More often than not, the films that I am attracted to draw me in for the most superficial* reasons. Not in a hollywood-action explosion, star-studded type way (in fact I think there is probably more traditional tangible merit in films like that). What I'm talking about, is films with banal plots and unknown one hit wonder actors that simply address a cool/lame topic in an era that I find nostalgic. Bah? Gah? Yeap. Give me a PG film set in 1976 about a surfer/mechanic and his german shepard and I'm in heaven. So this is where this film sets in. Boy did my friends roll their eyes when they heard about this one. The movie 'Breaking Away' is from 1979, and it's about a American boy that is an avid cyclist who pretends to be Italian because he thinks it will make him a better bike rider! Triumph! Ha! All jokes aside, it actually is a pretty commendable film. The imagery is captivating and unpretentious, the right of passage narrative is humble and endearing (kind of in the same vein as Stand by Me, but less dramatic), and it has that 70's grainy saturated beautiful colour that you don't see anymore. Actually it won an oscar for best screenplay. It also handles the whole bike-culture thing (which is way too popular these days) in an honest way back in the day before it was too cool. Plus it includes lots of love for Italian things, the initial draw-card for me. Super!
Here's the clip >
*depending on where yr coming from.. ;-)
