January 13, 2010 - Breaking Away

I first saw Breaking Away in 1979 with Joe as part of a double feature with Rocky II. While I hadn't seen Rocky, I knew that it was about a boxer. Breaking Away came as a complete surprise, and to this day remains a personal favorite of mine.

It's one part coming of age, one part hero's journey, and two parts comedy, which makes for an inspiring, entertaining film. The film has a number of great performances including the lead foursome made up of a young Dennis Quaid, Dennis Christopher, Daniel Stern the recently rediscovered Jackie Earle Haley. As good as they are, Paul Dooley manages to steal just about every scene he appears in (he'll make another comedic appearance during our 40/40 screening of A Mighty Wind).

Breaking Away is the perfect pick me up, and you don't even have to be an aspiring Italian to appreciate it. We hope you'll join us for the film that marks our halfway point through the 40/40 series.