‘Breaking Away’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey
June 11, 2024 · Breaking Away (1979) · Comedy · Drama · Sport · 1:52:20 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill SimmonsOpening credits, Mike's drowning/monologue scene, Dave chasing the truck, and the Little 500 race (which he calls the most rewatchable)▶ 32:07
Chris RyanAgrees with opening credits and discusses multiple scenes but doesn't give one definitive pick▶ 32:07
Apex Mountain
Bill SimmonsMultiple picks including Indiana (1979), cycling movies over running movies, pink polo villain archetype, Robyn Douglass as 70s babe, Hart Bochner's blue Mercedes, Amy Wright's character actress run, John Ashton as Mike's brother, Barbara Barrie as great screen mom, and PJ Soles' impressive 6-year career run▶ 41:14
Chris RyanBarbara Barrie — Agreed on cycling movies being better than running movies, Hart Bochner as great villain who later appears in Die Hard, John Ashton as Mike's brother, and Barbara Barrie as one of the all-time great screen moms▶ 43:33
Sean FennesseyHart Bochner — Supported redoing 1980s Oscars due to pretentious choices, agreed on Hart Bochner appearing in Die Hard, noted Robyn Douglass had 'all the tools' like Anthony Edwards, and observed John Ashton has looked 60 for 70 consecutive years▶ 43:02
Den of Thieves Benihana Award
Chris RyanReferenced having the same pick as someone else but the specific location isn't clear from transcript▶ 48:24
Sean FennesseyDiscusses the wheel/tire sabotage scene with the Italians, focusing on the mechanical details and tension▶ 48:27
Big Kahuna Burger Award
Sean FennesseyMade jokes about Bill's pizza obsession and referenced Along Came Polly pizza scene as comparison▶ 50:28
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill SimmonsHart Bachner's performance in the bike race - leaving the inside open on the final lap, described as 'a fucking choke job'▶ 51:26
Chris RyanDoesn't really see a weak link but mentions Moocher's relationship subplot with Nancy (lifting weights, secret marriage) as unnecessary, though notes the movie is too lean to cut anything▶ 51:01
Sean FennesseyQuestions Paul Dooley's car salesman character's business strategy of repeatedly selling lemons, but doesn't strongly commit to it as the weakest element▶ 51:13
What's Aged the Worst
Bill SimmonsThe TV series adaptation from 1980, NBC paying $5M to air the movie just 5 months after release, and Dennis Christopher lying about his age (actually born 1950, not 1955)▶ 59:17
Chris RyanThese guys just wouldn't have this much idle time - they would all be playing video games instead of walking around town, watching football practice, and hanging out▶ 1:03:26
Movies Referenced (49)
| Title (year) | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hangover (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 3:41 |
| Creed (2015) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 37:50 |
| Dazed and Confused (1993) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons | ▶ 8:38 |
| The Other Guys (2010) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | ▶ 22:57 |
| Alien (1979) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 28:39 |
| Carrie (1976) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 47:20 |
| Halloween (1978) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 17:53 |
| Moneyball (2011) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 17:08 |
| Rocky II (1979) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 28:39 |
| Star Trek (2009) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons | ▶ 28:39 |
| The Fall Guy (2024) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | ▶ 11:54 |
| Along Came Polly (2004) | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | ▶ 50:37 |
Directors Referenced (4)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Costner | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Sean Fennessey | Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | ▶ 12:50 |
| Peter Yates | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | Breaking Away | ▶ 10:09 |
| Peter Weir | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | The Way Back, Witness | ▶ 10:01 |
| Robert Altman | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Sean Fennessey | Gosford Park | ▶ 3:00 |
Actors Referenced (46)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Dooley | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 13 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Breaking Away, Sixteen Candles | ▶ 2:54 |
| Dennis Quaid | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 8 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan | Far from Heaven, The Day After Tomorrow | ▶ 22:15 |
| Chris Pine | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 7 | Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Star Trek, Wonder Woman | ▶ 12:37 |
| Dennis Christopher | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 6 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Breaking Away, Django Unchained | ▶ 23:08 |
| Ben Gazzara | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 5 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey | Road House, Anatomy of a Murder, The Big Lebowski | ▶ 26:28 |
| Breaking Benjamin | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 4 | Bill Simmons | National Treasure, Hellboy | ▶ 2:39 |
| Colin Farrell | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | The Lobster, In Bruges | ▶ 28:04 |
| Daniel Stern | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | City Slickers, Breaking Away | ▶ 5:06 |
| John Ashton | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey | Gone Baby Gone, Beverly Hills Cop, Beverly Hills Cop II | ▶ 46:43 |
| Justin Yard | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 3 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 19:01 | |
| Anthony Randolph | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | ▶ 10:52 |
| Bobby Knight | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan | Anger Management, Blue Chips, Hoop Dreams | ▶ 41:15 |
Writers Referenced (4)
| Name | Links | Mentions | Mentioned by | Known For | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Ebert | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 2 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 25:49 | |
| Bruce Springsteen | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | The Wrestler, Philadelphia | ▶ 34:31 |
| George V. Higgins | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Chris Ryan | Killing Them Softly, The Friends of Eddie Coyle | ▶ 13:44 |
| Sidney Sheldon | IMDb ↗Lb ↗ | 1 | Bill Simmons | ▶ 26:32 |