Yesterday evening, Katherine and I watched Breaking Away (1979), which I recently purchased on DVD. Neither of us had seen it in its entirety. I've known about the movie for many years, and always wanted to watch it, but until yesterday I hadn't. If I had to characterize the movie, I'd say that it's a coming-of-age movie that just happens to involve cycling. The four young protagonists could as easily have participated in a big soccer match or volleyball tournament as a bike race.
The movie was annoying. The father was obnoxious to the point of being incredible; the four high-school friends wore dirty clothing (which never happened in my neck of the woods); the plot was predictable and sappy; and things happened during the racing that would never have happened in real life (such as the Italian sticking his bike pump into a rival's wheel, causing him to crash).
In short, the movie was a disappointment. How it garnered five Oscar nominations is beyond me. Here is the trailer.
