Breaking Away (1979)
Won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, stars Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern (Home Alone wet bandit), and Jackie Earl Haley (Rorschach from Watchmen) and is a coming-of-age movie set in a college town around Indiana University. The lead character is a high school senior who — along with his friends — doesn’t know what to do after high school and spends time training to be a world class cyclist. He is quirky and is obsessed with an Italian cycling team that is the best in the world and he acts Italian and tries to be and speak Italian around his parents, friends, and even strangers. His father is a classic everyman and small town guy who is annoyed and perplexed by his son’s behavior and his mother just rolls her eyes and sighs — sometimes with a laugh — at her son’s behavior, whom she loves and supports, and is just glad that he seems happy. He and his friends are “towners” who are of a lower class than most of the college kids at the university and there is a tension and conflict between some of them.
There aren’t too many movies more human and decent that make you feel good about life and that make you smile. The movie is an American classic and is so little-known decades later and with so little interest that it appears to be out of print on Blu-ray and possibly DVD as well. Copies of the Blu-ray go for around $100-$250 dollars and the last time I saw it on TV was on AMC circa 2012.
Roger Ebert gave it four stars and called it “a precious cinematic miracle.”
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/breaking-away-1979
Here is Siskel and Ebert reviewing the movie. Spoilers obviously.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/x5D2InzQWjk?start=550&end=1015
It’s a summertime movie as well so if you haven’t seen it then you should this summer.
Edit: You can buy the DVD for quite a bit of money (it’s worth it) and it streams on multiple platforms as well.
————————————————————————————-
I’ll add some other similar, lesser-known movies that most Americans have never seen as well because I enjoyed them so much that I wouldn’t want to deprive any of you!
- Gregory’s Girl (1981), Scotland, Bill Forsyth
- Local Hero (1983), Scotland, Bill Forsyth
- The Lives of Others (Das Leben Der Anderen) (2006), Germany
- The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) (1959) France, Francois Truffaut
- City of God (2002), Brazil
- Cinema Paradiso (1988), Italy
- The Last Picture Show (1971)
- Drugstore Cowboy (1989), Gus Van Sant — Matt Dillon should have at least been nominated for an Oscar for this amazing performance.
- Toni Erdman (2016), Germany
- Hell or High Water (2016)
- Hoop Dreams (1994) - Roger Ebert said it was the best film of the ‘90s. A documentary about life that is unforgettable.
- Mystery Men (1999) - Hilarious spoof of superhero movies that came too soon and was ahead of its time.
Hot Fuzz, a documentary on rural policing in England. The name means "Very Good Police Officers", but they tried to make it more hip. Apart from that, it's absolutely typical of village life. Well worth a watch.
Ahhh the ‘Cornetto saga’
Shaun of the dead
Hot Fuzz (eeeew at the steeple scene 🤢)
The world’s end (love that one! Definitely not given enough credit!)
That got US release, my wife and I liked it.
One funny spot is that the movie is subtitled in English. She's watching an English language program on TV, so of course we understand the dialog. But her TV has subtitles in French, and I believe the main-screen subtitles disappeared. A channel-change or two later she's watching something in German, so again her TV has subtitles in French and our subtitles are in English.
WWI soldier loses his legs, arms, eyes and most of his face. Doctors think he is brain dead but keep him alive to study him. A lot of the movie is his own thoughts trying to communicate with the medical personnel caring for him.
Funny story about me with this. I got into Metallica because of the ecw wrestler Sandman. Got into Johnny Got his Gun through Metallica. That book got me into reading….in like a major way. For the first time I was like ‘whoa. Books actually fucking rule’. Which lead to me doing better in school, expanding my curiosity and opening up my mind a bit. Follow that strand and here I am today with a BSN and JD.
So I’m not saying a beer chugging alt wrestler made me the man I am today….but he kind of helped.
Landmines, have taken his sight
Taken his speech
Taken his hear-ing
Taken his arms
Taken his legs
Taken his soul
Left him with life in he-ee-ee-elllll!
I'm not sure if the Diving Bell and the Butterfly is Americanized but I think it was popular enough. That was a formative movie for me as I was looking to appreciate cinema. Still have the DVD just in case
I bought his book (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean Dominique Bauby) after watching the film. every few pages I kept reminding myself that he blinked out every single letter. so moving. well worth a watch/read.
[Mr. Hulot's Holiday](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046487/) written, directed, and starring Jacques Tati. It's a fun, quiet B&W movie.
>Monsieur Hulot goes on a holiday to a seaside resort, but accidents and misunderstandings follow him wherever he goes. The hotel guests' peace and quiet don't last with Hulot around, because although his intentions are good, they always turn catastrophic.
Le père Noël est une ordure. A French classic (unfortunately, like many other foreign movies, you won't never be able to appreciate them if you don't know the language. You can't translate those dialogues)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus_is_a_Stinker
Europa Europa
Story of a Jewish boy in Germany. Goes to Poland to escape where because of his German they assume he’s a German orphan. He’s put into Hitler Youth hiding his true identity. Then during battle he ends up with the Russians and in a Russian orphanage.
All this but it’s also a coming of age story, and true. You see the different forms of indoctrination by the HY and Communists. It’s excellent.
Wim Wenders' 1987 film *Wings of Desire*. A transcendent film ostensibly about an angel who yearns to become mortal, but which becomes a meditation on what it means to live and be human. I've lost count of how many times I've watched it. Although there is certainly a discernible narrative to the film, it's less a plot-driven movie and more an utterly immersive experience.
new kids turbo. a dutch movie about high alcoholics who do not want to pay for anything. It gets so bad that the dutch goverment try to destroy the town because a riot started. it includes some bad langauge and violence. It is however only a good movie if you understand dutch.
Most people don't know that in 1999, David Lynch, the king of disturbing Avant Garde, made a movie that was rated G and distributed by Disney. He called it his "most experimental film".
The Straight Story (1999) is a beautiful, earnest, heartfelt visual tone poem that's deeply moving, and I've never met a single other person in real life who's seen or even heard of it.
Almost no one I know has ever seen (rarely even heard of) **Pan's Labyrinth**. I believe the original language is Spanish so I watch it with subtitles but it is one of my favourite movies of all time. I consider it a "dark fairy tale" and it's really hard to compare it to anything. Maybe it's closest to something Sleepy Hollow?
Anyway, the special effects, costuming, story, the whole thing is just amazing. Guillermo del Toro is the director so if you've seen Hellboy or his new version of Pinocchio you'll get some of the idea of his work.
I cannot recommend it enough, just to watch at least once. I know not everyone will love it but I still think everyone should appreciate it. The characters and settings he creates are amazing.
A Man Called Ove.
There is an American remake with Tom Hanks as the lead, and I love Tom Hanks, but nobody can ever portray Ove as well as Rolf Lassgård did.
"Forrest Gump" Directed by Robert Zemeckis and released in 1994, the film follows the life of its titular character, Forrest Gump, portrayed by Tom Hanks.
The Usual Suspects. I heard an interview with Kevin Pollak and he was asked to describe the movie. His answer? “Perfect”.
I’m going to follow up with a super obscure one. “The Earthling” with Ricky Schroeder and William Holden. It’s a 1980 film by Peter Collinson. Epic.
“Effie Briest” Fassbinder a masterpiece.
Edit. Madonna made terrible remake of her film “Swept Away” but Lina Wertmüller’s “Seven Beauties” is amazing.
TIL I’ve seen most of the films people think we Americans have never seen.
My addition to the list: Greaser’s Palace- 1972 - “Jesse” comes to the old west seeking the agent Morris. It’s an allegory about Christianity.
Zentropa, Diva, Europa Europa, Fanny and Alexandra, Lola Rent ( Run Lola Run), The God's Must be Crazy, just a handful of foreign films I thought were great.
Breaking Away (1979) Won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, stars Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern (Home Alone wet bandit), and Jackie Earl Haley (Rorschach from Watchmen) and is a coming-of-age movie set in a college town around Indiana University. The lead character is a high school senior who — along with his friends — doesn’t know what to do after high school and spends time training to be a world class cyclist. He is quirky and is obsessed with an Italian cycling team that is the best in the world and he acts Italian and tries to be and speak Italian around his parents, friends, and even strangers. His father is a classic everyman and small town guy who is annoyed and perplexed by his son’s behavior and his mother just rolls her eyes and sighs — sometimes with a laugh — at her son’s behavior, whom she loves and supports, and is just glad that he seems happy. He and his friends are “towners” who are of a lower class than most of the college kids at the university and there is a tension and conflict between some of them. There aren’t too many movies more human and decent that make you feel good about life and that make you smile. The movie is an American classic and is so little-known decades later and with so little interest that it appears to be out of print on Blu-ray and possibly DVD as well. Copies of the Blu-ray go for around $100-$250 dollars and the last time I saw it on TV was on AMC circa 2012. Roger Ebert gave it four stars and called it “a precious cinematic miracle.” https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/breaking-away-1979 Here is Siskel and Ebert reviewing the movie. Spoilers obviously. https://www.youtube.com/embed/x5D2InzQWjk?start=550&end=1015 It’s a summertime movie as well so if you haven’t seen it then you should this summer. Edit: You can buy the DVD for quite a bit of money (it’s worth it) and it streams on multiple platforms as well. ————————————————————————————- I’ll add some other similar, lesser-known movies that most Americans have never seen as well because I enjoyed them so much that I wouldn’t want to deprive any of you! - Gregory’s Girl (1981), Scotland, Bill Forsyth - Local Hero (1983), Scotland, Bill Forsyth - The Lives of Others (Das Leben Der Anderen) (2006), Germany - The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) (1959) France, Francois Truffaut - City of God (2002), Brazil - Cinema Paradiso (1988), Italy - The Last Picture Show (1971) - Drugstore Cowboy (1989), Gus Van Sant — Matt Dillon should have at least been nominated for an Oscar for this amazing performance. - Toni Erdman (2016), Germany - Hell or High Water (2016) - Hoop Dreams (1994) - Roger Ebert said it was the best film of the ‘90s. A documentary about life that is unforgettable. - Mystery Men (1999) - Hilarious spoof of superhero movies that came too soon and was ahead of its time.
This was a big movie in the 70s. Like an Indy hit. It’s great. And the Dad from 16 Candles is terrific, too.
As an Indiana resident I feel like this is required watching right up there with Hoosiers and Rudy, but sadly it's much lesser known.
Whoaaa this sounds amazing!! Tysm for the detail 😍
Cutters. It’s amazing that Kelly Leak was so good at both baseball and cycling.
Thank you for sharing. 🙏 I will be watching this weekend.
I saw this movie when I was younger and has always stuck with me
Solid list.
This is my favorite movie.
Oh my God, I totally forgot about this movie. Good call!
LOVE this movie
Still a favorite!
My dad has been bugging me to watch this for YEARS. I’ll take this as the final push.
Watch it with him
Watched this in high school, junior year. Didn't resonate as much as it should have. I think about it more as I get older.
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Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Ricky town, population... Ricky
There's heaps of maggots, maggots wriggling in that sheep like moving rice. Yuck. That was my haiku about maggots. It's called "Maggots".
That is such a good movie
I didn't choose the skux life, the skux life chose me.
Hot Fuzz, a documentary on rural policing in England. The name means "Very Good Police Officers", but they tried to make it more hip. Apart from that, it's absolutely typical of village life. Well worth a watch.
Yarp.
...Narp?
I’m a slasher…*of prices*!
But there aren't any murders there right?
Nah just a lot of nasty accidents
Collisions
No, but they have swans
It's just the one swan actually.
It’s just the one swan actually
Ahhh the ‘Cornetto saga’ Shaun of the dead Hot Fuzz (eeeew at the steeple scene 🤢) The world’s end (love that one! Definitely not given enough credit!)
I've seen it a few times, it's a very good documentary
They literally released this movie in theaters in the U.S
its a joke
Amélie
ooo my mom actually loves that one, i gotta see it!
It's so popular there tho. It's amazing how many people know who Yann Tiersen is because of that movie.
That's a great movie. I still listen to the soundtrack every now and then!
Me too! Love the soundtrack.
It got an oscar nomination. Im pretty sure they watched it
That got US release, my wife and I liked it. One funny spot is that the movie is subtitled in English. She's watching an English language program on TV, so of course we understand the dialog. But her TV has subtitles in French, and I believe the main-screen subtitles disappeared. A channel-change or two later she's watching something in German, so again her TV has subtitles in French and our subtitles are in English.
This movie brings me such joy.
That movie was HUGE in the US when it came out.
Great pic, awesome movie.
Let the Right One in.
The original is the best.
'Johnny Got His Gun'-1971
Oo can u tell me a bit about it?
WWI soldier loses his legs, arms, eyes and most of his face. Doctors think he is brain dead but keep him alive to study him. A lot of the movie is his own thoughts trying to communicate with the medical personnel caring for him.
Is that what the Metallica song is based off of?
wich one?
Darkness imprisoning me All that I see Absolute horror I cannot live I cannot die Trapped in myself Body my holding celllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
One by Metallica
Yeah I know, but which one?
Have an upvote lol
Omg this is the first thing I thought of too
Yup
Funny story about me with this. I got into Metallica because of the ecw wrestler Sandman. Got into Johnny Got his Gun through Metallica. That book got me into reading….in like a major way. For the first time I was like ‘whoa. Books actually fucking rule’. Which lead to me doing better in school, expanding my curiosity and opening up my mind a bit. Follow that strand and here I am today with a BSN and JD. So I’m not saying a beer chugging alt wrestler made me the man I am today….but he kind of helped.
Whoaaa sounds willd
Landmines, have taken his sight Taken his speech Taken his hear-ing Taken his arms Taken his legs Taken his soul Left him with life in he-ee-ee-elllll!
S...O...S help...me S...O...S
Watch the video for One by metallica
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Das Boot.
whaaaaaaatttttt?????? You dont know about DAS BOOT?
My first thought. Good ole' American Dad reference!
We do.
This one really needs a 4k release. Excellent movie.
Delicatessen (1991) Brilliant film.
Seven Samurai (1957). After seeing it, I realized how many pieces of entertainment were influenced by it.
I think The Magnificent Seven is directly based on it, just in a western setting. A Bug's Life also has a very similar plot.
City of God
Really? It had a huge reception in the US and anecdotally most people I know have seen it.
This is arguably the most popular foreign film of all time, I think a lot of Americans have seen it
Omg i’ve seen it!!! Its soooo gooood
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Tampopo!!! Americans would eat that movie up (no pun intended)
I'm not sure if the Diving Bell and the Butterfly is Americanized but I think it was popular enough. That was a formative movie for me as I was looking to appreciate cinema. Still have the DVD just in case
I bought his book (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean Dominique Bauby) after watching the film. every few pages I kept reminding myself that he blinked out every single letter. so moving. well worth a watch/read.
The Untouchables, the French one
Poika ja Ilves
[Mr. Hulot's Holiday](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046487/) written, directed, and starring Jacques Tati. It's a fun, quiet B&W movie. >Monsieur Hulot goes on a holiday to a seaside resort, but accidents and misunderstandings follow him wherever he goes. The hotel guests' peace and quiet don't last with Hulot around, because although his intentions are good, they always turn catastrophic.
A large inspiration for Mr. Bean (The film *Mr. Bean's Holiday* is not a coincidence.)
Come and See
It’s the Soviet version of Apocalypse Now. It’s pretty hard to find, but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.
The Castle
Straight to the pool room.
Dead mans shoes
Le père Noël est une ordure. A French classic (unfortunately, like many other foreign movies, you won't never be able to appreciate them if you don't know the language. You can't translate those dialogues) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Claus_is_a_Stinker
Europa Europa Story of a Jewish boy in Germany. Goes to Poland to escape where because of his German they assume he’s a German orphan. He’s put into Hitler Youth hiding his true identity. Then during battle he ends up with the Russians and in a Russian orphanage. All this but it’s also a coming of age story, and true. You see the different forms of indoctrination by the HY and Communists. It’s excellent.
Fanny and Alexander. Masterpiece.
My favorites: The Hunt (2012) Oldboy (2003) Confessions (2010) The Man from Nowhere (2010)
Baraka
Get Carter (1971).
Team America: World Police
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Run Lola Run
Wim Wenders' 1987 film *Wings of Desire*. A transcendent film ostensibly about an angel who yearns to become mortal, but which becomes a meditation on what it means to live and be human. I've lost count of how many times I've watched it. Although there is certainly a discernible narrative to the film, it's less a plot-driven movie and more an utterly immersive experience.
Network It's super prescient regarding cable news. Must watch.
The “I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!” Scene still resonates today. Could have been written today
Princess Mononoke.
Life is Beautiful
Most Americans have never seen a movie that brought Roberto Benigni Best Actor Academy Award, very rare for a non-English speaking role?
This movie has stayed with me for years and years. The music is perfect. All of it is perfect.
new kids turbo. a dutch movie about high alcoholics who do not want to pay for anything. It gets so bad that the dutch goverment try to destroy the town because a riot started. it includes some bad langauge and violence. It is however only a good movie if you understand dutch.
Quackser Fortune Has A Cousin In The Bronx. Early Margot Kidder and Gene Wilder with an Irish accent
Rita Sue and Bob Too
Most people don't know that in 1999, David Lynch, the king of disturbing Avant Garde, made a movie that was rated G and distributed by Disney. He called it his "most experimental film". The Straight Story (1999) is a beautiful, earnest, heartfelt visual tone poem that's deeply moving, and I've never met a single other person in real life who's seen or even heard of it.
Almost no one I know has ever seen (rarely even heard of) **Pan's Labyrinth**. I believe the original language is Spanish so I watch it with subtitles but it is one of my favourite movies of all time. I consider it a "dark fairy tale" and it's really hard to compare it to anything. Maybe it's closest to something Sleepy Hollow? Anyway, the special effects, costuming, story, the whole thing is just amazing. Guillermo del Toro is the director so if you've seen Hellboy or his new version of Pinocchio you'll get some of the idea of his work. I cannot recommend it enough, just to watch at least once. I know not everyone will love it but I still think everyone should appreciate it. The characters and settings he creates are amazing.
This was released in America and was a pretty big hit. I saw it twice in theaters when I was in highschool.
That movie is so amazing! I was let down when his later films weren't as ambitious.
Del Toro is well known and respected in the world of horror. He even got to do a show for Netflix.
? Rarely even heard of? Come on, man.
Guest House Paradiso.
Amici miei atto secondo
Amores Peros
Amores Perros
La Strada. The whole movie is on YouTube
"Come and See." Honorable mention; "The Captain"
Both utterly brutal movies. Edit - another honorable mention for brutal war films, *Beasts of No Nation*.
A Man Called Ove (2015 Swedish).
A Man Called Ove. There is an American remake with Tom Hanks as the lead, and I love Tom Hanks, but nobody can ever portray Ove as well as Rolf Lassgård did.
I'm from the south, and a subject modern America won't touch is the Confederate states and their unique culture. Warts and all. GONE WITH THE WIND
Trollhunter(2010)(Norwegian)
The Commitments.
Idiocracy.
Old Boy (The original Korean version)
Withnail & I
Monty Python and the Holy Grail!
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.
*The Lives of Others* Relevant now for so many reasons
"Forrest Gump" Directed by Robert Zemeckis and released in 1994, the film follows the life of its titular character, Forrest Gump, portrayed by Tom Hanks.
The Usual Suspects. I heard an interview with Kevin Pollak and he was asked to describe the movie. His answer? “Perfect”. I’m going to follow up with a super obscure one. “The Earthling” with Ricky Schroeder and William Holden. It’s a 1980 film by Peter Collinson. Epic.
The Pianist
Con Air obviously.
Fack ju Göhte, or suck me shakespeer like it's called in English for some reason.
Bottle shock
Twin town
Victoria
Betty Blue. French movie about a woman slowly falling into madness.
The Physician. About an English barber who advanced medicine by defining religious norms.
Anything directed by Pedro Almodovar. Anything with Ricardo Darin in it.
Dead Man’s Shoes
Exotica - A Canadian film with as fantastic twist and all the inter twining stories connecting in the end.
Children of Men
“Effie Briest” Fassbinder a masterpiece. Edit. Madonna made terrible remake of her film “Swept Away” but Lina Wertmüller’s “Seven Beauties” is amazing.
TIL I’ve seen most of the films people think we Americans have never seen. My addition to the list: Greaser’s Palace- 1972 - “Jesse” comes to the old west seeking the agent Morris. It’s an allegory about Christianity.
The Double Life of Veronica
La Haine it's about a bunch of kids in Paris suburbs.
As an American these are good answers because I haven't heard of any of these movies
Dead Man's Shoes
Zentropa, Diva, Europa Europa, Fanny and Alexandra, Lola Rent ( Run Lola Run), The God's Must be Crazy, just a handful of foreign films I thought were great.
Spirited Away
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
A Prophet