Breaking Away (1979): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Where to Watch
Breaking Away is a 1979 sports drama directed by Peter Yates, starring Dennis Quaid and Dennis Christopher. It runs 1 hour 41 minutes and earned $16.4 million worldwide. It won 1 Oscar, including Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen), and 2 awards in all. Critics gave it 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 91 on Metacritic. Rent or buy it on Amazon Video and Apple TV Store.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 41m (101 min)
- Director
- Peter Yates
- Original language
-
English - After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Breaking Away About?
The premise of Breaking Away without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
In a small Indiana town, four friends—Dave, Cyril, Moocher, and Mike—seek to break free from the expectations of their community. They playfully mock the wealthy, privileged students, while Dave dedicates himself to competitive cycling, dreaming of victory. The annual university bike race becomes their ultimate goal, a chance to challenge the status quo and prove that determination can triumph over circumstance. Along the way, they navigate friendships, romance, and the pursuit of their individual passions.
Breaking Away Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- class differences
- bicycle racing
- bloomington indiana
- stonemasonry
- college town
- indiana university
- underdog
- coming of age
- reference to the barber of seville the opera
- working class
- italian culture
- speaking italian
+38 more Show fewer
- college student
- fight in restaurant
- reference to tour de france
- winning a race
- falling off a bicycle
- swimming contest
- hand stuck in a bowling ball
- embedded advertising
- diving into a lake
- pretending to be italian
- pet cat
- teenage marriage
- brother brother relationship
- policeman
- pregnant wife
- 100 miles
- sabotaged race
- fear of failure
- limestone quarry
- school enrollment
- underdog sport
- cycling sport
- french
- teenage boy
- teen sport
- man serenades a woman
- woman slaps a man
- cycling
- coming of age drama
- teen drama
- college
- girl
- teenager
- 360 degree well shot
- 1970s
- ballpoint pen
- italian
- indiana
Where to Watch Breaking Away
Rent or buy it from Amazon Video and Apple TV Store. US availability and prices from JustWatch.
Streaming availability in the US, powered by 
Breaking Away Cast
Dennis Quaid leads the cast, with Dennis Christopher. Directed by Peter Yates.
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Director Peter Yates
Breaking Away Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave Breaking Away 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 91 on Metacritic.
-
Rotten Tomatoes 95% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 88%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 91 Metascore
User score 8.2
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 71% User score
See on TMDB
Breaking Away Plot Summary
What happens in Breaking Away from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 16 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
As the dawn of adulthood beckons for Dave, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher in Bloomington, Indiana, they find themselves enveloped in a haze of uncertainty. This quartet of working-class friends, now on the brink of turning 19, grapples with their aspirations in the wake of high school graduation, grappling with the reality that attending university feels like a distant dream. Their sanctuary becomes an abandoned limestone quarry, a place where they swim and sometimes clash with the more privileged students from Indiana University, who derogatorily label them as “cutters,” a term rooted in the locals’ limestone industry profession.
Full summary
The whole story of Breaking Away, scene by scene
Breaking Away Box Office
Breaking Away grossed $16.4 million worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$16.4M
- US & Canada
- $16.4M
Breaking Away Awards & Nominations
Breaking Away won 1 Oscar, including Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen), and 2 awards in all. Its biggest night was the Oscars 1980, with 1 win from 5 nominations.
2 wins11 nominations4 ceremonies
-
Oscars 1980 1 win · 5 nominations- Won Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)
- Nominated Actress in a Supporting Role – Barbara Barrie
- Nominated Best Picture
- Nominated Directing – Peter Yates
- Nominated Music (Original Song Score and Its Adaptation -or- Adaptation Score)
-
BAFTA 1980 1 win · 1 nomination- Won Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles – Dennis Christopher
-
Golden Globes 1980 4 nominations- Nominated Best Director – Peter Yates
- Nominated Best Motion Picture – Drama
- Nominated Best Screenplay
- Nominated New Star of the Year – Actor – Dennis Christopher
-
DGA Awards 1980 1 nomination- Nominated Feature Film – Peter Yates
Breaking Away Trailers & Videos
3 videos: 1 trailer and 2 featurettes.
- Featurette Daniel Stern On BREAKING AWAY
- Featurette "Breaking Away" and "Kramer vs. Kramer" winning Writing Oscars®
How Well Do You Know Breaking Away?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What sport is Dave particularly passionate about?
Cars in Breaking Away
36 cars on screen, including the 1970 Buick Skylark and the 1969 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special Brougham.
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1970 Buick Skylark Main role -
1969 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special Brougham Important role -
1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SL W113 Important role -
1977 Chevrolet C-30 Minor role
Breaking Away Also Known As
16 alternative titles, including “El relevo” and “Loppet är kört”.
- Also known as
-
- El relevo
- Loppet är kört
- All American Boys
- La Bande des quatre
- Vier irre Typen – Wir schaffen alle, uns schafft keiner
- Уходя в отрыв
- 告别昨日
- Az utolsó gyönyörű nyár
- Uciekać
- O Vencedor
- Udbrud
- 브레이킹 어웨이
+4 more Show fewer
- Los muchachos del verano
- Kaçış
- A co dál...
- תרגילים בהתבגרות
Seen Breaking Away?
Movies Like Breaking Away
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Breaking Free, Breakin' and Break Point.
Breaking Away FAQ: Where to Watch, Cast & Box Office
Runtime, release date, director, cast, where to watch, box office, ratings and awards of Breaking Away, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Breaking Away?
Breaking Away runs 1 hour 41 minutes (101 minutes).
When was Breaking Away released?
Breaking Away was released on July 20, 1979.
Who directed Breaking Away?
Breaking Away was directed by Peter Yates.
More films by Peter Yates Who is in the cast of Breaking Away?
Breaking Away stars Dennis Quaid and Dennis Christopher.
Where can I watch Breaking Away?
In the US, Breaking Away is available to rent or buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home (availability from JustWatch).
How much did Breaking Away make at the box office?
Breaking Away grossed $16.4 million worldwide.
How is Breaking Away rated?
Breaking Away has 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, 91 on Metacritic and 71% on TMDB.
What awards did Breaking Away win?
Breaking Away won 2 awards from 11 nominations, including Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) at the Oscars 1980.
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