Movies Like McFarland, USA (2015)

McFarland, USA is a 2015 drama, family film from Niki Caro with a MovieMagicScore of 7.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Grease and Testament.

Drama Family

Grease

1978

Australian good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance despite their eccentric friends?

7.4

MagicScore

Testament

1983

It is just another day in the small town of Hamlin until something disastrous happens. Suddenly, news breaks that a series of nuclear warheads has been dropped along the Eastern Seaboard and, more locally, in California. As people begin coping with the devastating aftermath of the attacks — many suffer radiation poisoning — the Wetherly family tries to survive.

6.3

MagicScore

Spellbound

2002

This documentary follows 8 teens and pre-teens as they work their way toward the finals of the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship in Washington D.C.

7.4

MagicScore

The Bad News Bears

1976

An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.

6.9

MagicScore

Nowhere to Be Found

2019

A mother's worst nightmare comes true when her teenage daughter goes missing.

7.8

MagicScore

One on One

1977

Henry Steele is a basketball phenom at his small town high school, but when he matriculates to a big city university on a scholarship, soon realizes that he has few skills outside the sport. Expected by his coach to contribute significantly to the team, Henry is overwhelmed by the demands on his time, the "big business" aspect of college sports, and the fact that he never fully learned to read. Things look bleak for Henry when Janet Hays, a pretty graduate student, is assigned as Henry's tutor. Her intellect and strength lift Henry out of his doldrums just in time to battle the coach, who attempts to rescind Henry's scholarship.

5.6

MagicScore

Fair Play

2014

In the 1980s, Anna, a Czech sprinter, starts training for the Olympics. After she collapses during training, she learns she is being given steroids and decides to stop using them until her mother helps the coaches give them to her.

6.0

MagicScore

The Man Who Wasn't There

2001

A tale of murder, crime and punishment set in the summer of 1949. Ed Crane, a barber in a small California town, is dissatisfied with his life, but his wife Doris' infidelity and a mysterious opportunity presents him with a chance to change it.

7.5

MagicScore

The Lost Boys

1987

When an unsuspecting town newcomer is drawn to local blood fiends, the Frog brothers and other unlikely heroes gear up to rescue him.

7.1

MagicScore

#10

Don't Come Back from the Moon

2019

The men of a small town on the edge of nowhere mysteriously disappear, one by one, leaving women and children behind to fend for themselves in a desolate and dreamlike world.

5.5

MagicScore

#11

Stick It

2006

Haley is a naturally gifted athlete but, with her social behavior, the teen seems intent on squandering her abilities. After a final brush with the law, a judge sentences her to an elite gymnastics academy run by a legendary, hard-nosed coach. Once there, Haley's rebellious attitude wins her both friends and enemies.

6.8

MagicScore

#12

Beyond

2010

One morning just before Christmas, Leena receives a phone call from a hospital in her childhood hometown telling her that her mother is dying. This news takes her on a journey to face her mother for the first time in her adult life. Leena has fought all her life to let go of her grief over her lost and dark childhood. She is now forced to deal with her past to be able to move on.

6.5

MagicScore

#13

Shadow of a Doubt

1943

In sleepy Santa Rosa, restless young Charlie’s world brightens when her sophisticated Uncle Charlie arrives for a long visit. But as his behavior grows increasingly strange, she begins to suspect that her beloved uncle may be hiding a terrible secret—and that danger has quietly entered her home.

7.5

MagicScore

#14

Scream

1996

A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.

7.4

MagicScore

#15

The Monolith Monsters

1957

Rocks from a meteor which grow when in contact with water threaten a sleepy Southwestern desert community.

6.5

MagicScore

#16

The Fog

2005

Trapped within an eerie mist, the residents of Antonio Bay have become the unwitting victims of a horrifying vengeance. One hundred years earlier, a ship carrying lepers was purposely lured onto the rocky coastline and sank, drowning all aboard. Now they're back – long-dead mariners who've waited a century for their revenge.

4.6

MagicScore

#17

100 METERS

2025

A gifted runner trains a determined but unskilled classmate, unaware he's creating a rival who will challenge him on the track for years to come.

7.7

MagicScore

#18

Race

2016

Based on the story of Jesse Owens, the athlete whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy.

7.3

MagicScore

#19

The Brothers

2001

This is the story of four African-American "yuppies" (a banker, a doctor, a lawyer, and a "playboy") who call themselves "The Brothers". When the playboy gets engaged, the other three friends find themselves having to come to terms with their own issues of commitment and honesty...

6.5

MagicScore

#20

Berlin '36

2009

Berlin 36 is a 2009 German film telling the fate of Jewish athlete Gretel Bergmann in the 1936 Summer Olympics. She was replaced by the Nazi regime by an athlete later discovered to be a man. The film is based on a true story and was released in Germany on September 10, 2009. Reporters at Der Spiegel challenged the historical basis for many of the events in the film, pointing to arrest records and medical examinations indicating German authorities did not learn Dora Ratjen was male until 1938.

5.5

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like McFarland, USA?

The top films similar to McFarland, USA by MovieMagicScore are Grease (7.4), Testament (6.3), Spellbound (7.4). Each shares drama/family themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is McFarland, USA worth watching?

McFarland, USA holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.5/10 from 885 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is McFarland, USA?

McFarland, USA (2015) is a drama, family film directed by Niki Caro, starring Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Mariann Gavelo.

Where can I find more recommendations like McFarland, USA?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Grease Movies like Testament Movies like Spellbound Movies like The Bad News Bears Movies like Nowhere to Be Found Movies like One on One

About movies like McFarland, USA

This ranked list pairs McFarland, USA (2015), a drama and family film from Niki Caro, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Kevin Costner take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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