American Flyers (1985)

 Racing Scenes
I enjoyed this movie more than I did Breaking Away simply because it had more racing scenes. I also enjoy true stories but the bike action was the best part! November 21, 2007

 Old Memories
A small film that I saw first as a young father, "American Flyers" overcame, for me, its weaknesses in plot (a bit hackneyed) and script (overly obvious) with an unabashedly sentimental ending that, against all my better judgment, arrowed straight to my heart. What can I say? This film got to me.

Kevin Costner and David Marshall Grant play brothers, Marcus and David Sommers, estranged by circumstances surrounding the illness and lingering death of their father. A sports physiologist, Marcus blames his mother, played here with two notes by veteran Janice Rule (her last film), for her lack of strength during the final days of his father's illness. (The father died by cerebral hemorrhage and has passed a predisposition to one or both of his boys.) Younger brother David has forgiven his mother her frailty for he remains at home with her, a bit adrift of commitment. Sparks fly when Marcus returns home to challenge his younger brother to make something of himself by training for a brutal bicycle race, the "Hell of the West." (The "Coors Classic" by any other name.)

As expected, competitive cycle training slowly binds the boys, while the spectre of sudden illness redeems the family dymanic. Yet for me, this film breathes for those of us who have stuggled to overcome family dysfunction to find the thick, life-giving blood beneath. The family Sommers' final hug, still shot, with that 38-special-like song from Glenn Shorrock, like a dream from the Eighties, rising over the credits, it gets me everytime. November 2, 2007

 Do you know the two actual bike racers in this movie?
Eddy "the cannibal" Mercxx was the person who started the race. They used his nickname for the principle bad guy in the movie when they called him the "cannibal".
The other real bike racer is the hitch hiker, girl friend of David. Alexandra Paul. She is an ironman triathlete in real life, although that came later in her life than when the movie was made.
December 10, 2006

 A cycling classic
If you love cycling this is a must have classic american cylcing film. This past summer riding up millcreek canyon in the greater salt lake area, one of my cycling buddies starts to slap his thigh and said "let's get them to run". I'm like what? So he recommeded the movie and I bought it. I'm glad I added it to my collection. If your willing to work hard at anything you will suceed. This film is a great example of this life lesson. November 10, 2006

 Solid
I thought this was a very solid movie and always have. A young Kevin Costner as Marcus Sommers, a doctor, has-been cyclist, senior member of the Shaversport team and soon to be vegetable. Not to mention, Costner sports one of the best mustaches of all-time in the movie. I give the first half of the movie about two stars, but everything starting with the Hell of the West race is a 5 star film. I personally think Muzzin (played by Luca Bercovici) should have gotten a best supporting actor nod in this one and not sure why his career didn't pan out better. I'm surprised they couldn't get a better actor to play the co-lead, David Sommers was a pretty weak choice for this role. Another plus to this movie is the comedian Robert Townsend was a rider on the 7/11 team. I think Townsend realized after his performance in this movie that he should stick with stand-up. If you can pick this movie up on the cheap, I buy. August 26, 2006

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