I feel like I saw Breaking Away before-probably when I was trying to watch every movie ever nominated for an Academy Award. It is a classic and even though somewhat dated, it still works as a coming of age story that simultaneously tackles issues of class, ethics and the generation gap in a light-hearted way while simultaneously tackling issues of lack of mobility within America or the death of the American dream. The main character tries to navigate his future, but in US, to him, there only seem to be two options: be a (stone)cutter or a more menial job (skilled working class jobs are disappearing) or go to college and become alienated from his family and friends so he creates an alternate way by pretending to be Italian and riding his bike. He adopts a different country as a way to enter the college world without being degraded by the students for his financial and educational background while his friends and family are either amused or annoyed, but still accept him since it is implied that he was always a bit different from the rest of them (a smart kid, sickly) and his speech affectation is just another phase. Breaking Away is more subversive than it appears to be-to be lower class and still socially traverse every strata of America, it helps to not be American. There is a constant social war of putting people in their places. The college students encroach on the locals’ territory such as the quarry even though they have options on campus not available to the locals. The main character’s father uses guerrilla warfare by financially exploiting the college students. The cops look the other way as much as possible when the local kids get into physical confrontations with the college students because the local kids are family. I wish that more coming age movies featured interesting and nuanced parents. Paul Dooley plays the superficially grumpy and disapproving dad, but his performance is Breaking Away’s backbone. He has already made the journey that the four younger guys are embarking on, and somehow transitioned from skilled manual labor to being his own boss and surviving so he knows a little about being different and surviving despite his protestations. He managed to avoid poverty, pain and disillusion. This is a familiar world where parents tell their kids that they are stupid or can’t accomplish things so the kids aren’t too disappointed when they realize that the deck is stacked against them. In a world with little to no minorities, Breaking Away shows a world no less rigid than the British class hierarchy. There will always be someone who is degraded and if you think that isn’t you, just wait until you can’t find a job, or your job is eliminated.