Two erstwhile radical activists, still at large fifteen years after a 1971 protest bombing (which left an innocent bystander accidentally maimed), do what they can to maintain their values while raising their children as fugitives. From a purely demographic standpoint it's a crafty scenario, designed to appeal not only to a generation fondly recalling the idealism of its youth, but also to teenage viewers ready to identify with oldest son River Phoenix's frustrating coming of age and independence. The script captures perfectly all the die-hard attitudes of aging hippies (it must have been written from experience), but the plot offers little more than a series of dramatic one-on-one confrontations, between mother and son, father and son, mother and father, son and girlfriend, and so forth. Sidney Lumet's direction is all but invisible, making the film no more challenging than a topical made-for-television movie, and placing the burden of the drama squarely on a first-rate cast more than able to shoulder the load.
Review of Running on Empty
