Sick Product of a Sick System

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It is about a group of Bloomington, Indiana friends who are not part of the University of Indiana college crowd. The come from blue color families who are, for the most part, "Cutters," which means they work in the granite quarries cutting out stone. They all have a passion, bicycling. More specifically, bicycle racing. They form a team which does reasonably well, but their chief adversaries are rich college kids who have sponsors and an attitude. One of the riders is enamored with the European bicyclists, specifically the Tour de France racers. He even learns French and impersonates the French to impress a girl. Anyway, we know that at some point a race is going to happen between these guys who call themselves "The Cutters" and the University cyclists. I won't do any spoilers. At times it gets a little contrived, but over all a delight. By the way, the the cinematography is great, especially the summer scenes in Indiana.

A coming-of-age story full of humor, warm characters, and bikes. What more could anyone ask for? I call this movie my autobiography as I was actually attending Indiana University when this was filmed. I watched and participated in the filming (I was at the stadium for the final race). I was also a fanatic cyclist and I, too, had delusions of being from somewhere, anywhere else. Instead of Italian I wanted to be French but it's the same psychosis. This is one of the few movies of this genre in which the kids don't get drunk, smoke dope, or get laid...not that I have anything against any of that but in movies they always turn those events into terrible clichés.Peter Yates has made a few great films and this and The Friends of Eddie Coyle are among them.

When "Breaking Away" debuted in 1979, it made quite a splash. It was a 'small' film that suddenly broke out from the crowd--gaining a lot of critical attention as well as an Oscar. Now, over 30 years later, I decided to watch the film for a second time--mostly because I barely remember it and because it's an important film from this era.The film is about a group of young high school graduates who are not going to college, aren't particularly interested in working and are afraid of growing up. Additionally, they seem to have a chip on their shoulders, as these so-called 'Cutters' are jealous of the local college students. As for the students, they seem to feel the Cutters are beneath them. One way that these so-called losers can finally feel important involves an upcoming bicycle race--and David (Dennis Christopher) hopes to prove something to himself and the community. Can he and his three working-class friends (including Dennis Quaid and Daniel Stern) somehow end up winners? While a lot of folks adore this coming of age story, I felt very mixed about it. It was exceptional and some of it I really liked (Paul Dooley's character was great as was Barbara Barrie's), but some I didn't. I particularly had difficulty caring for the kids. The Cutters seemed like jerks--as were the college students. Making any sort of connection with them was tough for me. But, the film did combine nice music, a rousing finale and a lot of nice sports clichés into an enjoyable, though perhaps slightly overrated film.

Peter Yates's film Breaking Away is a movie made for the average human, not for art houses or award shows. Just for the audience. Normally when a filmmaker sets out to make a film like this, the results are lacking. Breaking Away is an exception to that however. This film works as a commercially oriented story without misusing a bit of talent on display here. It is a relatable story for not only cyclists but also just people that have had problems in their life. A real gem of a film with great performances from Dennis Christopher and Dennis Quaid. No one says it is a masterpiece, but most everybody that sees this will take something worthwhile from it.