BREAKING AWAY
Directed by Peter Yates
Screenplay by Steve Tesich
Dave (Dennis Christopher) is a gangly, nice-looking blond kid, just out of high school, still living at home and wondering what he ought to do with his life. He is, or should be, about as typical in looks and problems as a teen-ager can be. Except for this one quirk: though his background is middle-class and Middle Western—strictly white bread—he has taken to speaking with a heavy Italian accent. From his room comes the sound of Italian opera and language lessons, he has renamed the family cat Fellini, and induced his mother to cook what his father disgustedly calls "ini" food—zucchini, linguini, that sort of thing.
In the annals of fictional or, for that matter, real-life adolescent goofiness, Dave's manner of asserting himself is singular, and also hilarious, especially as it bounces off Paul Dooley's expert exasperation as his dad and the wry, wise patience of Barbara Barrie's lovely performance as his mother. But the kid is not totally off the wall. It turns out that he is a talented, self-taught bicycle racer and that his fondness for things Italiano is really a reflection of his admiration for that nation's pre-eminence in the sport. Cycling becomes more than a pastime for him. It becomes the thing around which he begins to organize his life, giving him a sense of purpose and —when he finally wins the big race—the confidence that enables him to go on to college and, best of all, to win over his doubting father.
The pleasures of this loose, warm, funny movie extend well beyond the plot. Dave has three teen-age cronies (Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern and Jackie Earle Haley), all clearly defined by Writer Tesich and well played by the young actors. The kids' style of hanging out—their scrapes, gags and their frustrations—is observed with a tart affection and a truthfulness that are very refreshing. So is their milieu. The boys are townies, called "cutters," because people of their class have traditionally worked in the nearby limestone quarries in Bloomington, where Indiana University is located. The resentment the cutters feel for the fraternity kids, whose smooth manners symbolize the smoothness of the ride they may anticipate through life, is real, and prevents the movie from deteriorating into a mere string of jokes. One of the high points is a romance between Dave and a sorority girl (Robyn Douglass) that begins while he is wearing the Italian accent he cannot abandon. His courtship includes a Neapolitan serenade beneath her window and a touching time when he must finally confess his impersonation.
Director Yates, whose best previous work has been in action films like Bullitt, here demonstrates a very nice light touch, as well as a gift for getting full documentary value out of his lo cation. There are a few moments when the picture's easygoing pace turns into wobbliness, but these are insignificant compared with its many moments of shrewd insight into the lives of amusingly shaded but very recognizable human beings. This is the kind of small, star less film that big studios sometimes do not know what to do with. Audiences should have no such difficulty. They will, if they have any sense, simply cherish it. —Richard Schickel