Take a deep breath. Center yourself. You are Kevin Costner. You are getting into character, becoming Jim White, a high school cross-country coach from agriculturally centered McFarland, Calif.

“Jim … on purpose, doesn’t try to act very important or really interesting. I think he’s level with [the] kids and he’s so level to the point that he’s also able to tell when they’re off course,” Costner said of his character in a conference call. 

“You have to be able to stand in the face of a young man and say, ‘I need a better effort out of you. I need more discipline out of you and if you want to be on a team, you have to act like a teammate.’ So I could tell without Jim ever spelling those things out to me … that is how he coached.”

Jim White coached by giving his boys something to run for. They did not want to run after working hard in the fields, so he gave them incentive, like a free dinner.

Yet, boys running for a free dinner or some ice cream is not much of a story. Disney picked up on the McFarland cross-country program for a reason.

“This is not a movie about running. It’s not about cross-country. This movie is about the American Dream,” Costner said.

On the surface, the movie looks at McFarland’s cross-country team, but when looking past that you will see the effort of the farming community to give their kids a better opportunity in life.

“Part of it is really, really true to life hardships that the kids have to go through working in the fields. That is so, so important to understand what they’re really going through,” said Jim White, the inspiration for the film.

The parents work especially hard to help their kids find a different life than the one they are currently facing in the fields.

“Seeing these people first hand, up close in these fields that they’re simply working there, these incredible hours through difficult weather conditions, every day of their life is for one reason … to advance their children and give their children a better opportunity,” Costner said.

This potent and real message is what the film is set to share with us. Its focus on the message and not the sport is actually what makes it a great sports movie.

Sports are about more than playing a game. On the surface, Disney’s most famous inspirational sports film, “Remember the Titans,” is about putting together a winning football team. When looking deeper into the story, it is about brotherhood and fighting racism.

“McFarland, USA” takes a good story and digs deep.

“McFarland is a small little community. Big deal, right? A little community wins nine state championships. That’s a curiosity, but when you dig down deep and understand where these young men come from and where Jim White had to balance his own life … [that is] what makes it inspirational,” Costner said.

The story reminds Costner of his own high school days.

“I played McFarland in baseball, so it’s funny how … I was suddenly in the movie and then I realized, ‘my God, I’ve actually played against this community.’ So it’s a big full circle for me,” Costner said.

For Jim White and the rest of McFarland, the film has reinvigorated the community.

“It means an awful lot to the community of McFarland. The old [city] logo, ‘Heartbeat of Agriculture’ is now obsolete and we went with … [the] silhouette of a runner running through the field and underneath it says, ‘Tradition, Unity, Excellence,’” White said.

“McFarland, USA” comes to theaters Friday, Feb. 20.