Breaking Away

One of my all-time favorite movies, Peter Yates hits all the right notes in this coming-of-age dramedy from 1979. So simple, yet so rich and deep, it's a shame that they rarely make movies like this anymore.

I remember when I first saw it in the theater back in '79 at the age of 13, I fell in love with it for its simple charm, great performances, hilarious segments, and uplifting ending. It's funny, because I remember how it was marketed in its trailers as a teenage rebel movie (look at the alternate movie poster below...I love the tagline, "The movie that tells you exactly what you can do with your high school diploma!"). There had been a bunch of movies of that genre that had been released, and fairly successful, in the couple years beforehand (I was going to mention Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but a search on IMDB indicates that it came out in '82, though I could swear it was before that...), so I guess the studio was trying to ride that bandwagon. The original trailer that I saw was more true to the heart of the movie and is what made me want to see it.

This "sleeper hit" was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture (up against the likes of eventual winner, Kramer vs. Kramer; another of my all-time faves, Apocalypse Now; and Norma Rae). After watching it you'll understand why.

Winning the Oscar for Best Screenplay, the dialog and characters are beautifully written. Helped by an excellent script, all of the main characters give amazing performances, full of depth, humor, and humanity that's rare in film today. Jackie Earle Haley of Bad News Bears fame was probably the best known actor to me at the time (I was 13, give me a break!). He sheds his "bad boy" image from his previous movies and plays one of the four high school friends with a sweetness and realness that is great.

Relative newcomers (at the time) Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, and Dennis Christopher give amazing performances that are subtle and complex, yet so natural and human that they still linger with me 30 years later. Barbara Barrie and Paul Dooley give the best performances, though, as Dave's (Dennis Christopher) parents. Barrie was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar (she lost to Meryl Streep), but Dooley was robbed of both a nomination and the Oscar for his performance as the annoyed, yet caring father. Some of his lines, scenes, and expressions are among the funniest I've ever seen on film.

There are a few (very few) cheesy moments in the film, and the outcome of the climatic race scene is somewhat predictable, but I challenge anyone to watch it and not be moved and exhilarated by the end. The movie also has one of the greatest movie endings of all time: Funny, sweet, emotionally charged, and a perfect epilogue.

I never grow tired of seeing this movie, and the fact that it still feels fresh and relevant 30 years later is a testament to its universal themes and appeal. I've heard some people refer to it as a "bicycling movie," which annoys the crap out of me. Calling it a "bicycling movie" (though it is a major element in the film) is like calling The Godfather a "gangster movie." Like all great movies, the plot and circumstances of these movies are merely the medium on which to paint a larger picture of the human condition: They're about people, lives, and relationships. I hate bicycling btw. ;)


Breaking Away (1979)
Starring: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley
Directed by: Peter Yates

(7 out of 7 skinks)