Powerful

Just perfect...

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

This film is a coming-of-age story focusing on two teens in their final weeks at their quaint home town of Pont Muir, California (really Ft. Bragg/Mendocino) before their 1943 military induction. Henry "Hopper" Nash (Sean Penn), son of a gravedigger, is bright, sensitive, and cultured. His best friend, Nicky (Nicholas Cage), although not unintelligent, is reckless and self-destructive. Although he does not really play pool, he likes to hustle sailors at that table-game. Both Hopper and Nicky like to hitch rides on passing trains. Hopper meets Caddy Winger (Elizabeth McGovern) when he purchases tickets from her at the local movie house. He thinks she is rich ("She's a Gatsby!"), but in reality she is the daughter of a maid who is employed by a rich family at a mansion "on the hill." They date and soon fall in love. Nicky also has a girlfriend, Sally Kaiser (Suzanne Adkinson), whom he does not always treat well. "Racing with the Moon" beautifully captures the setting of a west coast town in the winter of 1942-1943. Nice period sets include the roller skating rink, the soda fountain, and the bowling alley with pin-boys. The feature carefully develops the characters of teenagers and honestly tells their story of early love. The storyline may not always be pretty, as Sally becomes pregnant and Nicky's attitude is not the best. However there is not a false note in the movie. Some of the popular songs include "Tangerine," "Heart and Soul," and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Beyond the film lies a lingering question as mankind is currently engaged in the greatest, most destructive war in its history. Assuming that both boys taste combat and are placed in similar situations, and knowing about their individual characters, whom do you think has the better chance of returning home in 1945?

Oh boy oh boy! I'm up to 32 Nick Cage movies watched! Crossed the halfway point with this gem and Bringing Out the Dead.What do we have here? A coming of age drama in which Nick Cage plays an idiotic womanizer who uses his friends? And do we also have a moody, whiny Sean Penn to boot? What more could I ask for?? Although it seems to have killed his career as a director, Richard Benjamin at least had the decency to shoot it in 1.85:1, unlike Zandalee.The story involved Nicky (Nick Cage... hmm), his friend Henry (Sean Penn), and Henry's chubby chunkin' cheeked love interest, Caddie (Elizabeth McGovern). Nicky loves to run the gauntlet of loose women in town, while Henry is a one-girl man. All heck breaks loose when Nicky impregnates a girl and convinces her to abort it. Hilarity ensues as they are ushered off to war after doing a lot of yelling and moping.Favorite Nick Cage Line: "Wow, 200 bucks a shot. That's some business, huh?"Favorite Nick Cage Moment: When he's driving his hot rod away from the abortion, swigging from a booze bottle. Classy.Gotta be honest, I had to look up a script to even find a decent NC line in the entire movie. Unlike many of his movies, it wasn't so much embarrassing as it was boring. Surprisingly, there were some saucy scenes in this (for whatever reason) PG movie underscored by a sensual saxophone soundtrack.

Before Sean Penn and Nicolas Cage became big names, they starred in this coming-of-age movie, leading up to the enlistment of WWII. Elizabeth McGovern, from Ordinary People and this year's Downton Abbey, costars as a girl that Sean likes and thinks is rich, when in fact, she only lives in a fancy house, because her mother is a maid there. Nicolas Cage is a love-em-and-leave-em type, who uses girls for his pleasure and then tosses them away. One girl of his gets "in trouble" and needs money for an abortion. Nick and Sean try to get the money by playing pool and betting with marines. But when that doesn't turn out the way they planned, Sean asks Elizabeth for it, who in turn tries to steal and pawn something from the house. Nick really acts like a jerk to the girl and he and Sean have a falling out. But because of their deep friendship and the fact they're leaving soon, they're friends again. Besides the plot (which I've practically told,) the film's main assets are the star's acting and charm (including Ms. McGovern) which make it all very credible. We are allowed to see the youth and naivety of the period and their zest for life, and we see the characters, not wanting to grow up, trying to hold on to today, despite the inevitable war coming to disrupt their world. Racing with the Moon is an early Sean Penn highlight and one that should be discovered today.

"Racing with the Moon" (1984): Richard Benjamin directed Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, Elizabeth McGovern, Crispen Glover, Carol Kane, Michael Madsen, Dana Carvey - the list goes on - in this "showcase" film, where lots of talent received a major boost. Set in 1942, only weeks before two best friends ship out with the Marines for World War II, we share intimate, funny, pathetic, sad, frightening, and ambivalent moments with flawed people you really come to believe you know, and deep down just have to like. This is a bittersweet, not sugary, nor hopeless story. It's believable, with the mixed emotions, set in that confusing, frozen summer between child and adulthood. Scoring is appropriate, photography is somewhat contrived in spots, but that's the 80's for you. The "truth" of the story, and the talented actors are why you will appreciate "Racing with the Moon".