Breaking Away (1979)
- Starring:
- Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, (more)
- Director(s):
- Peter Yates
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG
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Dennis Christopher stars as a recent high school graduate in Bloomington, Indiana, who is caught with his friends -- Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley -- coasting between high school and deciding what to do with the rest of their lives. The four friends are snobbishly looked down upon by the college students of the town as "cutters," since they were born in Bloomington and their parents worked in the local limestone quarries that built the university. Dennis Christopher's character Dave wants to be a champion bicycle racer and he idolizes the Italian racing team -- so much so that he speaks, thinks, and acts Italian, all to his father's (Paul Dooley) forlorn exasperation. Dave falls for a college girl (Robyn Douglass), but is ashamed to admit he is a cutter and poses as an Italian exchange student to impress her. Dave is particularly excited when his heroes -- the Italian racers -- come to town for a race. But they are even more snobbish than the college students and rely on dirty tricks to keep Dave from winning a race against them. After that ordeal, Dave throws away his false identity and convinces his friends to enter the university's "Little 500" bicycle race against the college students. This light-hearted and heartwarming tale was a surprising word-of-mouth success at the box-office and won several awards, including an Academy Award for "Best Screenplay." ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 100 mins
Complete Cast:
- Dennis Christopher - Dave Stohler
- Daniel Stern - Cyril
- Jackie Earle Haley - Moocher
- Robyn Douglass - Katherine
- Amy Wright - Nancy
- John Ashton - Mike's Brother
- P.J. Soles - Suzy
- Jennifer K. Mickel - Girl
- Dennis Quaid - Mike
- Paul Dooley - Mr. Stohler
- Barbara Barrie - Mrs. Stohler
- Hart Bochner - Rod
- David K. Blace - Race Announcer
- Lisa Shure - French Girl
- Peter Maloney - Doctor
- Director(s):
- Peter Yates
- Writer(s):
- Steve Tesich
- Producer(s):
- Art Levinson, Peter Yates
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG(Adult Language, Suitable for Teens, Suitable for Children)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 1979 - Breaking Away - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Most Promising Newcomer
- 1979 - Breaking Away - Golden Globe - Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
- 1979 - Breaking Away - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
- 1979 - Breaking Away - National Board of Review - Best Supporting Actor
- 1979 - Breaking Away - National Society of Film Critics - Best Picture
- 1979 - Breaking Away - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Screenplay
