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Simply A Masterpiece

One of my all time favorites.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

David (David Marshall Grant) is ecstatic when his brother Marcus Sommers (Kevin Costner) visits home in St. Louis. Marcus is concerned about David failing at school. Their father died from a cerebral aneurysm and their mother is concerned that David also has it. There is family friction. Marcus works in sports medicine and convinces David to join him at Wisconsin State University. Marcus, his girlfriend Sarah (Rae Dawn Chong), and Leslie (Jennifer Grey) work for Dr. Conrad (John Amos). David gets a clean bill of health but he mistakenly assumes that he has the aneurysm. David, Marcus, and Sarah travel to Colorado for the bicycle race Hell of the West. Along the way, David picks up ex-hippie hitchhiker Becky (Alexandra Paul). Their biggest opponent is Sarah's ex Muzzin, friend Jerome, and the Soviet Belov.There are a couple of interesting new actors. Costner is pre-success and Jennifer Grey is pre-Dirty Dancing. The brotherly conflicted relationship is great. This has some family drama but the second half is where the bicycling sports fun exists. It explains the strategy rather well and the racing is done with drama. The racing looks great and the vista is beautiful. This is a solid bicycling movie.

This film has been reviewed by many a film and cycle enthusiast alike both highlighting the cycling inaccuracies or weaknesses in the acting or the plot etc etc.The simple facts are films of this nature are there to entertain and excite you. American Flyers does that with bells on, not only is the soundtrack typically 80's genius, but the landscapes are stunning and the storyline is simple. So all you need do is flick off your shoes, lie back with a bag of popcorn and enjoy!In addition, you get to see Costners Mo in full 80's glory, some classic old school road bikes, and a treadmill scene that would rival any Rocky training montage.Any 80's movie fan would and should love this film, and if you don't then I am afraid to say then you have lost sight of what a film is there to do!

American Flyers is one of those films which - sadly - has fallen victim of the great triad of cinematic failures: poor acting, illiterate script writer and a soap-opera editor.Arguably the plot-line and directing is pretty good. The last half hour or so is almost great. Good cycling. The directing carries the excitement of the action, and the goal of the film is almost reached.Kevin Costner has never been known for his acting abilities, and frustratingly the rest of the cast follows suit with panto-style delivery which is cringe-worthy at best. Coupled with this, is the sloppy editing reminds me of soap-operas, where delivery is followed by an infinite pause, stunting the suspension of disbelief (of a natural conversation). The dialogue is often so bad that it is not even funny. Anger is expressed by Thriller style glary eyes and raising your voice. Remember this, young actors.

So, after maaaaaaaany years, I decided to finally see this movie, because I am now living in Colorado, and actually rode the Morgul-Bismark circuit today. Eddy Merckx must have been ashamed of himself to see his sport portrayed this way. What did I not like? Let me count the ways: so over-simplified, so not about the sport, cheesy LETS GO music, A guy out training with his cowboy hat. Man, must that thing stink! But wait, there's more: a dude with a brain aneurysm doesn't go ride in a bike race. And you don't just sit on a fitness machine and then just qualify to ride against the national teams when you have no bike racing experience. It makes the sport look like a joke. A rider at this level rides on average 16-20 hrs per week. This made it look like you just needed to go out to the ballpark and hit a few balls around and poof, you're world class. And why couldn't they get a cyclist to play the Russian dude? That guy looks like he got on a bike the day before they started filming. I mean, its not like he said much.Some day I hope they make a proper movie out of cycling. Im sure there are some good story lines that are actually believable. People who cant stop racing after they have passed their prime. The loneliness of riding for hours and hours by yourself, in all weather conditions. The incredible torture of the hills. Make a bigger story, but at least get the details right. Now the American population should be ready to graduate out of bike kindergarten. An American won the Tour de France 7 times in a row! Can please someone make a real moving about the sport?