3. CREDITS ~ THE CAST ~ DIRECTOR PETER YATES PRODUCER PETER YATES CASTING MIKE FENTON, JANE FEINBERG EDITOR CYNTHIA SCHEIDER SOUND EDITOR DAN SABLE, MICHEL MOYSE SCREEN WRITER STEVE TESICH STARRING AS DENNIS CHRISTOPHER DAVE DENNIS QUAID MIKE DANIEL STERN CYRIL JACKIE EARLE HALEY MOOCHER BARBARA BARRIE EVELYN STOLLER PAUL DOOLEY RAY STOLLER ROBYN DOUGLASS KATHERINE HART BOCHNER ROD
4. THE REVIEW ~ A charming tale of four high-school graduates, breaking away powerfully evokes the feeling of being set adrift in wonderful summer and autumnal tones. The story revolves around four teenagers from Bloomington, Indiana who have graduated from high school and are not sure what they want to do with their lives, other than hang out and go swimming in an abandoned stone quarry and committed to never break up their friendship or way of life for anything. This proves tough to do, as the pressures among their parents to get a job, go to college, or start a family mount with every day that passes. Each of them has, or had, dreams but somehow the stony weight of their hometown has crushed their adolescent hope. More realistic than most 'coming of age' movies, this film shows how a group of teenagers from a small college town taking their first steps into adulthood. This film explores many strands. The aimlessness of youth colliding with the responsibilities of adulthood; the often heartbreaking romantic fantasies of people who wish they could be something else; lying and cheating and the false nature of gains made through them; the importance of strong family relations and friendships; and life in small-town America - and it does all this with extraordinary craft, honesty and sensitivity. It's beautiful, and more importantly, it is soulful and original. Although certainly dated in appearance, I will even toss in the cliché that it is “timeless”, because the themes and characters are so.
5. AWARDS & ACCOLADES ~ It won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. It was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Barbara Barrie), Best Director, Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score and Best Picture. The film is 8th on the List of America's 100 Most Inspiring Movies arranged by The American Film Institute in 2006.