Virtually ignored upon its release, this WWII romantic drama retains its power through its seductive nostalgic warmth and the engaging performances of its three leads. Starring a trio of Hollywood’s then-golden children, Sean Penn, Nicholas Cage, and Elizabeth McGovern, 1984’s Racing with the Moon benefits from some first-rate period detail, which creates an authentic atmosphere in which these players bring their characters to life. A strong hand helming the direction also means that Richard Benjamin (best known for 1990’s Mermaids) gives the film a momentum that is spatially fluent and has the action feel as though it is flowing in real-time.
Written by Steve Kloves (who would, nearly 15 years later, earn an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay for 2000’s Wonder Boys), Racing with the Moon isn’t much of a deviation from the usual coming-of-age fare. It is, however, an exceptionally well-written coming-of-age story that, despite its setting and themes (life on the brink of WWII), engages the viewer with a less-than-passing interest in life during wartime.
Racing with the Moon begins with Hopper (Penn) idling around in a small town in California, bunking his piano lessons and hanging out with his best pal, loose-cannon Nicky (Cage). Not yet out of their teens, both boys have been drafted into the Marine Corps. Neither of these two young men has a clear understanding about their future deployment, and with about six weeks to kill, they give their boyhood a run for all its worth. This means engaging in acts like their nightly trainsurfing, causing a ruckus at the local bowling alley where they both work, or looking to land dates with any number of the girls in town.
Hopper has his eye on the new girl, Caddie (McGovern), whom he believes to be a rich socialite, but who is, in fact, an impoverished student working a number of jobs to help out her housemaid mother. Caddie slowly warms up to Hopper, rendezvousing with him at the local lake or hanging out at his secret hideaways. Her social standing still unbeknownst to him, Hopper tries to get closer to the girl he believes is still out of reach.
Nicky, meanwhile, finds himself in a predicament when he gets his girlfriend pregnant and tries to find a way to pay for an abortion. Unable to secure the finances for the abortion, Nicky appeals to Hopper, who then, still believing her wealthy, appeals to Caddie for the money. The misunderstanding causes the lines of friendship to fragment.
Running with the Moon‘s narrative is simple in its execution, but Kloves’ script demands a complication of emotions that give the film its meaningful layers. Nothing is forced into needless frenzy (even with the participation of Cage, who is often given to histrionics), and each actor manages a discipline of even turns; the energy, brewing in tandem, builds a steady cadence amidst the drama of their increasingly turbulent circumstances.
To Penn’s credit, he plays a convincing teen while he’s 23 years old; he finds ample emotions to explore and examine in the exploits of a confused and hopeful teenager. Even when the script threatens ham (the requisite skinny-dipping scene in many a teen movie), he keeps the drama on even-keel by the naturalism of his performance.
As written by screenwriter Kloves, Hopper doesn’t subscribe to a tiresome trope of male machismo; the scope of his character is narrowed down to a transitional period between adolescence and adulthood, which has Penn delivering from a fascinating aperture that bridges man and child. Cage’s usual over-the-top furors are understated here (proving he delivers when the material is good). He can manifest a stately charm in even the most minute of gestures.
It is McGovern, though, who holds our collective attention as the guarded, perturbed, dignified third wheel, deceptively fresh-faced but deeply percipient within this triangle. A natural performer, McGovern makes much use, and even more, of her Caddie, refraining from lapsing into caricature or cliché. As soft as she is determined, her Caddie provides an emotional pivot from which Cage and Penn spin, while generating a momentum all her own.
Racing with the Moon also greatly benefits from its art direction, depicting life of the 1940s with a believable design that renders a library with a quaint and cozy grubbiness, or a dimly-lit bowling alley (built especially for the film) shadowed in browns and taupes to further hide the boundary-daring longings of amorous teenagers. If cinema becomes more than the sum of its parts, then Racing with the Moon is an immersive experience that pairs the talent of its performers with an artful and expert backdropping.
Racing with the Moon on Blu-Ray
Given that this drama necessitates an accurate atmosphere in scenery and costuming to bolster its performances, Fun City Editions’ Blu-ray release does a great service with its remastering of the film. Racing with the Moon features a sharp, crisp transfer that balances all colors, muted and vibrant, to wonderful effect. Cherry reds, caramel browns, lush countryside greens, and midnight blues come together beautifully and clearly, with no bleeding or oversaturation.
The audio in this Blu-Ray version of Racing with the Moon is also very clear, with the dialogue distinct and the musical soundtrack (1940s jazz numbers) sharp and bright. The supplements include a number of interviews with many of the film’s participants, including McGovern. Cage and Penn are interestingly absent from these features. Also included are two commentary tracks, one with director Richard Benjamin and another with film critics Bill Ackerman and Marya E. Gates. An essay booklet rounds out Fun City Editions’ release.
There are some discrepancies over the film’s lack of success, many of which are attributed to the stars’ reported reluctance to promote it. This may also have had to do with timing. In the wake of slasher films, teen sex comedies, and Pia Zadora’s mysterious rise to fame during the dawn of the 1980s, a WWII romantic drama could be forgiven for being lost in such a mounding shuffle.
Whatever the case may be, Racing with the Moon outlives any of the trappings from the era in which it was born. Intelligently expressive and warmly atmospheric, it gains much traction and power from an ace cast and crew leaning entirely on their collective talents.