Fantastic!

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

The Late/Great Sidney Lumet was a filmmaker, who tackled various genres, with the distinctiveness, only a few filmmakers have achieved. He wasn't just a director, he was a man with a voice. And with 'Running on Empty', Lumet depicts Family in its truest & harshest form. And of course, The Late/Great River Phoenix is beyond excellence.'Running on Empty' Synopsis: The eldest son of a fugitive family comes of age and wants to live a life of his own.'Running on Empty' isn't merely a tale about fugitives, its a tale, of family, bond & coming of age. Lumet, the master, presents a brutally honest story about a family running away from nothingness, until the eldest son realizes his righteous voice. And Lumet is up for the claps, as he exuberantly captures the restlessness of youth. Naomi Foner's Award-Winning Screenplay is genius. The Writing is at times, about nothing, and at times, about everything. Also, the sub-plot involving Phoenix's love-interest (played by Martha Plimpton) glues in wonderfully. The Writing takes each step with care & the result overall, is top-notch. Lumet's Direction is perfection. Cinematography & Editing are admirable. Performance-Wise: River Phoenix is extraordinary. His portrayal of a young boy coming of age & trying to break-free from his family's mistakes, is one for the ages. One of the most naturals actors ever, Phoenix who left us 25 years ago, was a performer with the strength of a true heavyweight. And in Lumet's hands, Phoenix left us spell-bound. Judd Hirsch, a legend in his own right, is fabulous, as always. I've never come across a single bad performance by Hirsch & I'd like to believe, that there are none. Christine Lahti is remarkably restrained; her sequence with her father, is truly commendable. Martha Plimpton shines, in one her earliest & finest performances to date.On the whole, 'Running on Empty' is a force. This Is Essential Viewing.

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.

A superbly-acted, well-written story about a family on the run after the parents stage an explosion in a napalm producing factory. This is an unconventional story and one not so often written for film and TV. In this story, we see our characters having to deal with the soul-destroying nature of having to leave town every so often, never really being able to set roots anywhere, leaving them as outcasts of society, with only each other to lean on. At first one may think that these parents must be extremely selfish and uncaring to inflict such pain on their children, a life where they'll never be able to truly bond with anyone or make something out of their lives. Throughout the course of the movie though, we get to learn a few things about them that show us how much these parents truly cared about their children and the regret they were filled with for the fact that their children were the ones that had to pay for the choices they made in life. These parents were true revolutionaries in my opinion, even if their act of rebellion and defiance to the constitution of war and the atrocities that were occurring in Vietnam was never significant enough to spark a true change in society. In a way, them leading a fugitive-life is reflecting of their refusal to obey to the capitalistic and exploitative way in which the world is run. One thing that remains true however is that fear that would leave them awake at night, the thought that would creep up despite them trying to suppress it and live life day by day, hour by hour: what about our children's future? How are they ever going to have a chance in doing something in life? How will they ever be able to follow their passions and dreams, and have we denied them of this chance in life? Danny is a reserved and polite kid, always in motion and always passing through situations and people unnoticed, not really leaving a mark anywhere or sharing anything of significance to anyone. With the love for piano being the one thing that has been consistent in this vagabond –like life, he impresses his piano teacher and in doing so, gets to meet the teacher's daughter, whom he will eventually fall in love with. And it is understandable why he'd do so as this girl truly is such a witty, charming and sincere individual, someone that manages to confront him and push him into opening up to her, something he never even thought possible with anybody else. This relationship between the two sees a change in Danny's demeanor, who is now finally excited and scared about things like applying for Julliard College, meeting his grandmother and confiding his family's secret to this girl. And here comes the greatest part of this story, the one that makes it a story worth watching: The decision the parents decide to make of allowing their son to stay behind with his grandfather, all the while knowing they probably would never be able to truly contact him and would have limited information as to how he was doing. In this way they fulfill their wish that their actions in life of trying to make a change would not prevent their sons from following their hearts and leading their lives the way they would want to. In a world that had isolated this family, leaving them with no choice but to find the support they need by staying as a unit, letting go of that integral part of their unit must be the hardest and most courageous thing for a parent to do and these parents make that sacrifice so that their son can have a go in trying to achieve something significant like they attempted so many years ago. This very sacrifice and the bond this family shared is beautifully depicted in this subtle and smart film and will be one that will stay in the minds of its audience.

Running on Empty is a gem of film, with some great performances, especially the late River Phoenix.This is one of those films in the late 1980s that looked back on the recent past. Mississippi Burning is another film that springs to mind.The Pope family are fugitives.They have been on the run from the FBI since the early 1970s.Arthur(Judd Hirsch)and Annie (Christine Lahti) were once student radicals who blew up a lab that produced weapons, as a protest against the Vietnam War. Think Weathermen Underground and you get the picture.Their act of terror resulted in a fatality. We meet met them years later, when they are the parents to two boys. One of them, Danny played by River Phoenix, is now a teenager. He is tired of running, never having time to put down roots or make real friends. Danny also has to assume a new identity each time the family move. Whilst enrolled at his latest school, Danny, under the alias of Michael Manfield comes to the attention of a music teacher who notices what a gifted piano player he is. The teacher's daughter Lorna(Martha Plimpton) also notices Danny and begins to fall for him.The scenes between Danny and Lorna are well done. He slowly lowers his guard and starts to trust herThis film covers so much ground. Its about identity, love and how your past can both trap and mould you. Danny learnt to appreciate music through his mother, Annie who was from a wealthy middle class family. She knows how good he could be, but can she and Arthur let him go? Can he keep running forever without being able to live his life?There are two stand out scenes for me in this film. Annie meets her father for the first time in years. She clearly rejected everything he stood and yet there is so much emotion between them. The other scene is the pivotal one where the Popes make a decision about Danny. It is a clear indication that River Phoenix would have been huge had he lived.Just watch the look in his eyes as they bid farewell.To execute that range of emotions, you got to have acting chops. River definitely had it.The late Sidney Lumet shows what a skilled film maker he was, taking a difficult subject matter and getting great performances from the main players.