American Flyers (1985)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

John Badham

Writer:

Steve Tesich (writer)

Release Date:

16 August 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Two brothers challenge the road. And life itself. [Video]

Plot:

Sports physician Marcus persuades his unstable brother David to come with him and train for a bicycle race across the Rocky Mountains...

Plot Keywords:

Bicycle Race | Bicycle | Brother | Female Nudity | Cycling

Cast

Kevin Costner	...	Marcus Sommers
David Marshall Grant	...	David (as David Grant)
Rae Dawn Chong	...	Sarah
Alexandra Paul	...	Becky
Janice Rule	...	Mrs. Sommers
Luca Bercovici	...	Muzzin
Robert Townsend	...	Jerome
John Amos	...	Dr. Conrad
Doi Johnson	...	Randolph
John Garber	...	Belov
Jennifer Grey	...	Leslie
James Terry	...	Hitchhiker
Jessica Nelson	...	Hitchhiker
Tom Lawrence	...	Timekeeper
Brian Drebber	...	Race Announcer

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Iceland:L | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Laclede's Landing, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Company:

WW Production

Trivia:

The team that Muzzin rode for in the film, '7-Eleven' was a real team that competed in the Tour de France in the late 1980s and early-'90s. This team became the Motorola Team when the team changed sponsor. This was the team that Lance Armstong raced with before he contracted cancer.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Sarah picks up the rock it is fairly large. Later when Becky is showing off the rock it is much smaller.

Quotes:

Muzzin: [Muzzin tells Sarah that he hopes Marcus is okay, then notices Jerome looking at him funny] What?
Jerome: You sounded half-human.
Muzzin: I am half-human.

Movie Connections:

References "Star Trek" (1966)

Soundtrack:

Bad Moon Rising

What a fantastic movie

This is one of my top 30 movies of all time. This movie is mainly about competition - digging down as deep as you can, and putting it all on the line - which sometimes still isn't enough to win against someone next to you. Yes watching it today it seems a bit corny, but the plot and story is excellent.

There's also love, tragedy, drama and beautiful scenery in this one. For the uninformed, the twist at the end will send you in a whirlwind.

Also noteworthy is the fantastic music in this movie.

Highly recommended.

-TJ