User Reviews

This is a beautifully told story. Like one of the posters stated, it seems crazy to reiterate what everyone else has said.

This film appealed to me because it concerns the protests that went on in my college days. For me, it's a story about how the choices one makes can change your life, haunt you forever, and affect those you love. The best scene in the movie, as far as I'm concerned, was between Christine Lahti and Steven Hill, who plays her father. Steven Hill has always been a favorite of mine, and in this film, he is magnificent as he comes face to face with a daughter he hasn't seen in years - and to boot, the last time she saw him, she insulted him. The scene is powerful, but what happens when Lahti leaves the restaurant is unexpected and will break your heart. It's unforgettable.

There aren't any easy answers in life, and this movie won't leave you with an easy feeling. But you'll be glad you saw it.

I watched this 5 times in four days. "Running On Empty" is a moving family drama told through the point of view of Danny Pope, aka Michael Manfield, aka Richard McNally (sp?), played by the very talented and lamented River Phoenix. It's not hard to see why he got an Oscar nomination for this role, but I find it insane that he didn't get the award. His portrayal of Danny was simply touching. Danny is loyal and sometimes awkward boy (notice the way he stumbles when he tosses the bike into the bushes in the first few scenes); he is also musically-gifted. The way he plays the piano is astounding. The audition scene is one of my favourites.

"Running On Empty" has a lot going on for it: a good though slightly flawed script, talented actors (Phoenix, Christine Lahti, Judd Hirsch and Martha Plimpton), and BEAUTIFUL music. Also, how often do you have movies involving teen romance that don't make it into something cheesy and unbelievable? Everything Danny does for Lorna (Martha Plimpton) is believable, right down to the confession scene in the woods. Through his actions it is apparent that Danny is really in love with her, but can't be with her because he has to stick with his family. That alone is enough to bring tears to anyone's eye: his dedication to his family and his willingness to give up himself for them.

Another great scene is when the Pope family and Lorna are all singing and dancing to James Taylor's "Fire and Rain" (great song). I think there is a reason why the song was played at the end again.

So in short, "Running On Empty" is simply fantastic. If you haven't seen it, you don't know what you're missing.

Possibly the finest and most underappreciated film by Sidney Lumet, this movie has moments which grab you by the throat -- they are so powerful. The cast, which is outstanding (Judd Hirsch, Christine Lahti, and River Phoenix in particular), is part of the reason for its power. The characters are totally convincing. The young man played by River Phoenix is someone we must sympathize with: his dilemma is a lifelong choice between never seeing his loved ones again or continuing to grow as a very talented pianist. The choice is agonizing, and the ending is sure to bring tears to many eyes of people who are part of a close-knit family. One scene is particularly powerful and makes me tear up every time I watch it: The luncheon meeting between Annie, the mother (Christine Lahti) and her father, played by Steven Hill. The dialog during this scene is so convincing, and the acting is perfect. But River Phoenix is the main reason to see this beautiful film, and this simply underscores the tragedy of his death at an early age. He had already proved he was a talent of considerable promise with in Stand By Me and in Mosquito Coast. I fully recommend this film to all thinking people with feelings about the inevitable conflict between family and individuality. This is a small film -- what I call "a little gem" -- most of which are small budget films with great acting and centered around the subjects of families and their values. Also see Crossing Delancey, another "little gem".

"Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known."- Oscar Wilde

In the 1970s, Annie and Arthur Pope were responsible for the anti-war protest bombing of a napalm laboratory. Though the couple expected the building to be empty, a janitor was present and was left severely blinded by the explosion. As a result, the couple have spent the past 2 decades on the run from the FBI, relying on an underground network of activists and supporters to help them financially.

Sidney Lumet's "Running on Empty" focuses on Danny, the couple's eldest son (River Phoenix). Because the family jump from town to town, constantly changing homes and even identities, Danny's found it hard to settle and forge an identity of his own. His life is in a constant state of flux, leaving Danny to find solace in music.

"Empty" opens with an atmospheric sequence in which the Pope family evade the FBI. We then watch as they settle into a new town and enrol their kids in a new school.

In one cute scene, Danny arrives late to his first music lesson, and is asked by the teacher to explain the difference between Beethoven and Madonna. Danny's answer ("You can't dance to Beethoven!"), and his teacher's later explanation, sums up the central theme of the film. Pop songs, we learn, are largely comprised of a series of predictable rifts and choruses. Beethoven, in contrast, constantly thwarts expectations. He sets up a predictable route, then veers off in different directions. The point is, the young need a familiar beat. And so Danny, who is constantly on the move, constantly out of synch with the world, is never given the time or space to develop a dance of his own. Ironically, it is being "out of sync" which leads to great art. Being "out of sync" creates a kind of artistic "objectivity". An outsiders "view", which Danny embodies.

As the film progresses, Danny clashes several times with his father, a hippie and anti-authoritarian activist who insists that Danny must give up his music (he's been offered a place at a prestigious university) and stay with the family. What makes the film interesting, however, is that Danny is so soft-spoken and loyal to his family that he agrees with his father. This leads to a sort of internal conflict only recognised by Danny's mother. She senses the pain in her own son, and tries to persuade her husband to set him free.

But no, Arthur refuses. If Danny enrols to the prestigious music school he will have to give his real name and real birth details. When he does so, the FBI will track and monitor him, which of course means that Arthur and Annie will never get to see their boy again. It's not a simple matter of forbidding one's son from pursuing art (a common theme in films), but of holding a family together. By setting Danny free, Arthur and Annie effectively prevent themselves from ever seeing him again.

And of course, both Arthur and Annie know all to well how painful it is to be separated from family; they were young when they committed their crime and so have not seen their own mothers and fathers in decades. It is thus an act of profound love which makes the family's decision so difficult.

Lumet has always been an actor's director, so its no surprise that "Running on Empty" features a number of powerful conversations. One of the best involves Danny confessing his identity to a girl he's fallen in love with. Another involves Annie's conversation with her father, a man she hasn't seen since she was a child. Danny's final words to his father are likewise powerful.

Another interesting theme is the film's treatment of art and political activism. Annie and Arthur both tried to change the world, but in wanting to make the world safer for their kids, they've effectively cut their own children off from society. The film then looks at the way the hippies, radicals and political activists of the 1960s and 70s were enveloped and assimilated into a more dour, suburban life, rendered invisible, not by choice, but by what is essentially a complex blend of fear and threat of violence. For Lumet, art (in this case music) thus becomes a form of neo-activism. A form of potent protestation and personal freedom. Danny, in playing his music, does not cut himself off from his family, rather, he reinvigorates the spirit and ideals they once fought for.

8.9/10 – A love letter to artists, sensitively directed by Sidney Lumet. Worth two viewings.

I watched this film again last night, having seen it many times before, and was once again bowled over by its subtle power. This is a film composed of powerfully quiet moments that culminate into a final scene as moving as I've ever seen.

This is a film that could have so easily fallen into made-for-TV type melodrama, but is written and acted with such subtlety that we do not feel manipulated in the least. Take for instance the scene in which we learn how Michael, the film's protagonist played by River Phoenix, learned to play piano with such skill. SPOILER AHEAD! I'll never forget the image of Christine Lahti's Annie joining her son in a quietly beautiful little duet in the school music room. Instead of an overblown emotional scene, Sidney Lumet and writer Naomi Foner, opt for a moment with no dialogue at all. So many scenes like this populate the film -scenes weighted by so much pain, so much regret, so many secrets, and so little noise.

To call this film a hidden treasure is a gross understatement. This is the most observant and moving film about a family I have ever seen. It is one of the great achievements in modern cinema.