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Poster for Breaking Away

Breaking Away

The movie that tells you exactly what you can do with your high school diploma!

1979 · 1h 41m · PG Comedy, Drama
Directed by Peter Yates

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Overview

Dave, nineteen, has just graduated high school, with his three friends: the comical Cyril, the warm hearted but short-tempered Moocher, and the athletic, spiteful but good-hearted Mike. Now, Dave enjoys racing bikes and hopes to race the Italians one day, and even takes up the Italian culture, much to his friends' and parents' annoyance.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
95%
Tomatometer
Fresh

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.

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
Fresh

Peter Yates, previously typed as an action director, lends the film a fine, unexpected limpidity, and the principals are mostly excellent.

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Fresh

Breaking Away is a wonderfully sunny, funny, goofy, intelligent movie that makes you feel about as good as any movie in a long time. It is, in fact, a treasure.

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Fresh

Here is a movie so fresh and funny it didn't even need a big budget or a pedigree.

Janet Maslin, New York Times
Fresh

Though its plot wins no points for originality, Breaking Away is a thoroughly delightful light comedy.

Variety

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