Kevin Costner Dreams Again in Exclusive First Trailer for 'McFarland, USA'

In the forthcoming McFarland, USA, Kevin Costner plays real-life high school coach Jim White, who in 1987 led his team of unlikely cross-country runners to victory in the California state championships. In the film’s first trailer — which you can watch above, exclusively on Yahoo Movies — we see White acclimate to McFarland High School and its student population of mostly Latinos, many of whom work as field laborers. White saw the endurance they faced — and transcended — in their daily lives, and tried to channel that spirit and perseverance into running.

Directed by New Zealand filmmaker Niki Caro — who helmed 2002’s Oscar-nominated Whale Rider — McFarland, USA focuses on the struggles White’s team faced: Not only did have to make do with limited on-the-field resources, they also had to balance their hectic work lives with their fast-paced sporting endeavors. “It’s totally remarkable,” the 59-year-old Field of Dreams actor recently told USA Today. “These people really labored. No one handed them this. It’s not making a movie where they win — they actually won. Really.”

McFarland, USA, which costars Maria Bello, strides into theaters Feb. 20.