Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Jackie Earle Haley

Dave, nineteen, has just graduated high school, with his 3 friends, The comical Cyril, the warm hearted but short-tempered Moocher, and the athletic, spiteful but good-hearted Mike. Now, Dave enjoys r...( read more  read more... )acing bikes and hopes to race the Italians one day, and even takes up the Italian culture, much to his friends and parents annoyance. While meanwhile, the 4 friends try to break away from their townie, Indiana reputation while fighting with nearby college snobs.

Flixster Users

85% liked it

7,287 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

32 critics

PG, 100 min.

Directed by: Peter Yates

Release Date: July 13, 1979

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DVD Release Date: January 29, 2002

Stats: 562 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (562)


  • July 6, 2009
    This film really impressed me the first time around. But since I haven't seen it since then (about 1984 or so), my rating is based on fond memories. If I see it again and it doesn't hold up, I'll re-evaluate.
  • June 19, 2008
    A little rough around the edges, but I guess that represents the cutters. Dave, his three friends and his parents are each unique characters. I thought it was VERY strange but also funny that Dave wants to become Italian, and works toward that goal with such conviction. His It...( read more)alian bicycling idols turn out to be really nasty though. It's a coming of age story about losing innocence, maturing, standing up for yourself, and discovering your place in the world.
  • October 24, 2007
    worth seeing just for Paul Dooley's performance. highly recommended.
  • September 1, 2007
    In "Breaking Away" we follow the exploits of four misfits just out of high school who contentedly contemplate a future as dead-enders. They aren't particularly smart, athletic, or good-looking, and they lack any sense of direction in their lives. Moreover, as townies, or "cutters...( read more)" in a college town, they wear a spell of invisibility in their dealings with the students--the differences are painfully obvious. When they hang out on campus or lamely try to chat up the co-eds, they might as well be ghosts haunting a town they used to inhabit. Something happened when they graduated from high school and didn't go on to college: they became cutters, no better than servants, in their own confused eyes. The cutters are played superbly by Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern and Jackie Earle Haley. There is not a false note in any of their performances with Quaid and Christopher special stand-outs. "Breaking Away" is a rich visual tapestry of life lived outside the spotlight. The characters are not fancy or sophisticated, and their life goals are simple and well within reach. It is themselves they struggle with, and their perceptions of themselves. "Breaking Away" is the story of kids who had let their own self-image degrade to the point that a fantasy world, and a life of bitter resentment, seemed like their best option.
  • July 12, 2007
    This is one of my favorite movies of all time! A 70's coming of age story, but the characters are really cool!
  • October 31, 2009
    greatttttttt!!!!!!!!! i dont have wordssssssssssssssss
    lollll XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
  • September 15, 2009
    An absolutely charming coming-of-age story set in the middle of Indiana. The characters are quirky, but not independent-movie quirky, quirky like real people. One young man is going through a phase where he's really into Italy and its culture, so he listens to opera and goes arou...( read more)nd speaking in an Italian accent. We can all look at him and remember times when we were so immersed in a culture we wanted to emulate it, even if it didn't make much sense. The characters are likable, easy to relate to, and delightful to watch. Very satisfying.
  • August 3, 2009
    What makes this film work so well is how well defined and developed the characters are. Great casting, wonderful performances. Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie steal every scene they are in. Sensitively directed and superbly written.
  • June 27, 2009
    A great playful film in which Bicycling finally gets a role in film! Great story and fun acting.
  • January 25, 2009
    Can't believe it took me this long to see this movie. Pretty good overall. I like American Flyers better as a cycling movie. Paul Dooley is awesome as the father.

Critic Reviews


October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Breaking Away is a wonderfully sunny, funny, goofy, intelligent movie that makes you feel about as good as any movie in a long time. It is, in fact, a treasure. full review

View more Breaking Away reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • Ciderflax71
    November 26, 2006
    I'm big on cycling, and I just saw this movie, and it was awesome! Not to mention hilarious and completely, stupidly, corny. I loved it. Yay.

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Breaking Away Trivia


  • Name the Movie.  Answer »
  • All except one film is about baseball. Choose the one in which a young man wants to become a race cylist.  Answer »
  • In "Far and Away" Joseph Donnelly (Tom Cruise) does NOT make money by which of the following?  Answer »
  • After a 13 year hiatus from films, this actor was rediscovered in 2005 and had two films hit theatres in the fall of 2006, one of which earned him a Best Supporting Actor nomination, playing a pedophile. His early films include The Bad News Bears and Breaking Away. Who is he?  Answer »

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