Waste of time

A Masterpiece!

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

I used to laugh many times when people (around me) ask me : why do you watch this film too much! And the answer i guess was very simple: because it is a spectacular movie! For Example i still remember that i went to the cinema three times to watch Gravity back in 2013, because it was one of those films that really make you feel something. The first time when i watch a film i took a general look at the whole film ( Story line, Characters, music, etc..) and as for the second and third time, i just watch the actors performance( focusing on their faces expression, how they moved, did they delivered what we need to see, to know and hear, etc...) Running On Empty was one of those films that i had to watch three times, because it's a superb one.the story is about a family who are running away from justice after the explosion they made in a laboratory which made a guy blinded and paralyzed, and since then the family go from city to city in order to live.The movie deliver to us a superb performance by all the actors of the film, especially River Phonenix who was nominated for best supporting actor for this brilliant role. and Christine Lahti ( who was nominated for golden globe ). The character Danny which played by Mr, Phonexi is probably one of my all time favorite male characters on the screen, it gave me the same reaction when i first watched James Dean Character in rebel without a cause 1955, and no wonder why so many people considered Phoenix as the next Jame Dean, it is so sad that both of them died too young, almost at the same Age! (Dean at 24 and Phonexi at 23). But both of them gave us a real great performances in a few films.What is amazing about this film is the relation between the family members they really love each other and despite the problem they are living in, they are happy.And you can feel that they are like a one union. Now the most amazing part (or item) of this film was the music which was done by Tony Mottola (which worked also with James Dean in Giant 1956). he really did an amazing job the music is just superb and very touching and i don't know why he didn't get an Oscar nomination for his brilliant work in this film! Lumet also gave us one of his best films especially the way of telling the story of how Danny became a great pianist, we didn't know at the beginning of the film how he learned music, who taught him or from where he got his talent and at the end you knew that it was by his mother when she plays with him ( it really was a cleaver way to show it for the audience) .At the end if you are a big fan of drama and musical films, or even a piano lover, i would highly recommend this for you, because the story is great, the directing is fabulous and the acting is at the top. not to mention the great music, so what can you ask more.

There is a dichotomy with this movie: Parents have rebuffed authority but demand complete obedience from their children. The "Pope" family consists of a father (Arthur = Judd Hirsch), a mother (Annie = Christine Lahti), and two young sons (River Phoenix and Jonas Abry). The parents have been on the lam from American authorities since 1971, when, as college students they belonged to an underground left wing violent activist group (like the Weather Underground). They bombed a napalm laboratory to protest the Vietnam War, seriously injuring a janitor in the process. As they are not accountable for their actions, they change their names and run away from place to place. Not only do the parents fabricate stories, they force their children to follow suit. When the Feds eventually close in, they pack up quickly and evacuate. In a very early movie scene, as they escape the grasp of authorities, they heartlessly abandon their family dog in a busy parking lot. They assume that someone will pick him up. I wish they could have dropped the little critter off to an animal shelter along the way, but it was not to be. While the fugitive parents may love their sons, they are plainly selfish. As they force their growing children to continually change their names, addresses, personal histories, how can these kids grow up normally? And that is, of course, the gist of the movie. Problems arise as the older son, Danny (River Phoenix) is coming of college age. There needs to be stability here. Because of the constant changing of schools, his academic records are not available. Danny is a talented pianist, a fact which often brings in unwanted attention. As lie upon lie piles on, it is almost impossible to get Danny a college education. His personal conflict is that, even if he gets into the college of his choice, Julliard, he may never see his parents again. The situation gets even more complicated when Danny falls in love with Lorna (Martha Plimpton) at his latest high school (in New Jersey). More situations arise, and when the ending comes, it is a bit of a tearjerker. But it is difficult for this writer to sympathize with the uncompromising parents (particularly the father) who care little about the fateful consequences of their extreme actions. But we continually root for the "normalcy" of Danny and his little brother. "Running on Empty" is sensitively produced and directed; it is not an expensive film. The performances of the major actors are excellent. And catch that poignant restaurant scene when Annie Pope meets her father (Steven Hill) for the first time in many years. Now the feature does not justify the lawless actions of the parents although some sympathy filters through to them. A plus is James Taylor's fine recording, "Fire and Rain." The real tragedy is that River Phoenix, a remarkably talented young actor, did not live beyond age 23. What a waste!

The premise is something unique, and it's a wonder there aren't more films about fugitives coming to terms with lives based on lies.But this just isn't a big or bold enough telling of such a story. Sure a lot of dramatic things happen along the way, but the writers try a little bit too hard to make the characters goody goody two shoes that need to be rooted for. There isn't exactly a lot of subtlety to the reason why this family is on the run. The family doesn't feel entirely believable as real people. There isn't a lot of faith placed in the viewer's interest. The writers felt that they had to make the parents just bad enough to warrant fugitive status from the FBI, but not so terrible that we lose all sympathy for them. They bombed a lab, but it was a GOVERNMENT lab making NAPALM. They hurt some people, but it was a JANITOR who was only MAIMED by ACCIDENT. How convenient, I hope you like rooting for the bleeding heart liberals. I just would have appreciated, as a viewer, a little bit more depth to their predicament.Other problems were that the family just seemed a wee bit too smart for their own good. Surely a couple that has been on the run for 17 years would be resourceful enough to move to another country, especially with two kids in tow. It's not like they were bound to the US by virtue of staying to visit the grandparents every so often.The cast is good, the chemistry is well played out between the actors, it's just the writing and line delivery that leaves something to be desired. There is only so much induced eye rolling from a particularly corny line or two. And in a subject as delicate as this, that is a death knell for any validity this film would have had.Decent, but forgettable.

This is a powerful movie about the lives of people on the run for their anti-war activities during the 1960's and 70's. These acts of protest at times crossed the line of legitimate protest and resulted in death and tragedy. The director, Sidney Lumet, has directed some great American films dealing with important issues, including Twelve Angry Men, Fail-Safe, The Pawnbroker and Network, among many others; he was no doubt aware of the lives of fugitives whose criminality came to haunt them because of social alienation or contempt for waging war in the Vietnam. In the opening scene of this movie about one such family, we find the elder son, played by River Phoenix, coming home to a comfortable house only to find FBI agents driving around the property. This is the signal that his parents are once more being stalked by the federal government for a crime that they have been avoiding for many years. The parents have paid a heavy price that has exacted a toll on them and their children. The movie is somewhat slow for the first half as we get to know this family, which has managed to eke out a comfortable life despite having to pull up stakes as they migrate from one community to another. The parents, played by Judd Hirsch and Christine Lahti, have the know-how and social skills to make the best for their tight-knit family of four. I thought that Judd Hersch and Christine Lahti were excellent trying to protect themselves from arrest while being caring parents and active members of their communities. The crisis comes to a head when the older son is urged to pursue his talent as a gifted pianist. This could force the parents into the open or stop his progression to a career as a very talented pianist. The choice is agonizing but it cannot be avoided. The encounter between Annie, the mother (Christine Lahti) and her father, played by Steven Hill, is the most moving scene in this movie, bringing together regrets, heartbreak and lost opportunities. Another moment shows River Phoenix pretending to deliver pizza to his grandmother just to catch a glimpse of her.Together, these episodes capture the dilemma of the family. They have become a strong unit, but must now deal with the fact that their children's lives are entangled in the web of deception they have constructed. It is a moving film that comes face to face with the lingering reality of a traumatic time in history.