Breaking Away 
Directed by Peter Yates
Written by Steve Tesich
1979/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Dave: Hell, I don’t want to go to college Dad. To hell with them. I’m proud of being a cutter.
Dad: You’re not a cutter. I’m a cutter.
It’s not arty and it’s not “great” but this is one of my all-time favorite movies. And it stands up well to the test of time.
The setting is Bloomington, Indiana home of the University of Indiana. Four working class high-school buddies – Dave (Dennis Christopher), Mike (Dennis Quaid), Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley) and Cyril (Daniel Stern) – have made a pack to take a year to just hang out after they graduate. Mike is a bitter ex-high-school football star who didn’t get a sports scholarship. Mike sees getting a job as a betrayal of the pact. Moocher is a tiny firecracker with a mean temper. Cyril is affable and thinks he is dumb. But Dave is something special. He is obsessed with bicycle racing and he is exceptionally talented at it. He idolizes the Italian team, speaks Italian all the time, listens to opera music and drives his parents crazy.
There is a running battle between the University students and the townies, called “Cutters” because the local stone quarry is a major employer. Dave is somewhere in the middle and romances a coed disguised as an Italian exchange student.
The story will see the growth of most of the boys into new roles. Dave matures through disillusionment and triumph.
This is one of the great coming-of-age films. I adore the performances of Dave’s mom (Barbara Barrie) and Dad (Paul Dooley) especially. They make great loving parents, though Dad doesn’t show it much. Mom is a sweetheart and a bit whimsical like her son. All the boys are great. It’s just a wonderful feel-good film and I highly recommend it.
The film won the best original screenplay Oscar. It was nominated in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Barrie) and Best Music, Adapted Score.
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