Running on Empty (1988)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writer:

Naomi Foner (written by)

Release Date:

9 September 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In 1971, Arthur and Annie Pope blew up a napalm lab to protest the war... Ever since then they have been on the run from the FBI. They chose their lives. Now their son must choose his.

Plot:

The eldest son of a fugitive family comes of age and wants to live a life of his own.

Plot Keywords:

Underground | Student Radical | 1980s | FBI | Musician

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Christine Lahti	...	Annie Pope / Cynthia Manfield
River Phoenix	...	Danny Pope / Michael Manfield
Judd Hirsch	...	Arthur Pope / Paul Manfield
Jonas Abry	...	Harry Pope / Stephen Manfield
Martha Plimpton	...	Lorna Phillips
Ed Crowley	...	Mr. Phillips
L.M. Kit Carson	...	Gus Winant
Steven Hill	...	Donald Patterson
Augusta Dabney	...	Abigail Patterson
David Margulies	...	Dr. Jonah Reiff
Lynne Thigpen	...	Contact at Eldridge St.
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	School Clerk
Sloane Shelton	...	Mrs. Phillips
Justine Johnston	...	Librarian
Herb Lovelle	...	Hospital Clerk

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:S | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Empire Stages of New York, Long Island City, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Double Play

Trivia:

Director Sidney Lumet writes in his book "Making Movies" about an argument between River Phoenix and writer Naomi Foner. A scene in the movie concerns the character played by Phoenix being interrupted while practicing a classical piano solo. In the script, when he is caught, he breaks into a jazz riff to cover his "embarrassment" at being caught doing something serious. Phoenix fought hard against this, feeling that his character would never be embarrassed about working at the piano. Lumet was so impressed by the point Phoenix made, he shot the scene the way Phoenix wanted it.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Arthur returns home drunk one night, he stumbles backwards, falls and shatters the living room table. A short while later he is shown sitting next to the intact table when Danny comes home from being with Lorna.

Quotes:

Lorna: You're certifiable. You're welcome!

Movie Connections:

References Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Soundtrack:

Happy Birthday To You

Really liked this one

Why this has an average rating of only 7.3 is beyond me. This is really darn good, maybe not a "masterpiece" as some of the other reviews have stated, but one of those criminally underrated and overlooked movies. And, heck, starring River Phoenix for crying out loud. Why had I never heard of it? Yeah, it's got a touch of cheesy '80s things about it (music, clothing, etc.) but I've learned to overlook that sort of thing if it's actually a good story. Take this and another coming-of-age movie, _This Boy's Life_ (starring Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio -- why hadn't I ever heard of that one either?), and you have a couple of the best great-but-underrated movies in recent memory. I'd love a good explanation for why this should only get a 7.3 out of 10, given the quality of a bunch of material with a higher average rating. (I thought 6.9 was the average rating here. This isn't even close to just average.) Compared to the body of Sidney Lumet's work, this has got to rank right up near the top, doesn't it?