"Breaking Away" from 1979 was directed by Peter Yates, and tells the story of four young men right out of high school, a turning point in their lives. Do they stay in their small town and get jobs? Go to college?The four guys -- Dave, Mike, Cyril and Moocher are played by Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Jackie Earle Haley and Daniel Stern. Someone mentioned that of the four of them, the only one who had any "real" career is Dennis Quaid. He's had the biggest career, but the rest of these guys are still going strong.Having just seen Dennis Quaid in "Truth," seeing him in this was a shock -- a total baby. And I mistook Hart Bochner for Christian Bale. I used to love Hart Bochner, who in the '80s starred in a lot of big TV miniseries.The four guys are best friends. It's summer in Bloomington, Indiana, which is a college town. As locals, they are part of the town's working class, and their parents worked at the limestone quarry. As a result, the boys are known as "cutters." The quarry is now closed and has become a swimming hole.There's a rivalry -- a hatred, really, between the wealthier students and the local kids, which is strange as the locals worked the limestone used to build the university. Now it's too good for them.The guys are unmotivated, without much in the way of ambition or discipline. Dave is the exception. He bicycle race. He loves the Italian cycling team and rides around town practicing Italian and speaking it at home, which drives his grounded father (Paul Dooley) nuts. Then Dave meets an IU student, Katherine, who is dating a hot-shot, Rod (Bochner, who else). To impress her, he claims to be an Italian exchange student.When he learns the Italian cycling team will be racing in Indianapolis, Dave is in heaven, ready to enter and race. But an incident there causes him to rethink his goals.Such a wonderful story about floundering young men - for some reason, it seems to take guys longer to find their way, and these kids are no exception. Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie are hilarious as Dave's parents, really adding to the film.Basically this movie, with its beautiful scenery (all filmed in Indiana) and wonderful bike races is about breaking away from the pack in more ways than one - making a decision not just about a career, but how you will tackle life mentally and emotionally. It's a tough lesson but it's well learned.Highly recommended - certainly one of the best films of the '70s.

Breaking away is an inspirational sports film, but also a coming of age story or four young men trying to find their way in life. The friends have graduated high school but are unsure of what to do when considering college, jobs, parental expectations, social pressures, and being looked down upon for being "cutters." The plot mainly focuses on Dave who is obsessed with cycling and everything Italian. This comes to an end when he realizes that "everyone cheats" and he sees the world through new eyes. His friends urge him to be in a 500 lap race and they all enter as a team. What comes next is the race of a lifetime. The plot focused on real-life problems of growing up and was relatable to an audience yet had a good, exciting, and capturing story. The movie was inspirational, had an excellent cast with good acting, and was surprisingly funny. It will keep your attention and is sure to entertain cyclists and non-cyclists alike.

This is my favorite movie, and has been since about 1983, when I first saw it. Want a movie that's not schmaltzy, but has lots of good, real-life realities and lessons? This is for you. Want to see Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, and Dennis Christopher as young actors? This is for you. Want to see life in the late 1970s in a small, but not backward, town--what it was like for those who weren't doing drugs and getting drunk? This is for you. This movie chronicles four guys who've just graduated from Bloomington High (Bloomington, IN, in which the whole film was shot), who've made a pact not to work or do anything for a year. This movie is about growing up, about class divisions between the college-educated and the blue-collar (Bloomington is the home of Indiana University, which plays a big role in the film), and about coming to grips with who you are and what's important in life. This is a sweet, sweet (but not corny or feel-good) movie. Yet, it's not tragic. It's just a very good picture of slice of life as a kid (an old kid) in a safe town. Many lines from this movie summarize truths of life, and I've quoted the movie from the mid-'80s to today. Just watched it again (August 2014), and was once again refreshed. A gem of a movie, indeed.

Four young friends(played by Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, and Jackie Earle Haley) who live in the college town of Bloomington Indiana struggle to find purpose in their lives, as they are disrespected by the more wealthy kids of the nearby college, with whom they have periodic brawls. One of them, named Dave, is a dedicated bicyclist who has an obsession with the Italian racing team, who will be coming soon for a big race. Dave is so taken with them that he pretends to speak(and be) Italian, much to his parents(played by Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie) chagrin. His outlook will change with a new romance and first-hand exposure to the Italians...Original drama is certainly offbeat and funny in places, though also stretches credibility and patience after a while. Still, a nice(if slight) film that became a sleeper hit.