I saw this film in 1979 with my three best friends from high school, probably right after we went swimming at the quarry and before cruising Marymount College for girls and getting into fights with their West Point boyfriends. Though it was a virtual reproduction of our lives, we were serious movie buffs and were able to distance ourselves and give it an objective review: a damn fine "coming of age" film with a smart script and solid acting all around.
As I watched it again recently, I noticed more funny bits than I had previously, especially in the scene when Dave's parents get romantic: she plucks the flower from her hair as she drops into bed, and he sheds his pocket protector full of pens... I also appreciated more the nuances of the relationship between Dave and his dad, and the scene with them after Dave's race with the Italian team wasn't as mushy this time around.
Not quite an 8 out of 10, but I think the current 7.6 rating is well-deserved, and would have given it a 7.5 myself if I could have.
Whether still young or now old, many small-town and college-town guys who grew up with a tight circle of best friends will relate to this movie, but it's not so much a "guy-flick" that their girlfriends and wives won't enjoy a look into the lives and emotions of young men that women rarely see.
As I watched it again recently, I noticed more funny bits than I had previously, especially in the scene when Dave's parents get romantic: she plucks the flower from her hair as she drops into bed, and he sheds his pocket protector full of pens... I also appreciated more the nuances of the relationship between Dave and his dad, and the scene with them after Dave's race with the Italian team wasn't as mushy this time around.
Not quite an 8 out of 10, but I think the current 7.6 rating is well-deserved, and would have given it a 7.5 myself if I could have.
Whether still young or now old, many small-town and college-town guys who grew up with a tight circle of best friends will relate to this movie, but it's not so much a "guy-flick" that their girlfriends and wives won't enjoy a look into the lives and emotions of young men that women rarely see.