Blu-ray Review - Racing with the Moon
July 13, 2025
Screenwriter Steve Kloves would go on to help create the cinematic world of the "Harry Potter" franchise, and even contributed to the bigness of superhero cinema in "The Amazing Spider-Man." In the early 1980s, he was just a struggling writer trying to sell a script, finally landing an opportunity with 1984's "Racing with the Moon." Kloves crafts a literary style understanding of youth during the tense years of World War II, following the exploits of two young men dealing with the reality of military service as they cling to the frivolity of their teenage years. It's a coming-of-age tale in many ways, giving director Richard Benjamin opportunities to explore sensitive days of concern and excitement as the characters come into contact with emotional experiences at home while facing possible finality oversees. "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. It's the last act that takes the material to a dramatic place it can't handle, as Kloves struggles to find a way out of the story, heading in the wrong direction as melodrama floods the endeavor. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com