Main Cast: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Paul Dooley, Jackie Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie
Release Year: 1979
Country: US
Run Time: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Dennis Christopher stars as a recent high school graduate in Bloomington, Indiana, who is caught with his friends -- Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley -- coasting between high school and deciding what to do with the rest of their lives. The four friends are snobbishly looked down upon by the college students of the town as "cutters," since they were born in Bloomington and their parents worked in the local limestone quarries that built the university. Dennis Christopher's character Dave wants to be a champion bicycle racer and he idolizes the Italian racing team -- so much so that he speaks, thinks, and acts Italian, all to his father's (Paul Dooley) forlorn exasperation. Dave falls for a college girl (Robyn Douglass), but is ashamed to admit he is a cutter and poses as an Italian exchange student to impress her. Dave is particularly excited when his heroes -- the Italian racers -- come to town for a race. But they are even more snobbish than the college students and rely on dirty tricks to keep Dave from winning a race against them. After that ordeal, Dave throws away his false identity and convinces his friends to enter the university's "Little 500" bicycle race against the college students. This light-hearted and heartwarming tale was a surprising word-of-mouth success at the box-office and won several awards, including an Academy Award for "Best Screenplay." ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
A Midwest American college town in the 1970s is the setting for this coming-of-age tale about four working-class teens who are trying to escape their parents' working class fates. Class consciousness and conflicts abound, as local college kids refer disparagingly to the protagonists as "Cutters." The blue-collar stone-cutters literally built the homes the rich kids live in and the college that these kids attend. Dennis Christopher is Dave, a relentlessly fanatical bicyclist who has suddenly decided to embrace all things Italian (right down to a tacky Italian accent), and his naïve but enthusiastic portrayal is sweet. Paul Dooley gives the film's most memorable performance as Dave's exasperated father. His character undergoes a quiet transformation from a cynical, weary, and worried fellow into a cagey optimist. Dooley was overlooked come Oscar time, though Barbara Barrie was nominated for her memorably wistful turn as Dave's mother. Breaking Away has a gentle soul, as nobody is too harshly treated (even the bad guys seem to have good sides). The central characters have dreams, but they wonder if those dreams are attainable. Dave's enthusiastic pursuit of his dream gives all the others hope, and it is the hinge upon which the crowd-rousing (though thoroughly predictable) bicycle-racing finale turns. Bike racing is the film's metaphor for escape: to break away from the pack in a race is equivalent to breaking away from one's familial and cultural history. The film pivots on the question of whether, and to what extent, this kind of breaking away is either necessary or desirable. Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, Breaking Away won one Oscar, for Steve Tesich's Best Original Screenplay. ~ Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide
Robyn Douglass - Katherine; Hart Bochner - Rod; Amy Wright - Nancy; John Ashton - Mike's Brother; David K. Blace - Race Announcer; Jennifer K. Mickel - Girl; Lisa Shure - French Girl; P.J. Soles - Suzy; Peter Maloney - Doctor
Credit
Patrizia Von Brandenstein - Art Director, Betsy Cox - Costume Designer, Peter Yates - Director, Cynthia Scheider - Editor, Patrick Williams - Composer (Music Score), Marvin Westmore - Makeup, Matthew Leonetti - Cinematographer, Art Levinson - Producer, Peter Yates - Producer, Bud Alper - Sound/Sound Designer, Steve Tesich - Screenwriter
The film is 8th on the List of America's 100 Most Inspiring Movies compiled by The American Film Institute in 2006. In June 2008, AFI revealed its "Ten top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Breaking Away was acknowledged as the eighth best film in the sports genre.[1][2]
Dave is obsessed with bicycle racing. His down-to-earth, blue-collar father Ray (Paul Dooley) is puzzled and exasperated by his son's love of Italian music and culture, which the son associates with bicycling, and his precious Italian Masi road racing bicycle. However, his mother Evelyn (Barbara Barrie) is more understanding. Dave masquerades as an Italian exchange student to romance a university student (Robyn Douglass), even serenading her one evening outside her sorority house window.
When a professional Italian bicycling team comes to town for a race, Dave is thrilled to be competing with them. However, the Italians become irked when Dave is able to keep up with and even talk to them during the race. One of them jams a bike pump in Dave's wheel, causing him to crash. This leaves Dave disillusioned and depressed.
Dave's friends soon persuade him to form a cycling team for the annual Indiana UniversityLittle 500 bicycle race. They race under the name "Cutters" (a euphemism for "stoners", the industrial stonecutters who worked the Indiana Limestonequarries of southern Indiana) against university intramural teams. Dave is so much better than the other competitors, he rides without a break and builds up a large lead, while the other teams have to switch cyclists every few laps. However, he is injured and has to stop. After some hesitation, Moocher, Cyril and Mike take turns pedaling, but soon their lead evaporates. Finally, Dave has himself taped into his bike and starts making up ground, winning on the last lap. Afterwards, his father shows Dave how proud he is of his son.
Barrie, Haley, and Ashton continued their roles in the prequel TV series.
Real-life inspiration
The Little 500 bicycle race that forms the centerpiece of the plot is an actual race held annually at Indiana University. A reenactment of the race was staged for the film in the "old" Memorial Stadium on the IU campus, which was demolished shortly after the filming of the movie.
The team is based on the 1962 Phi Kappa Psi Little 500 champions, which featured legendary rider and Italian enthusiast Dave Blase, who provided screenwriter and fellow Phi Kappa Psi team member Steve Tesich the inspiration for the main character in the movie. Blase, together with team manager Bob Stoller, provided the name of this character: Dave Stoller. In the 1962 race, Blase rode 139 out of 200 laps and was the victory rider crossing the finish line, much like the main character in the film. Blase himself appears in the movie as the race announcer.
Scenes shot in Bloomington
Many of the scenes in the movie were filmed on the Indiana University campus. The Italian restaurant in the film is now a Thai restaurant (Siam House at 430 E. 4th St). Dave Stoller's house in the film is located at the corner of Lincoln and Dodds. Other scenes were filmed outside the Delta Delta Delta sorority house (818 E. 3rd St) and along Jordan. The limestone quarry (swimming scene) is private property outside town.
