Movies about two-wheelers
April 24, 2009 8:37 AM Subscribe
Suggestions for bicycle-themed movies
I'm interested in watching movies where bicycles are a reasonably important theme. Two movies in this general category that I saw recently were 'Breaking Away' and 'The Bicycle Thief'. I don't mind if they are in English or not.
Thanks!
I'm interested in watching movies where bicycles are a reasonably important theme. Two movies in this general category that I saw recently were 'Breaking Away' and 'The Bicycle Thief'. I don't mind if they are in English or not.
Thanks!
Kiki's Delivery Service - not Kiki, but the boy that is interested in her is trying to make a flying machine using a bike
posted by spec80 at 8:41 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by spec80 at 8:41 AM on April 24, 2009
Best answer: You need this list. Also, I agree with Del Chimney's assertion that Pee-wee's Big Adventure is the greatest bicycle-themed film of all time.
posted by burnmp3s at 8:47 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by burnmp3s at 8:47 AM on April 24, 2009
The Flying Scotsman - I think it might be playing on cable somewhere, so if you have a TiVo/DVR you might want to search your listings.
posted by agentmunroe at 8:48 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by agentmunroe at 8:48 AM on April 24, 2009
Do you want nonfiction/documentary/bike-trick-video kinda stuff? If so:
Pedal
Mash
Klunkers
posted by box at 8:56 AM on April 24, 2009
Pedal
Mash
Klunkers
posted by box at 8:56 AM on April 24, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks for all the great suggestions so far! Looking forward to watching some of these.
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 8:56 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 8:56 AM on April 24, 2009
Best answer: Le Vélo de Ghislain Lambert - A bittersweet comedy about a Belgian cyclist who wants to be champion.
The Flying Scotsman - A rather gloomy biopic of the Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree.
Hell on Wheels (aka Höllentour) - Not sure if you're interested in feature-length documentaries, but this is a stunningly produced film that follows one of the teams behind-the-scenes at the 2004 Tour de France.
Jour de Fête - 1949 Jacques Tati comedy about a postman who somehow finds himself in the Tour de France.
A Sunday in Hell - Again, a documentary, but well worth a look. Directed by Jorgen Leth it follows the 1977 Paris-Roubaix.
Seconding Les Triplettes des Belleville too.
posted by afx237vi at 8:58 AM on April 24, 2009
The Flying Scotsman - A rather gloomy biopic of the Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree.
Hell on Wheels (aka Höllentour) - Not sure if you're interested in feature-length documentaries, but this is a stunningly produced film that follows one of the teams behind-the-scenes at the 2004 Tour de France.
Jour de Fête - 1949 Jacques Tati comedy about a postman who somehow finds himself in the Tour de France.
A Sunday in Hell - Again, a documentary, but well worth a look. Directed by Jorgen Leth it follows the 1977 Paris-Roubaix.
Seconding Les Triplettes des Belleville too.
posted by afx237vi at 8:58 AM on April 24, 2009
BMX Bandits! A classic of it's genre (crap BMX teen movies.)
posted by fire&wings at 9:07 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by fire&wings at 9:07 AM on April 24, 2009
Les triplettes de Belleville is amazing. Highly recommended.
If you have kids though, and are expecting a sweet animated film, there are some more adult oriented things (violence related) in it, so watch out.
posted by elder18 at 9:15 AM on April 24, 2009
If you have kids though, and are expecting a sweet animated film, there are some more adult oriented things (violence related) in it, so watch out.
posted by elder18 at 9:15 AM on April 24, 2009
nthing Triplettes.
I would also add, in the realm of documentaries and sports promo films, the work of The Collective, particularly ROAM, which is a pretty grand exhibit of Pacific Northwest mountain biking.
posted by bl1nk at 9:18 AM on April 24, 2009
I would also add, in the realm of documentaries and sports promo films, the work of The Collective, particularly ROAM, which is a pretty grand exhibit of Pacific Northwest mountain biking.
posted by bl1nk at 9:18 AM on April 24, 2009
doh.
posted by YoBananaBoy at 9:23 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by YoBananaBoy at 9:23 AM on April 24, 2009
seconding Le vélo de Ghislain Lambert. Try to watch it in the original french-speaking version for the full Benoit Poelvoorde experience...
posted by Baud at 9:33 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by Baud at 9:33 AM on April 24, 2009
Breaking Away Hands down the best bicycle movie themed movie of all time.
posted by birdwatcher at 10:07 AM on April 24, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by birdwatcher at 10:07 AM on April 24, 2009 [1 favorite]
Breaking Away Hands down the best bicycle themed movie of all time.
posted by birdwatcher at 10:08 AM on April 24, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by birdwatcher at 10:08 AM on April 24, 2009 [1 favorite]
The Onion AV Club recently celebrated The Triplets of Bellevue. Nthing its wonderfulness.
posted by elendil71 at 10:09 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by elendil71 at 10:09 AM on April 24, 2009
Regarding American Flyers, it was impressive to see Rae Dawn Chong perform a very competent mid-race wheel change. She must have practiced a lot for that scene. But you should ignore 99% of the movie's depiction of race tactics. Especially the climactic "fight" -- pure Hollywood fiction.
posted by randomstriker at 10:29 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by randomstriker at 10:29 AM on April 24, 2009
Nthing A Sunday in Hell--how did I forget it?
And Rad is, um, rad.
posted by box at 10:35 AM on April 24, 2009
And Rad is, um, rad.
posted by box at 10:35 AM on April 24, 2009
The Oscar winning, 8 minute short movie Father and Daughter by Michael Dudok de Wit.
posted by ijsbrand at 10:44 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by ijsbrand at 10:44 AM on April 24, 2009
American Flyers. Kevin Costner flick from 1985 - I remember really enjoying it at the time. I'm not sure what I would think if I revisited it. It gets a low score over at IMDb, but what do they know...
posted by roryks at 10:56 AM on April 24, 2009
posted by roryks at 10:56 AM on April 24, 2009
Claire Rides a Bike - not quite in the same exalted category as some of the above, but it premiered at the 2009 Filmed by Bike Festival in Portland and you can watch it online in about 8 minutes.
posted by flug at 1:38 PM on April 24, 2009
posted by flug at 1:38 PM on April 24, 2009
Breaking Away is one of my favorite movies - and it is all about bicycling
posted by Flood at 2:42 PM on April 24, 2009
posted by Flood at 2:42 PM on April 24, 2009
Il Postino. Lovely Italian film. Not about bicycling, but the postman, who is in love with the beautiful innkeeper, rides his bike to deliver the mail to all the villagers and to Pablo Neruda, Chilean poet, living in an outlying villa, who ends up teaching il postino how to write poetry to further his efforts to win the heart of his love. Philippe Noiret was a much beloved comedic actor whose portrayal of the postman is, I think, exquisite: tender, noncomedic, and his last, for he died soon after the making of this film.
posted by sparrowdance at 7:12 PM on April 24, 2009
posted by sparrowdance at 7:12 PM on April 24, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Del Chimney at 8:41 AM on April 24, 2009 [4 favorites]