Plot: Dave Stohler (Dennis Christopher) has just finished high school, along with his three friends, athletic Mike (Dennis Quaid), comical and insightful Cyril (Daniel Stern), and small-of-stature scrapper Moocher (Jackie Earle Haley). What do they do now? In the Summer after high school, they are all trying to answer that question. The setting is Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University, and of rock quarries. The locals are derogatorily referred to, by the college kids, as "Cutters," because of the quarries. The college students view the Cutters as only one small step above Australopithecus, while the town kids see the college kids as rich arrogant snobs, unable to do anything but impress each other.

What does any of this have to do with bicycling? The heart of this story is Dave Stohler's eccentric but fervid dream of becoming a world-class bicycle-racer. How does one do that? Dave's belief is that one has to do two things: practice obsessively and relentlessly, and become Italian (the best cyclists in the world at that time, after the time of Belgian Eddy Merckx and before the emergence of American Lance Armstrong). Dave does both, and drives himself to become as fast as possible and as Italian as possible. He learns and speaks Italian, and he races around tracks. He adopts an Italian accent and races on freeways. He flirts with college girls, while posing as an exchange student, and he races against semi-trucks. Dave's friends and his family worry about his health and his sanity, as he exasperates them with his constant cycling and self-Italianization. Meanwhile, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher have sub-plots, as they all seek an adult life in Bloomington, with varying degrees of success.

My take: In 1976, Sylvester Stallone gave us the gift of Rocky where an uneducated, not very articulate man, who was not the most talented boxer in the world, showed us what an enormous amount of hard work and discipline, combined with a tremendous amount of heart, can accomplish. Three years later, Breaking Away showed us a similar story but with a very different cast and setting. This movie often pushes the limit on sentimentality, and the ending is pretty predictable.

But, I gave it five stars, anyway. Why? Sometimes a movie is great not because its premise is new and original, but because that premise is incredibly well-cultivated, developed, and delivered onto the screen. Dave Stohler is both irritating and irresistibly likeable. His unbridled enthusiasm, determination, and drive, that clearly verge on obsession, are what defines someone who achieves beyond everyone else's expectations.

As Dave Stohler's parents, portrayed perfectly by Barbara Barrie and Paul Dooley, fret over their seemingly-manic son's irrepressible movement toward becoming fast and Italian, we can easily commiserate with them. Even as Chris Cooper worried about his son's crazy dream in October Sky, they worry that Dave is wasting his time on trying to obtain the impossible. Dave's friend try to believe in him, and support him, but he seems to be becoming a stranger -- except plain old Dave never forgets or forsakes them, and lets them know he is still there, every once in a while.

When I saw this film, I thought that Dennis Christopher was a great star in the making. An Internet search will tell you otherwise. As far as films are concerned, Dennis Christopher almost vanished after this film. California Dreaming was very awkward and uninteresting, in my opinion.

Why do I like this movie so much? In 1975, I was in a diving accident, and bicycling became out of the question. Before that, though, bicycling was my passion, my thrill, my chance to excel. Nobody my age, that I knew, could catch me when I was on my bike, and the sense of freedom, the exhilaration of speed, and the feeling of mastery were intangible pay-offs beyond measure.

Conclusion: If you want a heart-warming, underdog-tries-to-win story, you cannot go wrong with this film. Breaking Away came out of nowhere and reminded everyone again, that there are factors, besides money and power and connections that can come together to create a moment of pure joy and triumph. This movie gives us that as well as any movie does. It will make you smile.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8