This review originally appeared on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s “Roll Film” movie review site (http://www.biketraffic.org/content.php?id=219_0_6_0). Each film was also reviewed by my CBF colleague, Greg Borzo, who focused more on the bike content.
BREAKING AWAY
3 1/2 Wheels
The influence of Rocky is so pervasive that almost every sports film is now bound to the formula of plucky underdogs finding their inner strength to compete in the big game. Just as every Western has a gunfight, every sports movie must contain certain traditional elements. What separates the good ones from the bad is the ability to allow an audience to truly know and relate to the main characters so that, when the big game comes, we care about the results.
Breaking Away manages to transcend the limits of its somewhat predictable plot by featuring likable characters played by natural actors. We follow four 19-year-olds trying to define their identities in what they perceive as the dreary dead-end town of Bloomington, Ind. They neither have jobs nor attend the local University, but they have a refreshing loyalty to each other that supplies the heart of the film.
Dennis Quaid plays Mike, the former high school football star who gave up on leadership and is resigned to a life of mediocrity. Jackie Earle Haley is Moocher, who would like to get a job and marry his girlfriend, but will settle for lying around the old creek with his buddies. Daniel Stern plays Cyril as the loyal and quick-witted comic relief. Most notable is Dennis Christopher's Dave who, despite his pale blonde appearance, speaks with a not quite convincing Italian accent.
Dave is not Italian, but he is obsessed with Italy due to his burning desire to join the Italian bike racing team. He also uses this identity to woo the college girl he falls for—even though one can't help but wonder how she got into college if she could be fooled by his Chico Marx accent. The other key character is Dave's father, played by Paul Dooley, who is so apoplectic about his son's transformation that he spends most of the movie ranting and raving like Ralph Kramden in "The Honeymooners." Dooley's over-the-top performance is a bit of a distraction from the naturalism that the rest of the cast conveys.
Another theme at work is the age-old conflict between college students and townies (here called "cutters.") Mike (Quaid) delivers one of the most poignant moments when he observes that, as he grows older, he'll always compare himself to the ever-changing roster of student athletes who will always be 19.
Breaking Away was directed by Peter Yates, who is best known for directing the first modern car chase scene in the 1968 cop movie, Bullitt. He puts this experience to good use in Breaking Away. The most exhilarating scene shows Dave's determined efforts to outpace a speeding truck on the highway. The film also features the most intense and beautifully filmed bicycle racing scenes I have ever seen. It is with good reason that this movie is considered by many to be the ultimate bicycle movie. And although the race at the end is realistic and exciting, it's the quieter moments that make Breaking Away worthwhile.
BREAKING AWAY
3 1/2 Wheels
The influence of Rocky is so pervasive that almost every sports film is now bound to the formula of plucky underdogs finding their inner strength to compete in the big game. Just as every Western has a gunfight, every sports movie must contain certain traditional elements. What separates the good ones from the bad is the ability to allow an audience to truly know and relate to the main characters so that, when the big game comes, we care about the results.
Breaking Away manages to transcend the limits of its somewhat predictable plot by featuring likable characters played by natural actors. We follow four 19-year-olds trying to define their identities in what they perceive as the dreary dead-end town of Bloomington, Ind. They neither have jobs nor attend the local University, but they have a refreshing loyalty to each other that supplies the heart of the film.
Dennis Quaid plays Mike, the former high school football star who gave up on leadership and is resigned to a life of mediocrity. Jackie Earle Haley is Moocher, who would like to get a job and marry his girlfriend, but will settle for lying around the old creek with his buddies. Daniel Stern plays Cyril as the loyal and quick-witted comic relief. Most notable is Dennis Christopher's Dave who, despite his pale blonde appearance, speaks with a not quite convincing Italian accent.
Dave is not Italian, but he is obsessed with Italy due to his burning desire to join the Italian bike racing team. He also uses this identity to woo the college girl he falls for—even though one can't help but wonder how she got into college if she could be fooled by his Chico Marx accent. The other key character is Dave's father, played by Paul Dooley, who is so apoplectic about his son's transformation that he spends most of the movie ranting and raving like Ralph Kramden in "The Honeymooners." Dooley's over-the-top performance is a bit of a distraction from the naturalism that the rest of the cast conveys.
Another theme at work is the age-old conflict between college students and townies (here called "cutters.") Mike (Quaid) delivers one of the most poignant moments when he observes that, as he grows older, he'll always compare himself to the ever-changing roster of student athletes who will always be 19.
Breaking Away was directed by Peter Yates, who is best known for directing the first modern car chase scene in the 1968 cop movie, Bullitt. He puts this experience to good use in Breaking Away. The most exhilarating scene shows Dave's determined efforts to outpace a speeding truck on the highway. The film also features the most intense and beautifully filmed bicycle racing scenes I have ever seen. It is with good reason that this movie is considered by many to be the ultimate bicycle movie. And although the race at the end is realistic and exciting, it's the quieter moments that make Breaking Away worthwhile.
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