A small-town boy obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl.
Director:
Peter YatesWriter:
Steve Tesich
From metacritic.com
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Title: Breaking Away (1979)
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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 |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (68) »
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... Written by Huggo
Plot Keywords:
reference to the barber of seville the opera | working class | class differences | italian culture | speaking italian |Taglines:
Somewhere between growing up and settling down... [Australia Theatrical] See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
20 July 1979 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Bambino See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$2,300,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$17,702, 15 July 1979Gross USA:
$16,424,918Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$16,424,918Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Dave: Sure.
Dad: So, the only thing you got to show for my 20 years of work is the holes we left behind?
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Two Bollywood films, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992) and Thammudu (1999), were heavily inspired by this movie. See more »Goofs
The scene were Dave is chasing the Cinzano truck towards Indianapolis, he passes fields of corn at least 5-6' tall. As this occurred prior to the Little 500, which is held in early spring, it is doubtful the corn would have grown to that nearly harvest stage in early spring. See more »Quotes
Dad: You guys still go swimmin' in the quarries?Dave: Sure.
Dad: So, the only thing you got to show for my 20 years of work is the holes we left behind?
See more »
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This movie is a wonderful depiction of four Indiana men who try to grow up and make decisions about their futures. They all have their own problems to deal with but all need each other in dealing with their situations. Being outcasts in town, they turn to each other for hope and understanding. Being "less privileged" than others their age, they learn to make the best of what they have...each other. This is a great movie about growing up and how everyone deals differently with the obstacles they are dealt with. Dennis Christopher leads this all-star cast in a movie that should be watched by the young and old. It is a compelling saga of how these young men conquer the everpresent problem of trying to fit in.