Racing With The Moon

The Rockwellian Facade
Sean Penn, Nicholas Cage, and intelligently beautiful Elizabeth McGovern shine in their early performances in Richard Benjamin's nostalgic look at youthful romances in World War II California.
It has always struck me as ironic that Vaughn Monroe's 1941 hit tune from which this film takes its title was never played during the course of the movie.
But the title does represent the fast-paced lives of two buddies headed for wartime service in the Marines, the pranks they pull, their train jumping, and the girls they encounter.
Sean Penn had one of his best roles as Henry ("Hopper") Nash, a small-town kid who works at a bowling alley and is forced to take piano lessons by his mother (Rutanya Alda). His friend Nicky (Nicholas Cage) has led a life defined by loss, as he has had to bury numerous relatives, including his parents.John Karlen was simple and straightforward as Nash's caring, gravedigger father.
The two young men live in a world that Norman Rockwell could...

Hard to forget and worth owning..even in VHS
This movie has been a long time favorite of mine though not available on DVD. The story is touching and a particulary poignant look at young men who were raised on patriotism and are headed off to war, a reality of which they know little.

The cinematography and actors make you long for young love and being caught in the rain and in more serious moments you feel the pain and peril of a illegal abortion and how cold and hard it is to dig a grave in Spring.

Elizabeth McGovern is hauntingly beautiful. Penn and Cage show the promise of talent we now consider legendary. On a telling note, Sean Penn's child shares the nickname of his character.

In contrast to another reviewer, I too see this film differently now then I did when I was younger. However, the "skin" and other adult themes added dimensions that expanded for me as I get older.

If you don't buy it at least rent it while you still can!

Trying To Out-distance Fate.
Although the superficial theme of this film is young love, the heart of the film is in the subtle ways that Henry (Sean Penn) tries to come to terms with the harsh realities of his impending military service. Henry knows that, in less than a year, he will probably be on some remote Pacific island, fighting one insane Japanese soldier after another to the death. While he has no idea of the horrors to come, he definitely feels a sense of impending doom.

The movie's most telling scene is after Callie (Elizabeth McGovern) is angred by Henry & Nicky (Nicolas Cage) when they make fun of their school's emergency preparedness drill. Callie takes Henry to a veteran's hospital, where she delivers library books to soldiers recovering from amputations (and likely worse). Henry is visibly scared at the sight of these guys, not much older than he is, who will now go through life with a new, horrific perspective.

After the visit, Henry becomes angry with Callie. He shows her - and the...

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