The plot of “Breaking Away” does not sound all of that different from lots of movies you’ve seen before – technically its a mix of a coming-of-age story of four friends after high school and an underdog sports movie, complete with rich college kids for enemies. But instead of being cliched, the film comes off as very fresh and, ultimately, much better than anything I expected. “Breaking Away” centers on four friends following high school who live in the college town of Bloomington, Indiana. They, however, are not headed for college – they are townies, referred to as “Cutters” by the college kids because of the town’s stonecutting trade. Following Dennis Quaid’s character’s firing from the A&P, the other three quit and are looking around for a job where they can all work together. It is lovely how the film captures the uncertainty of the time – finally free of school, but facing a future that isn’t as wide open as you had always assumed. I think it accurately caught the true feelings of being working class in a college town, surrounded by kids your own age who you can’t help but resent because they live in such a different world and have every opportunity open to them. The class lines are crystal clear and the four friends repeatedly clash with the college students, even if neither side really understands why.

The main character is Dave, who took up cycling in a big way and idolizes everything Italian – so much that he renamed the cat Fellini and talks with a fake Italian-accented English. His father doesn’t understand him and is always upfront with his opinions, but not in an unloving way. His mother uses her son’s interest in Italy as a way to add culture to her own Indiana-based life. The cycling sequences are good, full of energy and have you rooting like all good sports movies, but the film itself is rooted in the characters, which I think is what makes it so well done. It is funny and heartwarming without being trite.

My only issue with the film was that it seemed not to decide how much we would be going into the three other friends’ lives. Jackie Earle Haley has a girlfriend he plans on marrying, Dennis Quaid has a brother who is a cop who looks out for him, and Daniel Stern hints at a father who is always happy to see him fail. The film flirts between having them be supporting characters and co-leads, which made me feel as if scenes were missing. But a good sign of a film is one which makes you want more, and it creates such good characters that you can see whole glimpses of their lives through the few vignettes offered. It really is a treat of a movie that I can’t believe I had never stumbled upon before.