Breaking Away (1979)

Review:

This is a great movie. And its great because it seems to have been made with joy and so evokes joy when watched. I left this movie feeling really good. Peter Yates’ “Breaking Away” is equal parts silly and heartfelt. It strikes such a fine balance between these two parts that there’s no wonder this film is so lauded. The AFI has voted it #8 on its list of most inspiring films of all time and again at #8 on its list of best sports movies.

Dennis Christopher plays Dave, a kid who’s passion has recently turned to Italian biking. He dreams of one day racing against the Italian bikers he reveres. Dave bikes around town, exclaiming Italian phrases and singing Italian arias. This new passion completely baffles his father (Paul Dooley) who is a hard-working, nothing-but-American sort of type. He cannot wrap his mind around how his son could be so taken with the Italians.

Dave belongs to a group of friends that include a former high school quarterback named Mike (Dennis Quaid), a short and defensive kid named Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley) and a tall, goofball name Cyril (Daniel Stern). The four of them comprise a group of high school graduates who have stayed in their hometown with no prospects for the future. But while their path is uncertain, the four friends are united by a resentment for the local college kids in the town.

The college kids call the locals “cutters,” referring to the community’s old trade of stone cutting. This relegation has a negative affect on the mindsets of these four boys. They know, just like the college kids know, that this town is a dead end for them. So they try to escape their fate and themselves by putting up facades. The most obvious is Dave’s Italian persona, which he uses to pick up a college girl in one of the film’s many subplots. But the others wear tough guy or funny man facades to hide their feelings of deep inadequacy. But look at me. I'm making this sound like a sad movie. It is anything but that. This is a joyous film, filled with fun, energy, and inspiration. Its also very inspirational.

The flow of the film is oriented around the four protagonists general loafing and the bike races that have become so central to Dave’s life. When he finds out the Italian bikers he idolizes are coming to town, he does everything in his power to ride alongside them. Not many movies have bike racing as their focus, perhaps because bike racing doesn't necessarily involve a lot of drama. But "Breaking Away" makes it riveting. The climactic race is one of the better sporting events I've ever seen depicted in a film.

For every three hundred coming of age stories there may be one that is truly great and honest. This is one of those films. "Breaking Away" is a masterpiece that is completely comfortable and conscious of its merits.

Rating:

On a scale of one to Casablanca this film is a "Ben Hur" (1959)

Rationalization:
Well, both movies are about racing...and finding yourself...But really I make the comparison because these are two films where you want to lift up your clenched fist and yell "Yeah!" at some parts. This is a movie that can make you believe in people's goodness and disregard their shortcomings. I wish more movies made me feel so warm.