Breaking Away (1979)

A small-town boy obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl.

Director:

Peter Yates

Writer:

Steve Tesich

Stars:

Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern

Won 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Christopher	...	Dave
Dennis Quaid	...	Mike
Daniel Stern	...	Cyril
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Moocher
Barbara Barrie	...	Mom
Paul Dooley	...	Dad
Robyn Douglass	...	Katherine
Hart Bochner	...	Rod
Amy Wright	...	Nancy
Peter Maloney	...	Doctor
John Ashton	...	Mike's Brother
Lisa Shure	...	French Girl
Jennifer K. Mickel	...	Girl
P.J. Soles	...	Suzy (as Pamela Jayne Soles)
David K. Blase	...	500 Race Announcer

Storyline

Best friends Dave, Mike, Cyril and Moocher have just graduated from high school. Living in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana, they are considered "cutters": the working class of the town so named since most of the middle aged generation, such as their parents, worked at the local limestone quarry, which is now a swimming hole. There is great animosity between the cutters and the generally wealthy Indiana University students, each group who have their own turf in town. The dichotomy is that the limestone was used to build the university, which is now seen as being too good for the locals who built it. Although each of the four is a totally different personality from the other three, they also have in common the fact of being unfocused and unmotivated in life. The one slight exception is Dave. Although he has no job and doesn't know what to do with his life, he is a champion bicycle racer. He idolizes the Italian cycling team so much he pretends to be Italian, much to the chagrin...

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Plot Keywords:

reference to the barber of seville the opera | working class | class differences | italian culture | speaking italian | 

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Taglines:

Dave, Mike, Cyril and Moocher are... BREAK ING AWAY

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian French

Release Date:

20 July 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bambino

Filming Locations:

Highway 37/Dixie Highway, Indiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,300,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,702, 15 July 1979, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$16,424,918

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although all four of the "Cutters" are supposed to be 19 years old, the actors were all of different ages - none of them 19. Dennis Quaid was 24, Dennis Christopher 23, Daniel Stern 21, and Jackie Earle Haley just 17.

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Goofs

Immediately after Mike dives into the quarry and swims into the refrigerator the scene switches to Dave and Moocher talking. The quarry surface is clearly visible in the background, but shows no ripples despite Mike's dive.

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Quotes

Suzy: [On the phone] Oh, hi Rod, I just wanted you to know that there's some guy outside with a guitar serenading Kath!

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Crazy Credits

Introducing

Robyn Douglass

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Connections

Referenced in Sneak Previews: The Idolmaker, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, Every Man for Himself, Fade to Black (1980)

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Soundtracks

The Star Spangled Banner
(1814) (uncredited)
Music by John Stafford Smith
Lyrics by Francis Scott Key
Played and Sung by people at the 500 Race, led by Jennifer F. Nolan

User Reviews

Sweet but not saccharine

This film was a pleasant surprise. No sex, no violence, no special effects. Just an incredibly literate and humorous script (which won an Oscar for Steve Tesich) and fantastic performances by the four leads. This is a film for those who still believe that good cinema requires meaningful dialogue and acting that is achingly real in its sincerity. Don't get me wrong: sex and violence have a very real and justifiable place in film; but this movie would have suffered from such a gratuitous inclusion. Peter Yates, the director, has done a fantastic job of pacing the film, and the score, consisting mostly of Rossini overtures, and excerpts from Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony (#4 in A Major, Op. 90), is an inspired touch, adding precisely the right atmosphere. This is the kind of low-budget triumph that the film community constantly extols for P.R. purposes, yet never supports with actual awards.