Racing With the Moon

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Racing With the Moon

PG,

1984,

1h 48m,

Romance

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67%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

61%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

In their last weeks before deployment to World War II as Marines, teenage friends Henry Nash (Sean Penn) and Nicky (Nicolas Cage) try to make the best of the time they have left in their small California town. When Nash spots Caddie Winger (Elizabeth McGovern), a new girl in town he mistakenly believes to be wealthy, he sets about winning her over. But the good times are ruined when Nicky finds himself trying to solve a serious predicament, and implicating Nash and Caddie in the process.

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Time Out

Jun 24, 2006

Very little seems to happen in this social vacuum, and none of it is memorable.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Oct 23, 2004

3.5/4

It's easy to end a movie with 'I love you,' but it's hard to get there honestly.

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

May 20, 2003

4/5

An exceptionally appealing movie about subjects you may think you've already had enough of -- growing up, first love and the shouldering of arms and other responsibilities.

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Brian Orndorf

Blu-ray.com

Mar 9, 2025

B-

"Racing with the Moon" commences with interesting scenes of friendship and courtship, as Benjamin really captures the wartime mood, also doing well setting up relationships.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Mar 2, 2025

3/4

Racing With the Moon is yet another coming-of-age drama filtered through the past, but what’s notable about it is how it frequently focuses on the idyllic aspects of small-town life, thus making WWII seem even further away.

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TV Guide

Sep 16, 2008

2.5/4

Everyone tries hard, but the movie is essentially superficial and has difficulty sustaining audience interest.

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Feb 2, 2019

The best romance movie ever made!

Finn S

Feb 5, 2018

A movie about not that much, and about everything - when young men try to suppress the realization they soon will be marching to possible oblivion ... in 1942, before the war had begun to turn. The cast is great, young ones whose stars were just beginning to rise in the West. Elizabeth McGovern, the girl of one's dreams. And interesting to see Penn playing the straight one, the stand-up anti-eternal-Spicoli guy. But there you have it. Richard Benjamin could've cut the movie 10-mins shorter and probably it would've been even better, benefiting from better pacing. But it's still good. The '80's were a good time for a certain kind of movie ... like this one - the John Hughes era maybe ... before the cell phone & a twitter'verse started snarking & claiming lives. | Norm de Guerre

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Richard Benjamin

Director

Sean Penn

Henry 'Hopper' Nash

Elizabeth McGovern

Caddie Winger

Nicolas Cage

Nicky

John Karlen

Mr. Nash

Rutanya Alda

Mrs. Nash

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Synopsis

In their last weeks before deployment to World War II as Marines, teenage friends Henry Nash (Sean Penn) and Nicky (Nicolas Cage) try to make the best of the time they have left in their small California town. When Nash spots Caddie Winger (Elizabeth McGovern), a new girl in town he mistakenly believes to be wealthy, he sets about winning her over. But the good times are ruined when Nicky finds himself trying to solve a serious predicament, and implicating Nash and Caddie in the process.

Director: Richard Benjamin
Producer: Alain Bernheim, John Kohn
Screenwriter: Steve Kloves
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 23, 1984, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2011
Runtime: 1h 48m

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