Breaking Away the 1979 movie

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Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
Great movie. The race is still held, on the cinder track at IU Bloomington. Cutters have won quite often, but not until 1984. I think Delta Chi won in 1979. That movie looks quainter and quainter each time I see it. I grew up a couple hundred or so miles west, but remember things looking like they did in downtown Bloomington Indiana, in the film. I went to University in Carbondale, Illinois, only a year after the film came out. Much the same.
 

Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
The pizza place, Pagliai's, on the town square. I think every college town has a Pagliai's in that part of the US.
Steve Tesich, the fellow who wrote the movie, rode in a Little 500. He also wrote some other movies, most notable being an adaptation of John Irving's World According to Garp. We're not even talking about American Flyers.
 

swee'pea99

Legendary Member
Haven't seen it for years, but I remember enjoying it. Highlights including his 'Italian phase' (and his parents' forbearance) and the response of his friend when some passing adult asks a bunch of them how they're doing, and one says (if I remember rightly) "Well, we're a bit concerned about the situation in the Middle East."
 

Diggs

Veteran
I remember watching it as a kid (if I recall correctly) as part of a double bill with Chariots Of Fire.
I haven't seen it since, I occasionally have a casual look for the DVD but I have loads of films and 80% of a Sky + harddrive to catch up on.
This may be the prompt I need
 

Andrew_Culture

Internet Marketing bod
I was just seeing if I could this for free on Amazon Prime and spotted a film I think I may have forgotten existed. American Flyers, staring Kevin Coster.

'Parental Guidance - contains Kevin Costner's acting'.
 

Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
That was also written by Steve Tesich, who wrote Breaking Away. Not exactly a stellar outing for anyone involved. It was the first movie I can recall in which sports medicine was a topic. PG/PG-Kevin Costner wearing a silly mustache. Quicksilver, with Kevin Bacon, is better. Not by much, but better.
 
Breaking Away is much more fun than American Flyers. But nowhere near as good as the best cycling film ever made, A Boy, A Girl and a Bicycle. Set in a post war Yorkshire cycling club, wonderful scenery, wonderful bikes, and a gorgeous looking Honor Blackman.

I liked liked honor Blackman in her later years, that's on the list irrespective of the cycling.
 
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