Racing with the Moon – Fun City Editions (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1984
Director: Richard Benjamin
Writer: Steve Kloves
Cast: Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern, Nicolas Cage, John Karlen, Rutanya Alda, Max Showalter, Crispin Glover, Michael Madsen, Dana Carvey, Michael Talbott, Carol Kane

Release Date: February 11th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 108 Minutes 23 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: PG
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"It was 1943. And young men were counting the days before they went off to war... Artfully directed by Richard Benjamin (My Favorite Year), Racing with the Moon is a film so tender, so insightful, so full of heart that you'll never quite forget it. This is the story of Henry "Hopper" Nash (Sean Penn, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) and his buddy Nicky (Nicolas Cage, Valley Girl) enjoying their last boyish exploits before they enter the Marines. Elizabeth McGovern (Ordinary People) portrays Penn's mysterious girlfriend. What ensues is a sensitive, bittersweet tale of lost innocence and the trauma of growing up too fast. The result is a magic moment, brilliantly captured within the emotional crosscurrent of America's most dramatic time." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "a new 4K scan of its original 35mm camera negative".

Racing with the Moon comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 39.4 GB

Feature: 32.9 GB

The source looks excellent; flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are solid, compression is very good, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background (promotional images/stills), a three-part archival featurette; part 1 (12 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), part 2 (19 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and  part 3 (6 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with director Richard Benjamin, an audio commentary with Bill Ackerman and Marya E. Gates, a double-sided wrap with legacy artwork, and a 12-page booklet (first pressing only) with an essay titled Hopper and Caddie in the Moonlight written by Walter Chaw, and cast & crew information.

There is a Easter egg: a theatrical trailer (1 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), which can be found when you click on the FCE logo on the extras menu.

Summary:

Richard Benjamin directed Racing with the Moon. He’s known for My Favorite Year, My Stepmother Is an Alien, and Mermaids.

Two friends spend their last month before becoming marines saying goodbye to family and friends and having a good time.

Racing with the Moon is a coming-of-age story where two friends deal with their impending start date with the marines differently. Henry spends the six weeks trying to make meaningful moments with friends and family, while Nicky is impulsive, and his decisions often get him into trouble. Their friendship is put to the test when Nicky gets his girlfriend pregnant, and they need money for an abortion. Henry, while all of this is unfolding, begins a relationship with Caddie, which also puts a strain on his friendship with Nicky.

The characters are well-defined, all around the entire cast is excellent; especially Sean Penn (At Close Range) who portrays Henry “Hopper” Nash. This is a more low-key character than Sean Penn’s more celebrated performances, and he does a phenomenal job portraying the moral center of Racing with the Moon. The other performance of note is Elizabeth McGovern (Once Upon a Time in America), who portrays Caddie. Classism is dealt with in "Racing with the Moon," and her character is caught between the rich and the poor.

Nicolas Cage (Wild at Heart) portrays Nicky, and once again he delivers a scene-stealing performance. The rest of the cast is filled with recognizable faces like Crispin Glover (River’s Edge), who portrays an arrogant rich kid; Carol Kane (The Mafu Cage), who portrays a prostitute; Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs), who portrays a wounded soldier; and Michael Talbott (Miami Vice TV Series), who portrays a soldier whom Henry and Nicky try to hustle money from.

Though Racing with the Moon is a character-driven film, one must not overlook its exquisite cinematography. Besides its picturesque locales, Racing with the Moon is a period-set drama that does an exceptional job recreating the era in which it is set. Also, the soundtrack, which is filled with era-representative music, reinforces the mood.

From a production standpoint, Racing with the Moon is a film where everything perfectly falls into place. The well-executed narrative does a superb job building momentum, and key moments are given ample time to resonate. Another strength is Richard Benjamin’s direction, which is never flashy; he always lets the performances take center stage. Ultimately, Racing with the Moon is an extraordinary coming-of-age film that deals with themes that are universal.

Racing with the Moon gets an excellent release from Fun City Editions that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer