeah, it was physically abused.
Speaker B:And yeah, they.
Speaker A:That that type of practice and they did some running.
Speaker A:I was like, all right, that's crazy.
Speaker A:Like I saw what our football team did.
Speaker A:It sucked.
Speaker A:But I would have at least I wasn't.
Speaker A:Didn't have to go for a 14 mile run and have to run like 6 minute pace.
Speaker A:Like.
Speaker A:No, I don't want to do that.
Speaker A:I'd rather hit somebody.
Speaker B:There is nobody on a football team that runs a six minute pace for more than 100 yards.
Speaker B:It's just.
Speaker B:Yeah, and you're not wrong.
Speaker B:Like it's a good, good point that you made.
Speaker B:Like most other sports, running is a punishment.
Speaker B:You up, go run a mile.
Speaker B:That's cross countries.
Speaker C:You up, do 10 push ups.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And what.
Speaker B:That was the only difference.
Speaker B:Like football, like two days were miserable in the summer.
Speaker B:But that's because you're wearing so much gear.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like by the time I'm done, like you could fill a swimming pool with the dripping off my ass because it's so much.
Speaker A:But I still would have rather done that.
Speaker B:Well, yeah, I'll do that a hundred times than run with you.
Speaker B:The.
Speaker C:You're talking about running every single day.
Speaker B:Hell no.
Speaker A:So the longest I walk that far, the longest I've ever run is we were supposed to do like a 14 mile run and we did this in a neighborhood called Balmoral back and like did some trail runs.
Speaker A:We had two freshmen.
Speaker A:Long story short, they ended up getting lost.
Speaker A:So I had to run four more miles.
Speaker A:What?
Speaker A:I knew this because we had one of those cool watches.
Speaker A:So you knew exactly what you ended up doing.
Speaker A:We ran 18 and a half miles that day.
Speaker A:18 and a half.
Speaker A:Cause we had to find them, then get back.
Speaker A:This is the most mad I've ever been.
Speaker A:So I've never.
Speaker A:I don't have any desire to run a marathon ever.
Speaker A:I've run.
Speaker A:I mean, shoot, dude, I should have just kept running because I would have like at that point.
Speaker A:We went to Chipotle.
Speaker A:That had recently opened up.
Speaker A:Like they'd opened up for the first time ever.
Speaker A:Like a few months prior to that.
Speaker A:Sweet.
Speaker A:Go a lot.
Speaker A:I inhaled a brew and I timed myself a minute and 26 seconds gone.
Speaker A:Just boom.
Speaker A:And then I ate another one.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:Yeah, I can't even.
Speaker B:The longest I've ever run purposefully.
Speaker B:It's got to be a mile because of.
Speaker B:They made you do it in high school.
Speaker B:Like no.
Speaker B:And it was like a 20 minute mile.
Speaker C:Dude.
Speaker B:I'm not talking like I would.
Speaker B:I paced myself.
Speaker B:So by saying I ran a mile, that's I loafed a mile.
Speaker B:So it's like I.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And that was miserable.
Speaker B:Dude.
Speaker B:I would two laps in I'm like this.
Speaker B:Why do they make us do this?
Speaker B:This proves nothing.
Speaker B:I can out sprint every person in this classroom.
Speaker B:Buy a good brown.
Speaker A:Do you guys remember the pacer test in elementary school or middle school?
Speaker A:You remember that with like the noise where you'd have to run and it got successively faster and faster and faster.
Speaker A:Did you all do that?
Speaker B:They didn't make old people do that.
Speaker A:Oh, you never had to do that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Where we grew up in Fairfax county, they.
Speaker A:There'd be a beep and you had to run get to the other side of your gy.
Speaker A:The gym or they had it like a certain distance and it gets faster and faster and faster and faster and faster and faster.
Speaker A:I beat that every year.
Speaker A:Like I.
Speaker A:I never.
Speaker A:It never beat me.
Speaker A:But it's funny.
Speaker A:I thought every like elementary school did.
Speaker C:That or I've repressed the memory.
Speaker B:You would know.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I never have done that because I wanted Jay to.
Speaker A:Well now I wish I could take JQ big.
Speaker B:Hell no.
Speaker B:I'll watch and cheer your ass on.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:Look man, the other thing that like so I played basketball too.
Speaker B:In.
Speaker B:In throughout school.
Speaker B:I wasn't good at bass.
Speaker B:Terrible basketball.
Speaker B:But again I did everything to keep in shape for the sports that I loved.
Speaker B:So I played sports and ran track for that I to keep in shape during the off seasons of the sports.
Speaker B:I wanted to play basketball.
Speaker B:Dude.
Speaker B:I don't.
Speaker B:There was a million times I almost quit basketball because of ladders.
Speaker B:Running ladders or.
Speaker B:Or whatever you want to call suicides.
Speaker B:Suicide.
Speaker B:All that like we call them ladders because yeah the nobody wanted to call them suicides or where I grew up.
Speaker A:So that pacer test.
Speaker A:Think of it like the suicides you did at towards the end and you had to do it was like 30 levels of that.
Speaker A:When you got close to the end, you were just suiciding that.
Speaker B:No way.
Speaker B:Like I Dude, I'd get through three suicides and then I'd beat the out of whoever up and made us.
Speaker B:So we had to do suicide.
Speaker A:Jay's like the dude from the miracle or that mess up and he's like I swear I'm gonna kill you.
Speaker B:I am.
Speaker B:That was me.
Speaker B:Like I.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Anyway.
Speaker B:Running is on anyway.
Speaker B:McFarland look.
Speaker B:And this is why it's funny, but this is why I like this movie is because.
Speaker B:And it's almost true of most actual sports movies.
Speaker B:Like, we've done a lot of sports movies in this month, but most of these sports movies don't actually have anything to do with the sport.
Speaker B:And so it's like, more there's a story revolving around the sport that's going on.
Speaker B:Like Draft Day.
Speaker B:You don't actually watch any football other than them watching highlights for at certain moments.
Speaker B:And then, like, there's no real baseball in either of the baseball movies we watch.
Speaker B:Not really.
Speaker B:There's, like, snippets of it.
Speaker B:And then what was the other one we did that was like.
Speaker B:I feel like I'm missing one name.
Speaker A:We had two.
Speaker A:Baseball.
Speaker B:Baseball, football, and.
Speaker C:Oh, dude, you missing Tin Cup.
Speaker B:Oh, golf.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:Yeah, we did watch a lot of golf.
Speaker C:Wrong with you, J.J.
Speaker C:and May.
Speaker B:I should be.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm.
Speaker B:It's the kind of week I've had.
Speaker B:I can't even put the thoughts together.
Speaker B:But yeah, like, golf.
Speaker B:We watched a lot of golf.
Speaker C:But it's golf.
Speaker B:That's the question we had.
Speaker B:We had a long ass.
Speaker B:You remember that argument Matsu, me and Javier.
Speaker B:For, like.
Speaker C:Javier's been saying that since he was 12 years old.
Speaker B:Oh, I know.
Speaker A:Tay went off on me about that the other day.
Speaker A:I told her.
Speaker A:I was like, we're not going to call Jay today, but we need to call him.
Speaker A:May do that tonight, actually.
Speaker A:That'd be funny.
Speaker B:Half a.
Speaker B:Half a day of work Javier and I spent hollering at each other between the offices.
Speaker A:We got everybody involved.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Because then it went to dance.
Speaker C:And did he bring up defense and physical?
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:He had his.
Speaker B:He had his criteria.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's Javier that, as we now know, it wouldn't matter.
Speaker C:He's held on to that for what is at this point, 23 years, 22 years he's been holding on to the same argument.
Speaker B:That was the first time that.
Speaker C:I love it.
Speaker B:That that group of work people finally got.
Speaker B:It was like they.
Speaker B:I got fired up for a while.
Speaker B:Like, he.
Speaker B:He had me worked up good.
Speaker A:Speaking of, Javier just ran, like, a half marathon or something.
Speaker B:Oh, no.
Speaker A:Part of, like, a.
Speaker A:A group I saw on Instagram.
Speaker A:He just ran.
Speaker A:I was like, wow, dude, never thought I'd see you doing that.
Speaker A:So, Jay, there's hope.
Speaker B:No, there's not.
Speaker B:Even when I was in the best shape of my life, which was really good shape when I was a junior.
Speaker B:Sophomore, junior in high school, running was never my Thing like Jay's, a 10.
Speaker A:Yard dash when they do the 40 for the combine, but the lineman, they do the 10 yard.
Speaker A:Jay's right there.
Speaker A:That's me.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:No, I.
Speaker B:I was willing to sprint for 100 yards as long as I had a football and I was going to score a touchdown.
Speaker B:And then I was willing to jog around the bases if I put it out of the run around the bases real fast.
Speaker B:Soccer, I ran a lot more that, but that was always fun.
Speaker B:But again, it goes back to like, the sport.
Speaker B:I enjoyed the sport.
Speaker B:I like this movie because it gets to the heart of sport to me.
Speaker B:And I, you know, you have this group of kids that are, you know, not great situation.
Speaker B:A tough.
Speaker B:I don't want to say not great because they, I'm not saying that their lives are bad, but they had hard lives, right?
Speaker B:They manual labor.
Speaker B:They're having to help their parents just to keep the, the living.
Speaker B:They're not living in a technically safe area in certain pieces of that.
Speaker B:And that's true for a lot of people.
Speaker B:And then this sport brings them together.
Speaker B:Not that they weren't friends and, you know, they obviously ran and knew each other, but like, it creates this family environment, if you will, where you're super connected and you're helping each other and then something becomes a driver outside of like, survival, right?
Speaker B:Like, it.
Speaker B:There's something.
Speaker B:And so I just love sport.
Speaker B:And then so when you watch this movie and watch them coming together and then the exciting part, like in the end of this movie is one of my favorite.
Speaker B:Like when he's sitting there and everybody's like, oh, shit.
Speaker B:Because the kid burns himself out.
Speaker B:And so you're like, oh.
Speaker B:And when he's just like, I get off.
Speaker B:Like, I want to jump out of my couch every time I watch this movie.
Speaker B:When Kevin Costner's like, that's not Danny Diaz.
Speaker B:That's not Danny Diaz.
Speaker B:I'm like, Because I'm cheering for every bigger guy on the planet.
Speaker B:Like, rotten daddy, you're the man.
Speaker B:Because.
Speaker B:And so I just.
Speaker B:It's like any sports movie where it just gets me amped and I don't.
Speaker B:I'm sure it gets a lot of people that are into sports, but for me it's like.
Speaker B:And this movie's that, like, it's an interesting story about a family of privilege coming somewhere where there's not privilege, right?
Speaker B:Like, it is hard and you work for everything and having to make that adjustment and then see them make that choice and then have it be a real Life situation.
Speaker B:I love that kind of thing because that's the kind of thing.
Speaker B:And I know there's a lot of things that do things like this for people, but I can relate to it being a sport so much because I've been connected with some of my friends still today that I talk to.
Speaker B:We have such separate and differing lives, but we can always connect.
Speaker B:And we're best friends and still friends and keep in touch 30 years later because of a sport that we played together.
Speaker B:And I love that this movie makes me feel good, and I like movies that make me feel good.
Speaker A:You know what I liked about this movie?
Speaker A:I looked it up after about how true this movie was, because remember, the Titans love that movie.
Speaker A:But yeah, very not true, like, really at all.
Speaker A:When they talk about taking professional liberties, it's like based on a true story, 90, like 2%.
Speaker A:But this movie, the only things that didn't really happen is Jim White was already there.
Speaker A:He'd been there for multiple years, and then he just decided to start the team.
Speaker A:The Diaz brothers weren't on the team at the same time.
Speaker A:And if you look at the end when they show, when they actually won, you're like, wait, there's Diaz people.
Speaker A:They're later on.
Speaker A:That's why I don't really care that they did all that.
Speaker A:The quinceanera thing never happened.
Speaker A:But I get why they put it in because they want to have character progression tied to the community.
Speaker A:But really, other than that, it all did happen.
Speaker A:And like, the community building, the team, success and all that.
Speaker A:Jim White still, as they say, still lives there.
Speaker A:And then they show.
Speaker A:I love at the end when they actually.
Speaker A:When movies like that show the real people and they're clearly still out there.
Speaker A:And pretty much everybody came back.
Speaker A:Some of them got really great degrees and came back and like, bettered their community.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:That that's the thing I think I really appreciated about this movie is it's so easy.
Speaker A:Just the United States alone, you are in a more poor place.
Speaker A:I mean, you even look at, like, J.J.
Speaker A:for instance.
Speaker A:Like, you didn't live in some of the spots you're in.
Speaker A:Like Kentucky, for instance, maybe Ohio, to a lesser extent.
Speaker A:Like, you didn't live in some great spots.
Speaker A:And like, I don't think you'd really want to go back and where they lived, like, they could have never gone back, but they did.
Speaker A:And they're bettering their community.
Speaker A:And I think that's one of my favorite things to be commended, is that they're.
Speaker A:They're still serving and Giving back.
Speaker A:That was really heartwarming to see.
Speaker A:And I really like this movie more because it is pretty true to the events that actually happened.
Speaker A:And I know that's sometimes hard to make a movie that's entertaining enough without taking liberties, but, man, if it's.
Speaker A:If you can keep it close, like, I just think it makes it that much better because then I can actually feel good about.
Speaker A:Like, this is real where.
Speaker A:Like, I still feel betrayed about Remember the Titans.
Speaker A:Like, I still love the movie, but it does hurt a little bit because it's not.
Speaker A:When you do actually know that it.
Speaker A:It changed it for me a little bit.
Speaker A:I'm like, man, like, I don't have to feel the way about this movie.
Speaker A:And I like that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:No, I agree.
Speaker B:What about you, Alec?
Speaker B:What do you like beside.
Speaker B:We talked a lot about the sport.
Speaker B:Like, I.
Speaker B:I want to hear what you liked about the movie, and I know you got some gripes, and I want to hear those.
Speaker C:Yeah, the grapes were more just because it was, like, right there in your face.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker C:But the stuff that I liked, kind of like what you guys were talking about is a little bit the community, but also the way that Jim White goes about earning the trust of his team.
Speaker C:And so, you know, he starts out just kind of telling him to run, and then it goes into.
Speaker C:He's running, can't keep up, so he gets a bike.
Speaker C:And.
Speaker C:But being out there and being on the course, because that same thing, like, our coaches ran with us.
Speaker C:I had a coach who was, like, 80 years old.
Speaker C:Coach Dockery loved him death, but he would be out there.
Speaker C:He wouldn't run as fast or as far or anything like that, but he'd still be out there cooking.
Speaker C:So having that kind of coach who's like, okay, I need you on my team.
Speaker C:We're gonna do this together type of a thing.
Speaker C:We're gonna go figure it out essentially at the same time.
Speaker C:That was cool.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because it kind of showed the.
Speaker C:The way he went out of his way to be like, hey, you know, I need this, but you guys also need this.
Speaker C:And so, you know, that's what we're gonna go out.
Speaker C:That's what we're gonna go and do.
Speaker C:So I like that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:My coach, when I first started was faster than all of us.
Speaker A:He ran a 218 marathon and was very good like that.
Speaker A:I don't know if that puts in context for you, J.
Speaker A:That's extremely fast.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's like 26 miles or some shit in two hours and 18.
Speaker B:That's.
Speaker B:I don't even think I could drive that that fast.
Speaker B:Coach.
Speaker A:Coach posts.
Speaker A:He didn't, he didn't make the.
Speaker A:The US team, but man, he was close.
Speaker A:We'll put it that way.
Speaker B:Crazy.
Speaker A:One, one of the things that we were just talking the opposite.
Speaker A:That came true to me.
Speaker A:One thing I like nitpicky that I just is not true in the running community that they should have just not put in this movie because it didn't really add anything is the, the little bits of like trash talking or like getting at each other from the other school.
Speaker A:That does not happen in the running community.
Speaker A:Like maybe in your running community.
Speaker C:Oh, it does.
Speaker A:I was like, like, I'm sorry.
Speaker A:This is just not what any.
Speaker A:And I raced against some good people and none of us did that.
Speaker A:We just was like, I'll just beat you.
Speaker A:And there was no, like trash talking in track.
Speaker A:Sprinters, maybe a little bit.
Speaker A:Yeah, sure, when I was on the relays.
Speaker A:But cross country, no.
Speaker A:So maybe tell us more, Alec.
Speaker B:As I say, there's a difference between.
Speaker B:Did you run in Arizona or California?
Speaker C:California.
Speaker B:This is.
Speaker B:There's a difference between California and the great state of Utah.
Speaker A:Virginia.
Speaker B:Oh, Virginia.
Speaker B:That's fair.
Speaker B:You grew up in Virginia.
Speaker C:There's even bigger difference between.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's fair.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:No, I was an.
Speaker C:And here's the thing.
Speaker C:So I.
Speaker C:I possess a strange talent.
Speaker C:I'm sure it's not gonna actually come as strange to you guys is I run the same pace whether I'm talking or not.
Speaker C:And so I didn't shut up for five kilometers.
Speaker C:I was that I'd be.
Speaker C:I stick find someone, right?
Speaker C:And I just chit chat their ear off.
Speaker C:And it drove them nuts because everybody is really.
Speaker C:It's a big mental game, right?
Speaker C:So you're looking, you're moving.
Speaker C:It's all.
Speaker A:How fast were you running for like a 5k if you were having conversations with your competitors.
Speaker C:16, 16, 20.
Speaker A:Geez, dude.
Speaker A:It's good.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So I, I'm talking.
Speaker A:Could not do that.
Speaker C:I never shut up.
Speaker C:Practices included 10, 11, 12 miles.
Speaker C:And I talked for every single one of them.
Speaker B:I'd have run your ass off the track, dude.
Speaker A:It drove me crazy.
Speaker A:I talked during long runs.
Speaker C:Yeah, no, it gets people out of their, out of their groove and out of their headspace.
Speaker A:You.
Speaker A:You were that teammate.
Speaker A:The reason I.
Speaker A:You guys don't know this about me, but I hate time.
Speaker A:I don't wear watches.
Speaker A:Like, I don't.
Speaker A:I block it out of my monitor.
Speaker A:I have a little sticky over here on my mission.
Speaker A:I covered it up with a picture of Jesus in our car and called it Jesus time.
Speaker A:Um, it's all because of running.
Speaker A:Because some idiot like Alec would be like, how far.
Speaker A:How long in are we?
Speaker A:And you already know when you do, you're like, I've got to run 12 miles or we're doing 10 or whatever it is.
Speaker A:Or we're on this particular split.
Speaker A:You already know how.
Speaker A:Like, you're.
Speaker A:You're barely in it.
Speaker A:But someone's like, oh, we're 10 minutes in.
Speaker A:We've.
Speaker A:We've got 40 minutes left here.
Speaker A:And they keep like, dude, just shut up.
Speaker A:I don't care.
Speaker A:Like, I.
Speaker A:I have to.
Speaker A:I have to run it.
Speaker A:Like, I already.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:And you run the same areas.
Speaker A:Like, you had, like, seven different places you normally run.
Speaker A:You already knew, I'm this far.
Speaker A:I have this to go.
Speaker A:I don't care what times.
Speaker A:I just know I need to get back.
Speaker A:And then you got someone like Alec that's just like a big dick about never.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:I'd have shown you my football skills halfway through the run.
Speaker B:Tackle right here.
Speaker C:But it's little snipe things, Right?
Speaker C:So what this movie kind of doesn't necessarily show and for good reason is that cross country races are really exciting for the first 20 seconds and for the last 20 seconds.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And boring, as in the middle.
Speaker C:And so, you know, you're off on this wild course.
Speaker C:You know, you might get an occasion where you're looping around close to where everybody's hanging out, so you get some cheering, but not all the time.
Speaker C:And so I, you know, I'd find someone who's.
Speaker C:I'm passing up.
Speaker C:They're struggling.
Speaker C:They ran too fast.
Speaker C:Begin or whatever.
Speaker C:And I just pull up and be like, oh, man, you're slowing down.
Speaker A:Come on, dude.
Speaker C:Come on, come on, come on.
Speaker C:So it's the SNY trash talk.
Speaker C:Don't quit now.
Speaker C:What are you doing?
Speaker A:Like, let's go kind of put it out there.
Speaker A:Alex.
Speaker A:The only.
Speaker A:And I ran with a lot of people.
Speaker A:I don't know anyone that did that in a race.
Speaker A:Except.
Speaker A:Did you do that on the track?
Speaker C:Not the track, on the course.
Speaker C:I didn't know.
Speaker C:I mean, I wasn't running long enough.
Speaker A:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker A:You did it like.
Speaker C:Oh, yeah.
Speaker C:While we're racing?
Speaker A:Yeah, like on a track meet.
Speaker A:Like on.
Speaker A:On like the mile or like the 800.
Speaker A:I don't know if you could do.
Speaker C:It in the 800 or the mile.
Speaker C:Couldn't do that.
Speaker C:Not enough Time.
Speaker C:And I got bored.
Speaker C:So I got bored and tracked.
Speaker C:Because you're running, you know, the four laps or the eight laps or the, you know.
Speaker A:So I had to stick with the 800 miles section.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Two miles, stupid.
Speaker C:So I stuck with 800 miles.
Speaker C:Not enough time to, you know, mess.
Speaker B:With people on more than a quarter of the track at a time.
Speaker B:I don't understand that quarter of the track.
Speaker B:It was perfect.
Speaker C:But, yeah, you hit like a mile, one and a half, two on the cross country course, and that's where you start really Kind of like passing people.
Speaker C:You see people went out too quick and, you know, or they pulled something or whatever it is, they're still going.
Speaker C:And, oh, yeah, you could be a huge dick out there.
Speaker C:And I totally was.
Speaker B:That's funny.
Speaker B:I like it because I was a runner.
Speaker B:It's what I do.
Speaker C:I'd find that nice stick right where you.
Speaker C:You're kind of almost like, oh, come on, buddy, you can keep it up.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, yeah.
Speaker B:You know, you don't want to piss them off in a way, because a lot of times people are like.
Speaker B:They react.
Speaker B:You're like, you run faster, fat.
Speaker B:And they will.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker B:Because they get offended and they want to do it.
Speaker B:But then, like, if you're like, dude, come on, you got this.
Speaker B:Shut the up.
Speaker B:Like, no, I don't.
Speaker B:I hate you.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's interesting.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I know nothing about cross country that isn't in this movie or watching these guys run when I'm driving by going, oof.
Speaker B:Why would you do that to yourself?
Speaker A:Hilarious.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:But we say all this to say, if you haven't seen this movie, you don't have to like, running.
Speaker A:Like, JJ doesn't really care about it, but the story is compelling enough.
Speaker A:Character progression is strong.
Speaker A:You're endeared to what's happening on screen.
Speaker A:Kevin Costner is great in this movie.
Speaker A:I think he plays his role exceptionally, and I think the supporting cast with his family and the runners really makes you feel something.
Speaker A:And I think that's what, like, I talked about earlier.
Speaker A:What I like about this movie the most is, like Jay said, when Danny Diaz does his thing at the end, like, you feel that you're like, he's out there saving the team.
Speaker A:Like, he did it.
Speaker A:He stepped up, and you feel that.
Speaker A:And that's what this movie does really well is it makes you feel something, makes you want to believe in something, makes you feel like you're a part of something.
Speaker A:And at the end of the day, I think that that's what this movie is shooting for and should be commended for it.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's definitely another case.
Speaker B:And I will say Kevin Costner is really good in this one, but it is another case where the people around him are even better.
Speaker B:Like, I love the team.
Speaker B:I love his family.
Speaker B:Like, I love the team's families.
Speaker B:Like, when they go into the.
Speaker B:The Diaz mom and, like, she's got all the clothes and.
Speaker B:And it's misspelled.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Like, I love all that.
Speaker B:Like, and it's just so heartwarming.
Speaker B:And you're just like, you want them to win, to have that success because they do a great job in the writing and the storytelling of, like, endearing these characters to you.
Speaker B:Like, you want them to be successful and have that.
Speaker B:And I think to Matt's point, like, that's why I get so, like, rah rah at the end when they're actually talking about the real people and they show them running and talking about what they did in life and the fact that they graduated here and they came back and they're doing this and that.
Speaker B:I'm like.
Speaker B:Because it's.
Speaker B:It's weird because it's not to say that they wouldn't have achieved anything without running cross country, but you have to ask the question, right?
Speaker B:Like, would this group of individuals had been.
Speaker B:Would they have been as successful or make as big an impact as they seem to have had if this situation and they hadn't had Coach White turn up and decide to.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:I mean, we can't say definitively, but they talked about it with the dad with, like, book.
Speaker A:What did they say?
Speaker A:It was something like, books don't, like, pick.
Speaker A:What did.
Speaker A:I don't remember that phrase, but it was basically something like, book.
Speaker A:Like, reading never helped me, like, pick.
Speaker A:Like, be a picker or something like that.
Speaker A:Or like, obviously you could never know.
Speaker A:Like you're saying Jay.
Speaker A:But I think like anything when you have hope, it raises the possibilities of what you believe that you can do.
Speaker A:And they realized, hey, this is something I never thought.
Speaker A:And it raised the hopes of the communities.
Speaker A:And all of a sudden, people that thought they were destined to just be pickers and even their parents thought that and were breeding them the premiums out the right.
Speaker A:Raising them to.
Speaker A:To be the very same thing.
Speaker A:They suddenly realize we're capable of more and my son can go to school but also still help the family.
Speaker A:Like, yeah, I'd like to think it changed that trajectory.
Speaker A:Obviously, we'd never know, but I think it had a massive hand in it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And it doesn't work with everyone.
Speaker B:I think there's the one kid that they talk about that ended up in trouble.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Like, he.
Speaker A:Yeah, he didn't get out.
Speaker B:But so not every.
Speaker B:It's not always successful.
Speaker B:But I really think if you can find not just sport, like a group that's gonna put you in the right direction and help you feel like you're maximizing your talents and your skills and you have a passion for it, like, it just helps keep you grounded and in the right place.
Speaker A:But I think Alec would have been one of those people where they would have flash, like, really successful runner, got stuck in his room for the next 10 years and talked to three human beings.
Speaker C:I think that was generous.
Speaker B:Now he's in charge of kids playhouses.
Speaker B:Oh, God, I love it.
Speaker B:Tell me, though, Matson, that you did not just completely understand the.
Speaker B:The dinner scene when she just keeps bringing him.
Speaker B:Oh, dude.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:When you're.
Speaker A:You're on the eating it.
Speaker A:You're on the mission, I think.
Speaker A:Did I tell you guys this story?
Speaker A:When we went probably, and like, literally we were knocking doors.
Speaker A:We didn't do that much in Vegas, but we ended up knocking on a poly famous door that happened to be a member.
Speaker A:But they were in the Polynesian war, and they had a lot of that in Vegas.
Speaker A:And it was like 30 minutes before we were supposed to go to our scheduled dinner.
Speaker A:And Polynesians, as you know, just call what it is.
Speaker A:They.
Speaker A:They love to eat, and they can eat.
Speaker A:And we told them, we told the.
Speaker A:The mom, hey, we got dinner a little bit.
Speaker A:But you know what people do.
Speaker A:You've been on the mission, Jay.
Speaker A:You know, especially in the Polynesian culture, you want to show hospitality, you feed people.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:She started off with the drink.
Speaker A:She's like, just, elders, elders, just drink this.
Speaker A:Drink this.
Speaker A:All right, fine.
Speaker A:It was kool Aid.
Speaker A:We drank it.
Speaker A:Then she got out a cookie, and then she was like, just eat this cookie and then start a poll.
Speaker A:And after that, I was like, I've been right.
Speaker A:I was like, how do I have kalulu pig, like, pork in front of me rice.
Speaker A:And I've got, like, Mac salad coming in.
Speaker A:Like, what is happening right now?
Speaker A:And you have to eat it because she's just like, she's basically your auntie next door.
Speaker A:So by the time we walked out, like, I tell you, we were.
Speaker A:I was full to the back.
Speaker A:Like, just.
Speaker A:I was doing the poly shuffle because I was like, we have to go to this family.
Speaker A:And this family.
Speaker A:We were eating.
Speaker A:It wasn't one of the ones that.
Speaker A:Because you get some cool families that feed you a ton, you're like, they're your OGs.
Speaker A:This is a family that.
Speaker A:It was like, a really special thing because they didn't have you a lot.
Speaker A:You knew.
Speaker A:The mom had already told you.
Speaker A:I can't remember what we were eating, but I remember she texted us and, like, you're like, all right.
Speaker A:So I told.
Speaker A:I was.
Speaker A:It's my favorite companion at the time.
Speaker A:I was like, lydecker, dude, we better eat shiz out of whatever she makes us.
Speaker A:Because we know she worked hard.
Speaker A:I threw up after that one because I was like, I just didn't have enough room.
Speaker A:And so I felt that.
Speaker A:Yeah, that scene.
Speaker A:I was like, oh, yeah.
Speaker A:Dude's just like three sheets to the wind.
Speaker A:Just like, he's not drunk, but, man, he's food coma out of his mind.
Speaker B:I laugh every time I watch this movie at that scene.
Speaker B:Because I.
Speaker B:In yuma, which is 75 Hispanic, and we.
Speaker B:I was a zone leader there.
Speaker B:So I went out with the Spanish, and I'm.
Speaker B:I don't speak Spanish.
Speaker B:I was not a Spanish guy, but I went out with Spanish guys, spoke rice and beans, and I didn't speak a lick.
Speaker B:And these don't tell you the rules of engagement when you go eat in a Hispanic family's house like that.
Speaker B:And they don't speak English.
Speaker B:So I'm sitting there, just this freaking white dude, chilling.
Speaker B:Not.
Speaker B:I have no clue what's going on, but just.
Speaker B:It was.
Speaker B:It literally played out just like you see in this movie where I would eat.
Speaker B:And if you put food in front of me, I'm going to eat it, because I'm not.
Speaker B:One, I'm fat, and two, I'm not gonna be rude.
Speaker B:And it was really good food.
Speaker B:So I'm stuffing my face, and they just keep going.
Speaker B:And finally, freaking elderly tower looks over at me, and he goes, dude, you just have to stop eating.
Speaker B:He goes, if you.
Speaker B:If every time you clean your plate, they think you want more.
Speaker B:And I was like, you could have told me there's six plates ago.
Speaker B:Like, I was so hurting.
Speaker B:Luckily, they.
Speaker B:They went on doing their thing, and I just sat on the couch and completely zoned out because I was sitting there going, just don't puke in the house.
Speaker B:Just don't be.
Speaker B:I was so full.
Speaker B:It was hurtful.
Speaker B:It was so good, though.
Speaker B:So good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Enchiladas and sopapillas.
Speaker B:Like, it was just.
Speaker B:Dude, that was.
Speaker B:And it was, like, on the border of San Luis, Mexico.
Speaker B:So, like, this was real.
Speaker A:Like, this wasn't.
Speaker A:You were eating some grinds.
Speaker B:Oh, dude, it was so good.
Speaker B:Like, yeah.
Speaker B:Everybody tells you if you go somewhere with Hispanic culture and, like, they're like, oh, you're gonna end up.
Speaker B:Watch out.
Speaker B:They're gonna try to feed you chitlins and freaking chicken feet.
Speaker B:I'll eat all that.
Speaker B:Because the way they make it, it's delicious.
Speaker B:Don't get me wrong.
Speaker A:Lard is your friend, dude.
Speaker B:And don't get me wrong, like, things like menudo smelled like, oh, boy, did it taste good.
Speaker B:You get a nice piece of bread and soak that up.
Speaker B:Yes, please.
Speaker A:The last thing I'll say on this movie, that resonated whenever.
Speaker A:And Jay's.
Speaker A:Jimmy J.
Speaker A:Knows me well enough, and he's been privy to some conversations with my wife sitting right next to me.
Speaker A:Sometimes we call it Latina spice because Tay is, like, half Hispanic, and when it hits, it hits.
Speaker A:And those scenes where the mom just, like, takes over and is, like, just bullish and making things happen, because that's a real thing in the Hispanic community.
Speaker A:It just makes me giggle because I'm like, she's not to that extent, but it comes out sometimes, and you're just like, so, okay.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker A:Just.
Speaker A:Here.
Speaker A:What do you need?
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, Jay's partner's not Hispanic, but she might be, you know?
Speaker B:No, but I certainly watched quite a few Abuelas when I was in Arizona.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And they don't give a If you're a member of the family or not.
Speaker B:If you are in the vicinity, you are part of the crew.
Speaker A:You better accept it.
Speaker A:You do the.
Speaker A:You fight it.
Speaker A:They will win.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I.
Speaker B:Half the time, I didn't know what they were saying, but I would just be like, point me in the right direction, because I don't want to be on the other.
Speaker B:The wrong end of that flame because, boy, yeah, I remember.
Speaker B:Yeah, I love that.
Speaker B:All right, should we rate this movie even though we've barely talked about the movie at all?
Speaker A:Let's do it.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:My movie.
Speaker B:I'm gonna give this movie a four and a half.
Speaker B:I did really enjoy it.
Speaker B:I could watch this movie anytime.
Speaker B:Casey loves it.
Speaker B:In fact, it's one that, like, we bought the digital version because we would watch it enough that, you know, we'll pick up and watch it just because it's feel good, it's entertaining, it feels good, It's.
Speaker B:I like movies like this that have some semblance in reality.
Speaker B:And I'm with you, Matson.
Speaker B:I like that this one's more real than not.
Speaker B:There's less creative license taken with this movie, at least the overall plot than.
Speaker B:Than a lot of other ones that are based on a true story.
Speaker B:And I like that because at the end of it, I like to see people succeed and I like to see people grow and get better and.
Speaker B:And I love sports.
Speaker B:And whether I want to run or not, I enjoy it.
Speaker B:And the acting is really good.
Speaker B:The story's great.
Speaker B:You really start to feel for these characters and not just these kids or the coach, but the families around them and the community that they live in and.
Speaker B:And it's just.
Speaker B:It's really interesting.
Speaker B:Like I never even heard of McFarland until I watched this movie.
Speaker B:And now I'm like, wow, interesting place, I guess.
Speaker B:But like, what a cool setting for something like this to happen, right?
Speaker B:Like this small town that's in a state that's known for its big cities and, you know, sports teams and everything else.
Speaker B:And here you have this small community with this small high school track or long distance running team and.
Speaker B:And they find success and change their lives and it's just cool.
Speaker B:I like it.
Speaker B:Feels good.
Speaker B:Very good movie.
Speaker B:It's a good way to end the month.
Speaker B:Four and a half for me.
Speaker B:I'd watch it anytime.
Speaker B:Alec, what about you?
Speaker C:I'm also gonna give it a four and a half.
Speaker C:It's.
Speaker C:It's a really good movie and I got some gripes with it, but it's mostly the Hollywood gripes of stuff that you put in that just doesn't make sense.
Speaker C:Having grown up and ran.
Speaker C:I knew about McFarland.
Speaker C:Never raced against McFarland because.
Speaker C:Oh yeah, you were down there far away.
Speaker C:But only time I would have seen the Farland would be at state.
Speaker C:And I never went to state, but I.
Speaker C:Everybody who does cross country in Southern California knows the legend of McFarlane.
Speaker C:And when I went to high school, it was, you know, past their real dominant stretch.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:But I knew about them and so it was kind of cool to see the story that kind of started it all.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker C:I'll say so.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Four and a half.
Speaker C:I will watch it again.
Speaker C:I might watch just the last 30 minutes again because it happens.
Speaker C:But it's a good movie.
Speaker C:I liked it.
Speaker B:Had you seen this before?
Speaker C:Nope.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker B:It's interesting.
Speaker B:I had no idea.
Speaker B:I didn't even think about the fact that you were down there in Southern California and probably would have heard about it.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker B:All right, Matson, bring us home.
Speaker A:I'd never seen this movie all the way through another one of Those that I'd seen a good chunk of it and it was pretty easy to guess how it ended.
Speaker A:But why are you guys giving it a 5 is my question.
Speaker A:What's the 0.5 deduction?
Speaker A:Alec, I understand yours, the nitpickiness of the running, but what about you, jj?
Speaker B:I think for me, they, like, they did spend a little too much time, in my opinion, on like the family dynamic of his family, like the coach's family.
Speaker B:Like, some of that felt forced to me, like with the daughter.
Speaker B:And I think part of it is I don't like the actress that plays his daughter.
Speaker B:So it's a me thing.
Speaker B:Like, I don't like her very much.
Speaker B:She's been in a couple of TV shows that I really enjoyed and nothing that I've seen her that I'm like, yeah, she's great.
Speaker B:And so she drives me crazy.
Speaker B:And then the fact that like the.
Speaker B:The fights between him and his wife a little bit and then like that stuff.
Speaker B:Whoa.
Speaker B:I don't know what the hell happened there.
Speaker B:But that was fun.
Speaker B:I like you.
Speaker B:I don't know, but that was cool.
Speaker B:Shifting in the middle of it.
Speaker B:But yeah, like, I.
Speaker B:It's one of those things where.
Speaker B:That's my gripe.
Speaker B:Alec learned a new trick.
Speaker C:Oh, this is gonna be fun.
Speaker B:If you want to see it, go watch the video on YouTube if you're just listening.
Speaker B:But yeah, so that's my gripe, I think, is the family dynamic.
Speaker B:Little too much of that for me.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I'm sitting here trying to figure out why I wouldn't give it a 5.
Speaker A:As far as sports movies that make me feel good, I still don't think it.
Speaker A:It hit five for me, but I definitely think it's a solid four and a half.
Speaker A:And will I watch it again?
Speaker A:I really like the movie, but there's certainly other feel good sports movies that I enjoy even more than this one.
Speaker A:It's not that, like, it's funny that I'm question if I had watched anything because this is the sports movie that was made for me.
Speaker A:Like, this is my life for a while, but I also don't really care about running anymore.
Speaker A:But I do and I don't because I watch in the Olympics and some other things.
Speaker A:So I don't know, like, it's just.
Speaker A:It's one of those things I'm like, should be the movie I watch all the time.
Speaker A:I'm sure I will at some point because, man, it made you feel good.
Speaker A:But it's not the best sports movie or movie that has sports in it.
Speaker A:Like, I was far more emotional and like Rudy.
Speaker A:But Rudy has its pitfalls.
Speaker A:Like, remember the Titans.
Speaker A:Like, maybe this movie just needed better music.
Speaker A:And it would have been a five.
Speaker A:Maybe that's what it was.
Speaker B:Could be.
Speaker A:Because remember the Titans without their soundtrack wouldn't be a five.
Speaker A:They freaking smash that out of the park.
Speaker A:Because the movie's still good.
Speaker A:But I don't know, like, really great movie.
Speaker A:If you haven't seen it, go watch it.
Speaker A:I really think you'll feel good.
Speaker A:And that's what's awesome about this movie.
Speaker A:You don't have to care about running.
Speaker A:You could care less about all those things.
Speaker A:I promise you, you'll be intrigued.
Speaker A:And like JJ said, you'll be cheering for Danny Diaz.
Speaker B:That's not Danny Diaz.
Speaker B:So good.
Speaker B:I love that line.
Speaker B:I think you hit it on the head.
Speaker B:Like, I don't.
Speaker B:I think it's just one of those movies that, like, I like it, it's really good, and I feel good after it, but I don't go, oh, McFarland, you know what I mean?
Speaker B:Like, there's movies.
Speaker B:And when I think of fives, like, that's the.
Speaker B:That I'm like, I'll either fight you two over it like a freaking other movies that I've given it five.
Speaker B:And you're like, what the are you doing?
Speaker B:Like, back the off.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker A:Or.
Speaker B:But this isn't one of them.
Speaker B:Like, I.
Speaker B:I have, like, I think about it and I go.
Speaker B:I don't just get like, oh, amped to watch McFarland.
Speaker A:Yeah, like.
Speaker A:Like a movie like that for me, that you guys wouldn't care about so much.
Speaker A:Just like Friday Night Lights, the movie.
Speaker A:Like, that movie.
Speaker A:It's funny because I wish I would have played football.
Speaker A:Maybe it's because I should have done what I.
Speaker A:Because I was a good runner.
Speaker A:I just lean on that.
Speaker A:But that movie makes me, like, I really go through the emotion of the feels.
Speaker A:And I know it's not everyone's favorite, but I'll fight you on that, because that movie, like, it struck a chord.
Speaker A:Where this movie, it's funny, it should strike more of a chord.
Speaker A:But this movie is more about the community aspects, more so than, like, the core essence of the sport and the struggle and persevering through the lens of the sport.
Speaker A:It's more through the lens of the community, which I think is what makes it a great movie.
Speaker A:But I think that's when I think of this movie in terms of, like, what it means from a sport and the feels that I get it's.
Speaker A:The feels of like, what Danny D.
Speaker A:Has meant to like the community and not so much like the team in the essence of that cross country team.
Speaker A:Whereas, like, remember the Titans?
Speaker A:Or the feels I get for Friday Night Lights when they lose, like, man, I just, like, I get sick to my stomach a little bit and I don't know, something like that for me where I just have more of a reaction with that.
Speaker A:Where this movie, I think it's low expectations of you're like, this movie can't be any good.
Speaker A:Like, it's about running, like what?
Speaker A:And then it's like really good.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:No, I agree.
Speaker B:There it is.
Speaker B:Pretty high scores.
Speaker B:I think it's the highest scoring across the board that we did.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:100 close was feel the Dreams, but yeah, even that one I don't think was straight four and a half.
Speaker B:So I think some of us on that one because it's got issues, but yeah, so good way to finish.
Speaker B:I like it.
Speaker B:Alec, tell everybody where they can find it.
Speaker B:Oh, God.
Speaker B:Here we go.
Speaker A:Great.
Speaker C:There.
Speaker C:Perfect.
Speaker C:Love it.
Speaker C:So thank you for tuning into week five of Kevin Costner Sports Movies where we talked about the three of us reliving our high school glory days.
Speaker C:If you made this point of video, drop us a comment.
Speaker C:Leave us a like, let us know what you guys think of McFarland.
Speaker C:Best place to find us is on YouTube where you can see our smiling faces or Matson when he's eating outside of that.
Speaker C:Patreon is a place to get involved with our content.
Speaker C:Special thanks to our patrons, Rich and cb for their selections this month.
Speaker C:Nice, strong month for March.
Speaker C:I don't know how we're gonna top it.
Speaker C:Knowing what's on the docket for April.
Speaker C:My treat.
Speaker C:You're all welcome.
Speaker B:Thanks for that.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:With that, I will kick it back to our legendary leader, the King of Crash, the Titan of Terror, A JJ, easy.
Speaker B:You have to ease his pain.
Speaker B:He keeps doing that in the microphone.
Speaker B:All right, well, there it is.
Speaker B:I got blurry.
Speaker B:That's how pissed he got me.
Speaker B:My way, blurry.
Speaker B:So with that, as always, we appreciate you tuning in.
Speaker B:We'll catch you on the next one.
Speaker C:Bye, Vista, baby.
