Racing with the Moon
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Racing with the Moon
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, RoviReview
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, RoviCast
- Sean Penn - Henry "Hopper" Nash
- Elizabeth McGovern - Caddie Winger
- Nicolas Cage - Nicky
- John Karlen - Mr. Nash
- Rutanya Alda - Mrs. Nash
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| Racing to the End of Time (1997 Film), Racing to Win with Gary Jobson (1992 Film) | |
| Racing with the Wild Boys (Film), Racket Busters (1938 Film) |
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Racing with the Moon
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Racing with the Moon
| Racing with the Moon | |
|---|---|
 Racing with the Moon DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Richard Benjamin |
| Produced by | Alain Bernheim John Kohn |
| Written by | Steven Kloves |
| Starring | Sean Penn Elizabeth McGovern Nicolas Cage John Karlen Rutanya Alda |
| Music by | Dave Grusin |
| Cinematography | John Bailey |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 23, 1984 |
| Running time | 108 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9 million |
| Box office | $6,045,657 |
Racing with the Moon is a 1984 dramatic film starring Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern, and Nicolas Cage. It was directed by Richard Benjamin and written by Steven Kloves. The original music score was composed by Dave Grusin.
Synopsis
The film is set in 1942 California, in and around Mendocino. Penn plays Henry 'Hopper' Nash, a 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 about to be deployed. They have approximately six weeks before shipping out; the film portrays their remaining time as civilians.
Henry (Penn) and Nicky (Cage) 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's girlfriend, Sally Kaiser (Suzanne Adkinson), is pregnant with his child. 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 the abortion and Henry berates Nicky for not being there 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.
External links
- Racing with the Moon at the Internet Movie Database
- Racing with the Moon at AllRovi
- Racing with the Moon at Box Office Mojo
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