Customer Reviews

Breaking Away (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(113)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I don't want to make a bigger deal out of this movie than it deserves. It's not a world-changer and the ending is a bit predictable, but it is a wonderful and charming coming of age story and an honest look at small-town America. And cycling and Italians play central roles -- a plus for an American cyclist living in Italy, like me.

But having an affinity for things Italian or for bike racing is not necessary in order to enjoy this 25-year-old classic. What is necessary is an appreciation for small things and memories about the mysterious period between adolescence and adulthood. If that describes you, then chances are you'll enjoy this touching film.

Amid the praise I should say that the DVD package is only average: the original trailer and teaser are there, but it would have been nice to have some commentary from director Peter Yates, some of the actors, or from critics who were fans of the film. A "Making of Breaking Away" mini feature would have also been a welcome addition.

One note: Breaking Away is a very American film, and so I'm not so sure how much of it will hit home with foreign viewers.

It's about time they released this Masterpiece on DVD. In 1979, I was a 19 year old boy. My MAMA had just come home crying from the movie theatre, having seen this FILM. She said to me, "I just saw a movie you have to see. It made me weep because it reminded me of you." Then she hugged me and I thought, God, I gotta see this movie! Then I did, and it had the exact same effect on me, and still does to this day.
This is not just a "feel-good-coming-of-age" story. This FILM is a profound and intelligent comedy of an inner search for an identity. What self-aware human being hasn't confronted the blinding journey of the Self? Should I go to college and major in Business? Or should I become an Italian and race bicycles? Heck, I'm in my forties and sometimes I still don't know who I am.

PAPA (WORRYING ABOUT DAVE)-played hilariously by Paul Dooley.
"He's gonna be a bum, Evelyn... An Italian bum."

Everyone in this FILM is searching. Except for maybe Moocher. Socrates would have loved this movie.

MAMA (WAXING PHILOSOPHICAL)-played brilliantly by Barbara Barrie.
"I think you should come home singing... with a trophy. Do all those things while you can."

Everytime I see this FILM, the tears well because I knew every single one of these guys growing up and I always fell in love with the girl I couldn't have.

DAVE (IN THE PANGS OF AMORE)-impeccably played by Dennis Christopher.
"I have such a pain in my heart, mama. I'm in love."

THE WHOLE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM ARE AMAZING. AND I HOPE THEY ALL READ THIS.

DENNIS CHRISTOPHER!! BELLISSIMA!! BELLISSIMA!!

I have a great sentiment for this FILM and as soon as I get my copy I'm heading straight to MAMA's house to watch it with her. This FILM is to AMERICAN CINEMA, as THE BEACHBOYS are to AMERICAN ROCK AND ROLL. Good vibrations, bambina!!

CIAO PAPA!!

This is a fabulous film, one of my all-time favorites: a funny, bittersweet, character-driven masterpiece of small-budget filmmaking, shot in a town I lived in for five years.

Obviously, this was a cheaply done DVD release by Fox of a film that deserves a deluxe special edition. Besides the lack of extras, interviews, and audio commentary, I could not believe the poor sound quality of the DVD digital transfer: street scenes, crowd scenes, etc. sounded like they were recorded in a digital bucket! We had to turn down the sound during the pivotal Little 500 scene, because the digital garbage was so annoying.

Having seen this many times on tape, I know that the sound of this low-budget film was not always good, but it was never horrible until this cheap digital mastering. Fortunately it does not completely ruin the experience of this wonderful film, but I wouldn't be in any hurry to replace a VHS tape with this DVD!

Fox, fix your mistake and treat this film properly!

This is an excellent movie with several themes woven together. The main theme is a how a clique of four boys, principally Dave, feel like outsiders in their hometown of Bloomington Indiana as they search for an identity after high school. They are starting to realize that their search will inexorably pull them apart. None of the four are in college, and Bloomington's local economy, especially the fading quarries, seems to hold little promise aside from serving the Indiana University (IU) college students. The IU students derisively call local kids "cutters" in reference to the quarries the local kids' fathers worked in. The four in fact have a favorite closed quarry as their hangout and swimming pool, and they resent it when the IU kids want them to stay off the IU campus but feel free to invade this quarry.

Two of the four had ideas for college athletics, but are aimless now that their high school careers are over and do not provide structure. There are several excellent scenes depicting their confusion and disappointment over what to do next. My favorite is when the four are watching Indiana football practice. Ex-football player Dennis Quaid still keeps in shape, and he says that he can't bring himself to light the cigarettes he keeps in his mouth because he can't get give up his opinion that he was a pretty good high school quarterback and should be on the college gridiron. Now he's just "20-yr old Mike". Eventually he will be just "30-yr old Mike" and then just "40-yr old Mike". Every year there will be new contenders for starting quarterback, and "every year it's not gonna be me." Daniel Stern, as Cyril, has to overcome his dad's low expectations and too-willing acceptance of failure even though Cyril is a talented person.

Meanwhile, Dave, like many adolescents, has a silly, romantic ideas of what he will become. He decides to transform into an Italian because his passion is cycling, and because he believes Italians are the best cyclists then he should become Italian too. Dave is played by Dennis Christopher, who was raised Catholic in Philadelphia and has a real last name of Carelli. So Dave adopts an accent, listens to Italian opera and language records, calls the family cat "Fellini", and teachse his parents about supposed Italian family values from what seem to be the 1920s. His dad is adamant as he addresses the cat: "Your name is Jake, dammit!"

Dave's struggle with and eventual reconciliation with his dad provides about half of the movie and comedy. His dad, who is no great role model himself, has conflicting ideas of what Dave should become, The dad does not realize that he is silly himself with what he does and should expect more from Dave. The actors, Paul Dooley as the father and Dennis Christopher as Dave, are so convincing that according to IMDB they have played father and son on three occasions! The father is the funniest person in the movie; so funny that you forget the poignancy of what is happening. Several scenes are so unforgettable that I still think of them, for example when I hear the word "Refund!". After you see the movie you might do the same.

Another theme, already alluded to, is that of the townies vs college kids. A colleague of mine used to live in Bloomington, and she says this rivalry is profound. The four are able to fight back against the college kids by representing the townies in the the "little 500", a bike race which is a huge event on IU's campus. Apparently IU has built a new stadium for this race because it is so popular.

Oh yes, this is also an underdog movie about athletics, in this case cycling. We see Dave's cycling career cycle up and down throughout the movie, culminating in The Big Race, the "little 500."

Two of the actors, Dennis Quaid and Daniel Stern, were up and coming, while one, Jackie Earle Hailey, had seen better days as Kelly Leak in "Bad News Bears" although he still gets roles. According to IMDB, Dennis Christopher has had a productive career mainly on television.

This movie has a very wide appeal and is suitable for high schoolers and adults alike. I think it would be especially good for adolecents as they struggle with their identity. There is profanity and a few things about about girls that adolescent boys would say, but I recommend it wholeheartedly. It is one of those fine movies that gets overlooked but is a wonderful discovery.

This is a truly touching story about a young man from a working-class background growing up in a college town. Most of the townspeople (called "cutters" by the college students who look down upon them) work or worked in the nearby rock quarry, managing at most a modest middle-class status. This story is primarily about this friction between social classes, and one young man's successful ascent out of his own social class and into college. And it is about more than that. The method by which he succeeds inspires the whole town to be proud of their solid, working class roots, and affirms the fact that in America we need not be bound by our social class, and indeed with brains, ability, talent, and yes, guts, a person can achieve anything.

The protagonist is an amateur bicyclist, and the struggle is initially about his attempt to break into the ranks of amateur bicycling. This theme is woven into the social class divisions of the town, which are an obstacle to his dreams. In the end, (no spoiler here) he succeeds in a dramatic way. This film succeeds in being both significant and very funny.

A fine film that the whole family can enjoy together.

I've watched this movie at least 6 times. It never fails to bring a tightness to my throat because it addresses a universal human stage in life. The breaking away from childhood into that freightening, but freedom filled realm of young adulthood is a risk, an odyessy into the unknown. All the questions about "Are we good enough ?" haunt every adolescent. The metaphor of breaking away from the pack in a bike race is clever but you don't need to understand anything about cycling or even sports to understand this movie. Paul Dooley as the father is real and touching. He is every father engaged in that terrible struggle of loving a child who is emerging as an adult, but not understanding the emergence. The movie is dated, it is somewhat corny, the actors are mostly no names (or were at the time), and the bike racing scenes are not very realistic . But the message that life moves on and turns out alright is waiting for us at the end, and the overpowering "sweetness" of the story is timeless. I have enjoyed watching this with my children who as college students understand what this movie is about.

I have a particular affinity for this film, as it is set in the town where I currently live, Bloomington, Indiana. Most people in Bloomington are basketball crazy; apart from this, perhaps the second most popular sport is bicycling, culminating at the end of the school year with the Little 500 bicycle race on campus (a bicycle version of the internationally-known Indianapolis 500 motor race, just 50 miles north). This is primary a campus event, with fraternities and a few other organisations fielding teams; there are also community teams, and always at least one team with the name 'cutter'.

The film is a piece of fiction not just in its plot but also in the details, but it is a good story. The primary character is Dave Stoller (played by Dennis Christoper), a recent high school graduate who isn't sure what to do with the rest of his life. He and his three friends Mike (a very young Dennis Quaid), Cyril (Daniel Stern) and Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley) had made a high school pact to 'waste their lives together' hanging out in the comfortable, small-town atmosphere of Bloomington. However, half the town is university, with all the ambitious, young people that such institutions bring. Dave is son of Raymond (Paul Dooley) and Evelyn (Barbara Barrie), a typical middle class working couple. Raymond makes his living as a used-car salesman, largely taking advantage of the supposedly-smarter college kids. Barbara is trying to put some romance back into their lives.

In his boredom, Dave becomes obsessed with two things - Italian culture and bicycle racing. He calls his father and mother 'papa' and 'mama', plays Italian opera (Caruso, etc.) endlessly, persuades his mother to add Italian cuisine to the home cooking; Dave's friends put up with him, as they have their own small struggles to deal with - Mike, in entering a stage in life where he's no longer the star quarterback of the school; Cyril, who can only think of the next way to disappoint his father (who delights in being understanding); and Moocher, unemployed and unambitious, but falling in love and planning to get married. The spend their time in a sort of dazed and confused state, without too much confusion due to lack of stimulation.

Dave realises there is more to life than hanging out on the downtown square in Bloomington. He begins impersonating an Italian exchange student, falls for a co-ed named Katherine (played by Robyn Douglass), and the juxtaposition of town and gown is set - Katherine is the girlfriend of a swim-team member, and Dave with his three friends have a confrontation with them on campus that leads the president of the university to step in, marking as the field of combat the hallowed bicycle race, the Little 500.

Dave, in his drive to be the Italian exchange student, has taken to idolising the soon-to-be-visiting Italian bicycle team of Cinzano, and become a great cyclist himself. Disappointed by the poor sportsmanship of that race, Dave is ready to give up racing, until his father Raymond, who had always been against his son's starry-eyed ambitions, sees the spark go out of Dave's life, and encourages him to join his friends in the newly-formed Cutter team, and run the race at the college.

The word 'cutter' is a derogatory term the college kids used to describe the townsfolk. Bloomington is situated in the midst of a huge natural deposit of limestone, some of which has been used in construction of buildings all over the world, including bridges in London, the Empire State Building, and massive public works projects in Asia. The college kids (the 'gown') look down on the cutters (the 'town'), and are intent on not letting them steal the victory in the race. The epic battle is set.

There were cameos in the film, including the then -actual president of the university, John Ryan. Extras for town and college scenes were hired from Bloomington, a few of whom I know and enjoy seeing again in their 25-year-old glory (one such person, Jennifer Mikel, sang at the wedding of a friend not too long ago). Those of us who know the geography of Bloomington watch the film and delight in editing that causes geographic problems - turning the corner on a bicycle and going down a street that is not connected to the one before; riding or driving down streets the wrong way on one-way streets. Most especially, we delight in seeing the town and university as it was. Much has changed in the 25 years since this film was made, and yet, much is the same.

The term 'cutter' didn't really come into use until this film - it was more or less invented for the story in this film. As Dave's father Raymond tells Dave at one point, Dave is not a cutter. Raymond was a cutter - he cut limetone in the quarries, but those days are gone. The campus is built of limestone, and it is time now for Dave take advantage of those buildings.

In the end, the hero does not get the girl, but does get a life, in a victory that goes beyond what any race could bring. (Dave wins one bicycle race in the film, and loses another; you'll have to see it for yourself to find out how this plays out).

The film stands the test of time fairly well - the comedy and the drama still rings true.

Rocky running up the steps of city hall, the " picket fence " double back side screen in Hoosiers, the team building series of downs in Remember the Titans; in my mind, none of these memorable scenes of perseverence in sports can match the drafting scene in Breaking Away. The fusion of the semi-driver flashing mph finger signals to our hero as he pushes himself to the limit with heart pumping classical music in the background is the best visual definition of "personal best " ever seen in the movies.

Wow!!!!! This is arguably the greatest movie to ever be forgotten by mainstream audiences but undeniably still one of the best movies ever made. Breaking Away is, like its characters, archetypal, unpretentious, appealing and consistently likeable. The story of a group of four teenage "townies" in Bloomington, Indiana is the Diner of cycling movies. Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern and Jackie Earl Haley are brilliant as the four buddies caught up in the angst of leaving their Wonder Years behind in a town dominated by the privileged, out-of-town students attending Indiana University. With the local factories looming as an ineluctable destiny, the four dare to reach beyond assumptions and expectations and discover a self worth unrelated to class and opportunity. In the process, they discover the dignity and honor that is their legacy as the next generation of honest, admirable and hardworking families. Dennis Christopher is superb in the lead as the opera-loving, Italian worshipping son with a passion for cycling. His coming-of-age under the watchful eye of a concerned dad (the excellent Paul Dooley - who effectively recreated the same character later as Molly Ringwald's father in 16 Candles) is one of the most convincing film depictions of a parent-child relationship free of contrived crises and anxieties. The final crowd-pleasing 20 minutes will have you cheering loudly in your living room. In disappointment and in triumph, Breaking Away speaks to audiences across the world in the language of universal principles such as loyalty, hard work, sportsmanship and honor. A true classic for you to savor again and again.

Watching "Breaking Away" is like visiting an old buddy in a familiar town. The film is about four friends who have graduated high school and aren't quite sure whether to embrace adulthood and the future or to shun it and cling instead to their childhood identities and each other. There is a great deal of warmth and gentle humor throughout the film, and the performances are winning.

Mike (Dennis Quaid), the leader of the group, clings to his friends as reminders of his days as high school quarterback and fears they will prove to be his best. Moocher is eager for adulthood and is planning to marry his girlfriend. The only problem is he cannot keep a job! Cyril (Daniel Stern) is resigned to the fact he may never leave Bloomington, but remains buoyant regardless. Dave Stohler is the main character, he knows exactly what he wants to be, an Italian Cyclist. There is only one problem- he isn't Italian! Dave learns through a young woman he meets and eventually through his father that simply being Dave is more than good enough, and that he must embrace his natural talents and the future. There have been countless "coming of age" pictures, but this one is the most enjoyable!

DVD: The production values of the DVD leave something to be desired and therefore I only give the product 4 stars. The lack of 5.1 surround is a disappointment, as well as the quality of the video. A commentary track featuring the four leads would have been an interesting addition. The only extras are a couple of trailers.