What makes it different from others?

Crappy film

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

"Breaking Away" from 1979 was directed by Peter Yates, and tells the story of four young men right out of high school, a turning point in their lives. Do they stay in their small town and get jobs? Go to college?The four guys -- Dave, Mike, Cyril and Moocher are played by Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Jackie Earle Haley and Daniel Stern. Someone mentioned that of the four of them, the only one who had any "real" career is Dennis Quaid. He's had the biggest career, but the rest of these guys are still going strong.Having just seen Dennis Quaid in "Truth," seeing him in this was a shock -- a total baby. And I mistook Hart Bochner for Christian Bale. I used to love Hart Bochner, who in the '80s starred in a lot of big TV miniseries.The four guys are best friends. It's summer in Bloomington, Indiana, which is a college town. As locals, they are part of the town's working class, and their parents worked at the limestone quarry. As a result, the boys are known as "cutters." The quarry is now closed and has become a swimming hole.There's a rivalry -- a hatred, really, between the wealthier students and the local kids, which is strange as the locals worked the limestone used to build the university. Now it's too good for them.The guys are unmotivated, without much in the way of ambition or discipline. Dave is the exception. He bicycle race. He loves the Italian cycling team and rides around town practicing Italian and speaking it at home, which drives his grounded father (Paul Dooley) nuts. Then Dave meets an IU student, Katherine, who is dating a hot-shot, Rod (Bochner, who else). To impress her, he claims to be an Italian exchange student.When he learns the Italian cycling team will be racing in Indianapolis, Dave is in heaven, ready to enter and race. But an incident there causes him to rethink his goals.Such a wonderful story about floundering young men - for some reason, it seems to take guys longer to find their way, and these kids are no exception. Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie are hilarious as Dave's parents, really adding to the film.Basically this movie, with its beautiful scenery (all filmed in Indiana) and wonderful bike races is about breaking away from the pack in more ways than one - making a decision not just about a career, but how you will tackle life mentally and emotionally. It's a tough lesson but it's well learned.Highly recommended - certainly one of the best films of the '70s.

Isn't it great when you find a movie that you'll plan to watch for the rest of your life? I knew it a long time ago. Dennis Christopher was strong in his performance, especially the parts where he talks with his father about whether or not he should go to college. When I was a kid and watched this for the first time, I knew it was going to be my favorite. I soon became obsessed with cycling as well, and managed to enter one of those races and win second place! I love the screenplay, which definitely deserved the Oscar it won, and the chemistry between all the characters is undeniable. It really makes you believe that they all are good friends. My favorite part is when Dave says, "Everybody cheats, I just didn't know." and as a 13 year old, believe me, that was really philosophical. If you want to watch a movie that will really blow you away, or help you remember what it was like to be a kid, this is the movie for you. All the actors were amazing, and you find yourself relating to a lot of the problems they face. I even wish I saw it much sooner, because after I saw it, my entire look on life changed. It's a real masterpiece!

This is definitely one of those films I never would of heard of without being in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and it was also because of some good names in the cast and an award win, from Oscar and Golden Globe nominated director Peter Yates (Summer Holiday, Bullitt, The Deep). Basically best friends Dave Stoller (BAFTA winning, and Golden Globe nominated Dennis Christopher), Mike (The Day After Tomorrow's Dennis Quaid), Cyril (Home Alone's Daniel Stern) and Moocher (A Nightmare on Elm Street's Jackie Earle Haley) have all just graduated from high school in Bloomington, Indiana. They are all deciding what to do next in their lives, but until then they spend a lot of their time swimming in an old abandoned water-filled quarry, and they clash with Indiana University students. Dave, who has a passion for Italian music and the culture, which concerns his father Ray (Paul Dooley), has an obsession with competitive bicycle racing, his mother Evelyn (Oscar nominated Barbara Barrie) is very supportive of these things. Dave has a crush on university student Katherine (Robyn Douglass) and puts on an Italian accent to romance her, but she is does already have boyfriend Rod (Hart Bochner), and he has his gang beat up Cyril after mistaken identity. Soon after this there is the announcement a professional Italian cycling team coming to town for a racing event, and Dave is keen to participate as well, but the team cause to get depressed after a crash. He does come back, and he gets support from his father, and after some incidents in the race Dave has his feet taped to his bicycle pedals, Moocher, Cyril and Mike all watch in hope, and on the last lap he overtakes Rod to win the race, and after the trophy glory he decides he'll enrol at the university. Also starring Amy Wright as Nancy, Peter Maloney as Doctor and Halloween's P.J. Soles as Suzy. Christopher is a talented young leading character, Quaid, Stern and Haley who would all go on to bigger things do really well as they are young as well, and in her scenes I can see why Barrie was nominated an award, the material that would inspire the Brat Pack genre are all amusing, the cycling scenes are good watching, and the dialogue is witty and also sensitive, so all in all it is a likable comedy sports drama. It won the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and it was nominated for Best Music for Patrick Williams and Best Picture, and it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical/Comedy, and it was nominated for Best Screenplay. Good!

We now have more than a decade of reviews on IMDb of Breaking Away, going back to 1998, enough to conclude, as do many of the reviewers, that this is a classic that has passed the test of time. I would dare say that there will be viewers watching and loving this film 10, 20, 50, 100 years from now. Its theme and message transcend time.Breaking Away was popular when it came out. It was mentioned in three different college classes within the context of the professor's lecture to illustrate a point. So don't underestimate the depth of concept of this film. It effortlessly works on many different levels, and different people see different things in it. You need to watch it carefully, more than once, to appreciate this. But it has become somewhat forgotten, a sleeper. However, tears come to my eyes when I think about one of the key messages, explained by the father, after Dave's encounter with the Italian team. It has proved all too true, with the result that the America of 1979 is crumbling around us. In short, if you haven't seen this movie, watch it. If you don't own it, buy it, because you will want to watch it again, perhaps even 10 or 20 years from now. I've been watching it now and then for more than 30 years.Jackie Earle Haley, who plays Moocher, was also in Bad News Bears, the original with Walter Matthau. He has some pretty funny lines. --- On a bicycling note, I happened to find a mint condition Ciocc Itallian racing bicycle from around this period with full Campagnola components and sew on tires. It was a dream to ride, far more agile, yet stable, than my other expensive road bikes. I can see why Dave developed a love affair with his bike. What I learned is that a well-maintained drive train is nearly silent, at least using modern dry lube. Yet in the movie you can always hear the chain and gears grinding away, especially in the group scene with the Italians. It makes me wonder if bikes back then were really so noisy. Or whether the director or foley man thought too much silence would seem unrealistic to viewers used to cheap bikes, so they added in gear noise.Also, it becomes amusingly apparent, on close viewing, that Dave is in a very low gear moving slowly, pumping and huffing away, when he appears to be tearing down the road. But most people don't notice this. The bottom line is this movie often inspires an impulse to get a road bike, and this is a good thing if you have some relatively quiet roads to go long distances, like Dave. On terrain like in the movie, many people could ride 50 or more miles in a day once you get into condition, but with a road or comfort bike, not a mountain bike. It's a great form of recreation. Go for it!