Breaking Away

1979

1h 41m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

284

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3 Videos

32 Images

Drama

Comedy

Dave, nineteen, has just graduated high school, with his three friends: the comical Cyril, the warm hearted but short-tempered Moocher, and the athletic, spiteful but good-hearted Mike. Now, Dave enjoys racing bikes and hopes to race the Italians one day, and even takes up the Italian culture, much to his friends' and parents' annoyance.

Directors

Peter Yates

Writers

Steve Tesich(screenplay by)

Stars

Dennis Christopher

Dennis Quaid

Daniel Stern

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Videos3

Photos32

Top cast

Dave Stoller

Mike

Cyril

Moocher

Evelyn Stoller

Ray Stoller

Katherine

Rod

Nancy

Doctor

Mike's Brother

French Girl

Girl

Suzy

500 Race Announcer

500 Race Official

500 Race Official

Mr. York

Directors

Peter Yates

Writers

Steve Tesich(screenplay by)

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Review

Featured review

7/10

**_Hanging out at the local quarry the year after high school and much more_** The son of a working class family in Bloomington (Christopher Dennis) is obsessed with Italy and bicycling as he hangs with his three “cutter” buds (Dennis Quaid, Jackie Earle Haley and Daniel Stern). He deals with his amusing parents (Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie) while chasing a college lass (Robyn Douglass). Everything leads to the Little 500 bicyclist race at Indiana University. “Breaking Away” (1979) wisely focuses on the characters rather than bicycling and is comparable to “Dead Poets Society” from a decade later. It’s a coming-of-age drama with lighthearted bits, but it’s definitely not a comedy, as I’ve seen it wrongly designated. It’s about young people facing the rest of their lives just after high school and trying to figure out what they’re going to do with their lives. I can relate because, when I was 19, I spent the entire summer bicycling the landscapes. The longest day-trip I took was 60 miles. I was starting to think I was hot stuff until I met a fellow cyclist the next day who was traveling across several states. The scriptwriter graduated from Indiana University in 1965 and drew from his experiences there for the story. The protagonist was modeled after David K. Blase, who had an Italian fixation and led his team to victory in the Little 500. It runs 1 hour, 41 minutes, and was shot in Bloomington, Indiana, as well as nearby highway 37 (due south of there). GRADE: B

Wuchak18 Nov, 2024