Breaking Away (DVD, 2002, Academy Awards Collection)

Breaking Away has NO GUNS, NO EXPLOSIONS, NO SPECIAL EFFECTS, but there is a bowling ball, a rolled up towel, and a thrift store bicycle that provide plenty of excitement.

Thankfully there are no computer generated, exaggerated or overenhanced scenes in Breaking Away. Watching this 1979 film about a small town family and their son's friends dealing with the next phase of their lives after high school is time well spent. In a strange way this film reminds me of the original Star Trek television show. The four recently graduated high school students hang together in a small midwestern town as they try to blend in with the hordes of College Students who descend upon their fair city. Known as "townies", the college crowd could easily pass for clean cut versions of Klingons who according to Cyril "All wore Brut after-shave and reeked of Lavoris". There can no denying that Cyril is a Midwest 70's version of "Spock", sans Spock's superhuman strength. However Cyril does seem capable of superhuman strength when he has a bowling ball at his side. Cyril's deadpan, comical, and deadly accurate observations are perfectly spaced out throughout the entire movie. They rival Spocks proficiency with mathematical computations and gently let us in on the deeper meanings of the movie without hitting us over the head with a frying pan, and Cyril isn't even the lead actor in this movie!

Probably one of Breaking Away's biggest strengths is that almost everyone will identify with at least one of the 7 most prominent characters.

The few romantic scenes in this movie are shockingly effective considering that nobody removes any clothing. Perhaps true romance in movies is never more effectively portrayed than when prospective lovers are constrained by friends and coed's who chaperone from nearby.

The transition from High School to College is the central theme of this movie, as is Mom and Dad deciding if they are entering their golden years and heart murmurs, or yikes, reliving their honeymoon times. One of the most poignant scenes in this movie involves father and son walking the hallowed grounds of the local college campus that dad helped build when he worked in the rock quarry years earlier, yet now his own son doesn't feel good enough to attend.

Even the bicycle race at the end of the movie simply sets up a powerful but completely subtle moment. Blink and you'll miss a poignant after race reaction shot of Cyril, who in that one reaction shot reveals the entire meaning of the movie. Yes, even the long awaited race really wasn't about the race.

The ensemble cast features many actors who perhaps had their break out role in this film including Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley, Barbara Barrie, Paul Dooley, and Robyn Douglass. I had forgotten that Breaking Away actually was nominated for several Academy Awards!

Directed by Peter Yates from an Academy Award Winning Script by Steve Tesich, I find myself watching this movie whenever I accidentally stumble upon it on television. If you decide to see this film, deactivate your cell phone, turn down the lights, and let the story take you over. This film won't take your breathe away, but perhaps you will find it difficult Breaking Away from this movie.

In my opinion, Breaking Away is one of the best "G-Rated" movies ever made for adults.