After two weeks of tackling current events (from Ken to Kelvin & Keefe!), I want to take you back a few years. Join me as I time travel to 1979, the golden era for the “hometown himbo.”
Last week I got a chance to see a clueless cutie classic, Breaking Away, at the Revue Cinema here in Toronto. This sweet little movie was programmed by my pal Vanya Garraway as part of the Paid in Sweat series, which is dedicated to all things sweaty (from sports to sex) in cinema. And I am not exaggerating when I say that this film blew me, well, away.
As someone who — gasp! — never quite got a handle on how to ride a bike (like, I can technically do it, but not well), I went into Breaking Away with fairly low expectations. I assumed the majority of the movie would take place on two wheels, a concept that frightened this unbalanced bitch more than the most atmospheric horror movie. But, much to my surprise, Peter Yates’ award-winning “human comedy” is more about bikers than the act of biking.
Following four friends (Dennis Christopher as Dave, Dennis Quaid as Mike, Daniel Stern as Cyril, and Jackie Earle Haley as Moocher) struggling to navigate young adulthood in Bloomington, Indiana, Breaking Away feels like a precursor to movies like Stand By Me and, well, the entire filmography of Richard Linklater. Sure, one of the major plot points is Dave’s obsession with becoming a professional cyclist, with the climax following him as he literally puts his blood, sweat and tears into winning a local race. But the core of this film is simply this: it’s cool for men to care for one another.
Given how little faith their town has put in them, the boys of Breaking Away could be prototypical macho assholes. And, honestly, sometimes they put on that persona as they engage with the Indiana University students who want nothing to do with the locals. But when it comes to their friend group, these guys don’t play around. They will literally jump into action whenever one of their fellow dudes needs them.
During the aforementioned big race (formally known as the Little 500), Mike, Cyril and Moocher step up as the competition requires teams of four. These guys are nowhere near as in shape as the svelte and sporty Dave, who lives and breathes biking to the point of cultural appropriation (the guy pretends to be Italian, like his idols, for the majority of the film). But they sub in for Dave when he gets injured in a minor crash, pushing themselves to the physical limit to make sure that their buddy can keep competing and, hopefully, make his dreams come true.
In a less triumphant, but equally touching scene earlier on in the film, Cyril, Moocher and Dave plunge into a quarry to rescue Mike after he hits his head during an impromptu swimming contest with Rod, a preppy co-ed played by Hart Bochner (who I remember as the creepy teacher from Urban Legends: The Final Cut). And then there is the moment where Cyril plays guitar as Dave sings an Italian song to the girl he’s got a crush on. Suffice it to say, these guys might look tough, but underneath their cut-off jeans and tight white tees, they are total softies.
Breaking Away is clearly a film that aims to debunk the essentialist idea that masculinity cannot exist alongside sensitivity. From the way it depicts friendship to Dave’s constant subversion of gender expectations (see: the leg shaving scene) to how it handles his rocky relationship with his father (Paul Dooley), Steve Tesich’s screenplay suggests that there is no one way to be a man. What’s more, it proves that thinking that way will keep you from crossing the finish line.
Given how much it appeals to my interests, I’m shocked I didn’t find Breaking Away before this week, especially since it was nominated for five Academy Awards (it won one: Best Original Screenplay) in its day. But I do believe that sometimes movies are meant to find you at particular moments in your life, enriching your real life with reel wisdom when you need it most. And did I ever need the help this week.
I wasn’t inspired to take up the ten-speed after watching Breaking Away. But it did reassure me that I’m on the right track. Here I was worried that I wouldn’t have enough material to write this newsletter on a regular basis. Meanwhile, all I had to do was get off the couch and do a few laps around my happy place: the cinema.
Have you seen Breaking Away? Do you think it belongs in the Himbo Cinema canon? Let me know in the comments or feel free to email me at gagne.emily@gmail.com.