Modern day Hollywood only knows how to portray Latinos in a limited number of ways.

As illegals, as poor people, as teenagers trying to take that next step from losers to winners. We get it. Immigration reform is a major issue in this country. We get it, Latin youth has arguably the most vested interested in what ultimately occurs. They are the future. Telling true stories about others that have struggled through the same issues and succeeded is inspirational for the new generations.

It's fine. To a certain point. But when it starts becoming redundant and repetitive, it starts to lose its charm and magic. It becomes artificial and threatens to sabotage the brilliance of the original heroes who actually succeeded.

Exhibit A is this year's "Spare Parts," a film that basically takes the "Stand and Deliver" template (set in a school, a newcomer arrives and gets them to believe in themselves, he becomes immersed in the community, the students ultimately succeed, etc.) and overdoes it in every possibly unrealistic way.

Exhibit B is "McFarland USA," a film that rehashes the same formula to a T (in both films, there is even a minor female teacher that does not believe in the new teacher initially but ultimately grows to admire him) but does so with a lot more nuance and ultimately success.

It is impossible not to look at these two movies, which come out a month apart from one another, and ultimately operate within the same exact framework (so please bear with this writer).

"McFarland USA" tells the story of Jim White, who gets fired from his previous job because of his violent temper and is forced to make or break his life in McFarland, a poor Hispanic town that feels more like a third-world country than the U.S.A. He is initially assigned to be the assistant football coach and PE teacher, but eventually concocts the idea of forming a track team. He eventually brings together a rag-tag team together, and they work together toward success.

Where "McFarland" works best is in how it actually explores the world of McFarland. Unlike "Spare Parts," where Latin American culture was an excuse instead of the substance on which the story hinged, this film manages to immerse the viewer in the world of the immigrants. Even if some of it might be over the top, there is a clear sincerity here to make us aware of a tradition and world that many ignore. Particularly effective is a sequence in which White goes to work with some of the pickers. For him, it is a window into the conditions that these people endure; and undoubtedly for those that turn a blind eye to this third-world country that truly exists in the U.S., it will be an eye-opener or a strong reminder.

The film is satisfying in so much as it reaches its end goal -- to remind people of Latino strength and determination and how their hard work helps to overcome all obstacles.

The reason this film works better than "Spare Parts" is because we actually grow to care about the boys running in uniform. Carlos Pratt plays Thomas, a young man who has to contend with his sister's pregnancy and his father's inability to comprehend how important college would be for his son. On the other side of the spectrum are the three brothers who have to pick in the field with their sons. Thankfully, the parents in this film do not choose to be obstacles but prove to be practical problem solvers. The other three characters are not nearly as fleshed out, and one of them is almost a non-entity throughout the film -- one barely even remembers he exists.

It's a tough task to balance the story between seven characters and then throw White into the mix. But at least director Niki Caro seems to acknowledge this much and tries not to force narratives onto the characters and further take away from the overall realism of the film (again another fatal flaw of "Spare Parts").

"McFarland" certainly succeeds in all of these respects, and one would be remiss to not include Kevin Costner's White as the main glue keeping the film together. Where some films might try to give the kids too much importance, thus overpowering the main heroes' presence, this film makes it clear from the get-go that Costner's White is the main man. This is a restrained performance with Costner forcing the viewer to look deep into his eyes for the vulnerability of a man, who is also an underdog. He has been fired so many times that no one believes in his ability to get up and go forward. And like the boys, he works hard to prove his worth, and he does.

All of this does not mean that the film is a masterwork of modern cinema. Far from it, even if it is a solid entry. Shockingly, the strength of a central character also proves to be the film's big problem. By making White and his journey so central, he undercuts the success of the teenagers, thus making this story more about a white person saving minorities from poverty and dejection. This will certainly not sit well with many people. This is an area where "Spare Parts" (following "Stand and Deliver's" formula) deserves recognition, despite questionable execution. 

Women are also decidedly minor players in this drama. They make appearances, but they are brief and really insignificant ones. Maria Bello plays White's wife Cheryl, but her actions, with the exception of her complaining to her husband for forgetting his daughter's birthday, have no impact on the plot whatsoever. This is not isolated to this film alone as it has become clear that in this sub-genre of teenage Latin American high school drama, women are not of major importance. It might be time to change that when studios seek to dig up true stories about Latin Americans that have managed success for their next big movie in this sub-genre.

While the film manages to overcome stereotyping its characters throughout, it still falls into some of those traps to poor results. Gangs and violence are absent for the most part, but then an obligatory plot twist throws that very subject to the forefront. There is also a persistence in these films to show Latino parents as not valuing education (this is the go-to cliche for creating parent-child conflict in these films), something which is also highly questionable in many instances. This film does not stray from the trope completely, but makes it less prevalent than it is in other movies. 

Visually the film does a solid job of replicating the visceral movement of running, but there are a few scenes in which technique gets thrown out the window. An emotional bridge scene breaks the 180 degree rule to distraction (but it becomes clear that this is a function of few shooting options).

Ultimately, "McFarland USA" is created to inspire, and for the most part, it does. There is reverence and sincerity in the approach to the genre, though it is clear that this film, unlike its real-life subjects, is not pioneering new ground for depictions of Latin Americans in mainstream cinema.