The movie is set in the idyllic Big 10 college town of Bloomington, Indiana. However, the story centers not on Indiana University students but on four local teenage sons of former rock cutters in the nearby quarries. Dave, Mike, Moocher, and Cyril must endure the alienation from college students who disdainfully call them “Cutters.” Bonded by their unique heritage, the four, although having different personalities and appearances, stick together closely and look out for each other fiercely.
Tall and slender Dave Stoller dreams of racing his imported racing bicycle with the people he considers to be the best cyclists in the world - the Italians. In so doing, he develops an obsession with Italian culture, much to the dismay of his used-car hustling father. He even pretends to be a student from Naples and woos a coed student. It can be implied through his fascination with a foreign culture that Dave wants to see and experience the world beyond Bloomington and rise above being just a “Cutter.” His father, on the other hand, is a stone cutter by heart and has a deeply ingrained work ethic. The flighty, ambiguous ways of Dave and the down-to-earth, practical ways of his father create tension and misunderstanding between the two.
Dave is elated when news arrives that the Italians from the Cinzano team are coming to Indianapolis to race their bikes. It is a godsend for him; his dream of racing with the best is about to come true. However, during the race, he comes to a literally painful realization that the people he so admired were not the heroes he imagined them to be. Discouraged and with no plans for college, Dave finds little to look forward to and is back with the rest of the Cutters.
Mike, the hardiest of the bunch, is especially resentful of the trappings and indifferent attitudes of the college students. He constantly tries to display his antagonism by hot rodding around campus, competing and picking fights with particular students, always coming up short. When carefree Cyril is ambushed by a group of fraternity brothers, Mike seeks physical revenge against the perpetrators. He insists on entering the Little 500 bicycle race to show the college students what the Cutters are worth. Mike’s insistence eventually leads to the climax of the story.
The Little 500 race, held by Indiana University, has been expanded to include local cyclists. Dave reluctantly decides to enter the race realizing that this is the only arena left to prove himself as Cutter. After a painful fall during a turn, Dave has to sit out part of the race while the other Cutters take on the laps. The three turn out to be no match for the other cyclists. With feet strapped to the pedals and in a dead heat with a cyclist from the fraternity team, Dave Stoller wins the Little 500 on sheer determination.
This film follows the classic genre where the little guys, facing belittlement and adversity, come out on top to triumph over the big guys. The story clearly illustrates what can be achieved through friendship and the trials and tribulations that come with it. Breaking Away is a refreshing and encouraging drama that could be enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds.
This charming Academy Award winner (1980, Best Screenplay) cycles high on comedy as four friends come to terms with life after high school. When top-n...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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