Themes: First Love, Small-Town Life, Faltering Friendships
Main Cast: Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern, Nicolas Cage, John Karlen, Rutanya Alda
Release Year: 1984
Country: US
Run Time: 108 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Sean Penn graduated to full stardom with the 1984 drama Racing with the Moon, even though the film itself hardly set new box office records. Set in the early years of World War II, the film stars Penn as a small-town teen-aged hotshot, six weeks away from being shipped out to fight overseas. In the meantime, Penn begins to date Elizabeth McGovern, whom he assumes is from a wealthy family. Penn's pal Nicolas Cage, who's gotten his girlfriend Suzanne Adkinson pregnant, imposes upon Penn to hit up McGovern for the abortion money. That's when Penn discovers that the girl barely has a penny to her name. Convinced that Penn cared for her only when he thought she was rich, McGovern walks out on him, but later teams up with Penn to help the unfortunate Adkinson. The plot is pure James Dean, a fact not lost on fans who regarded Sean Penn as the second coming of Dean. A very slight piece, Racing With the Moon is buoyed by the engaging performances of the stars, and by director Richard Benjamin's meticulous attention to period detail-especially in those peerless bowling-alley and skating-rink sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Richard Benjamin's moodily nostalgic film on young love in the WWII era is a light, lyrical valentine to the period, featuring an excellent cast. The first produced script of the talented 24-year-old Steve Kloves, it has such modest intentions for its familiar story, and unfolds it with such charm, that it's difficult to resist. Charm is not a word one associates with Sean Penn, but the caring, sensitive teenager he plays so well makes his instant appeal for Elizabeth McGovern's putative rich girl easy to accept. Nicolas Cage has the thankless role of Penn's self-absorbed friend, but it's less his personality than the pointless and distracting subplots in which the film enmeshes him that make him so annoying. Benjamin shows a surprising restraint, keeping some distance between actors and camera, and allowing scenes to develop at a natural pace. His sense of period detail is also a plus here, especially in the hilarious bowling sequence and the game of pool. While perhaps not the weightiest of films, it grace and innate respect for its characters make it a pleasure that's impossible to dismiss. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
Suzanne Adkinson - Sally Kaiser; Kate Williamson - Mrs. Winger; Shawn Schepps - Gretchen; Julie Philips - Alice Donnelly; Michael Talbott - Bill; Patricia Allison - Mrs. Spangler; Eve Brent Ashe - Mrs. Kaiser; John Brandon - Mr. Kaiser; Dana Carvey - Baby Face; Gerry Gibson - High School Principal; Crispin Glover - Gatsby Boy; Ted Grossman - Skating Soldier; Page Hannah - High School Girl; Al Hopson - Elmer; Barbara Howard - Gatsby Girl; Arnold Johnson - Tattoo Artist; Carol Kane - Annie; Michael Madsen - Frank; Bob Maroff - Al; Walter Matthews - Sailor; Charles Miller - Arnie; Dominick Nardini - Soldier with Annie; Victor Rendina - Pool Hall Barman; Max Showalter - Mr. Arthur; Steve Lambert; Scott McGinnis - Michael; Victor Paul - Pool Hall Barman; Chuck Picerni, Jr. - Bill's Shipmate; Phil Adams; Lou Butera - Pool Player; Jonathan Charles Fox - Arnold Billings; Shane Kerwin - R.D.; Arlin Miller - Minister; Jan Rabson - Sailor; Sue Allen - Singer; Fielding Greaves - Mr. Donnelly; Phillip Romano - Bill's Shipmate
Credit
Art Levinson - Associate Producer, Pat Norris - Costume Designer, William S. Beasley - First Assistant Director, Richard Benjamin - Director, Jacqueline Cambas - Editor, Dave Grusin - Composer (Music Score), David Snyder - Production Designer, John Bailey - Cinematographer, Stanley Jaffe - Producer, John Kohn - Producer, Sherry Lansing - Producer, Art Levinson - Producer, Alain Bernheim - Producer, Jerry Wunderlich - Set Designer, Garry J. Elmendorf - Special Effects, Jerry Jost - Sound/Sound Designer, Steve Lambert - Stunts, Steve Kloves - Screenwriter, Al Laverde - Key Grip, Steve Kloves - Book Author
The film is set in 1942 California, in and around Mendocino and WWII. Penn plays Henry 'Hopper' Nash, a seventeen year-old small town boy who has been drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps and is about to be shipped overseas. He is close friends with Nicky (Cage), who is also on his way to the fight. They have approximately six weeks before shipping out and the film shows their remaining time as civilians.
Henry and Nicky work together at the bowling alley setting pins, buffing lanes, and working the front counter. Henry sees Caddie Winger (McGovern) at the movie theatre taking tickets. He is immediately smitten and conspires with a younger boy to give her flowers. Caddie comes to the soda shop where Henry and Nicky are hanging out. Henry jumps over the counter and pretends that he is working. He follows Caddie to her home and discovers that she lives in an elaborate mansion. He assumes that she is a "Gatsby girl" and is therefore rich. As it turns out, Caddie lives there because her mother is a maid. Later, Henry sees Caddie working at the library. He attempts to get her name but she rebuffs him. At the soda shop, Caddie sets Henry up with one of her friends. Henry meets the others at the skating rink and pretends that he knows how to skate. He ends up crashing but in doing so is able to steal some time with Caddie. She agrees to go on a date with Henry and the two quickly become an item.
Meanwhile, Nicky has run into trouble by getting his girlfriend, Sally Kaiser, pregnant. He attempts to get $150 from Henry for an abortion. Henry asks Caddie whom he assumes can easily afford it. Caddie, in an effort to avoid letting Henry down, attempts to steal a pearl necklace from Alice, a young woman who lives at the house that Caddie is staying at. She is caught and confesses the reason she needs the necklace. She ends up borrowing the money from Alice. Sally has her abortion and Henry berates Nicky for not being more of a gentlemen for his girlfriend. This causes a brief rift that is mended when each realizes that they need each other in order to handle the difficult transition they are about to make.
Trains play a major role in the film. It opens with a shot of Henry walking along a train track and a train rushing by. Nicky and Henry have a long history of racing trains by diving away off the tracks at the last minute. They would then run after the train and jump on the side rails and ride it. The film closes at the boys prepare to get on the train taking them away to the war. They wait for the train to go by before racing after it and jumping on.
