Racing with the Moon is a 1984 American drama film directed by Richard Benjamin, written by Steve Kloves, and starring Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern and Nicolas Cage.
In 1940s Mendocino County, Henry "Hopper" Nash is a small town boy who has been drafted into the U.S. Marine Corps and is about to serve overseas.
Henry and Caddie also briefly fall out due to the misunderstanding of her status but reconcile and have an emotional goodbye before he leaves.
Ultimately the boys prepare to get on the train taking them away to the war, they wait for it to go by before racing after it and jumping on.
Producer Alain Bernheim, a former literary agent, had been inspired to make a movie about World War II and hired first time screenwriter Steve Kloves to develop a story based on their discussions.
[1] While the producers praised the performances and chemistry of Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern, and Nicolas Cage, they expressed frustration with their reluctance in promoting the film and attributed the film's tepid box office to the cast's unwillingness to do promotional tours.
[1] As of July 2018, Racing with the Moon holds a rating of 60% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 reviews.