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Running on Empty

Running on Empty

Drama · Romance · Crime · 1988

The Popes are a family who haven't been able to use their real identity for years. In the late sixties, the parents set a weapons lab afire in an effort to hinder the government's Vietnam war campaign. Ever since then, the Popes have been on the run with the authorities never far behind. Their survival is threatened when their eldest son falls in love with a girl, and announces his wish to live his life on his own terms.

Movie details

Running on Empty

“They chose their lives. Now their son must choose his.”

1988 Drama · Romance · Crime 1h 56m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.6 / 10

19.3K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

81 %

Tomatometer

Metacritic

67 / 100

Metascore

TMDB

7.4 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

The Popes are a family who haven't been able to use their real identity for years. In the late sixties, the parents set a weapons lab afire in an effort to hinder the government's Vietnam war campaign. Ever since then, the Popes have been on the run with the authorities never far behind. Their survival is threatened when their eldest son falls in love with a girl, and announces his wish to live his life on his own terms.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Running on Empty?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Sidney Lumet

Written by

Naomi Foner

Christine Lahti

Christine Lahti

Annie Pope

River Phoenix

River Phoenix

Danny Pope

Judd Hirsch

Judd Hirsch

Arthur Pope

J

Jonas Abry

Harry Pope

Martha Plimpton

Martha Plimpton

Lorna Phillips

E

Ed Crowley

Mr. Phillips

L.M. Kit Carson

L.M. Kit Carson

Gus Winant

Court is in session

Put Running on Empty on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.