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Running on Empty (1988) ✦ Full-Length Watchalong Reaction (Patreon)

Published:
2024-10-02 22:00:06
Edited:
2025-05-21 02:34:54
Imported:
2026-08
Tags:

Content

Hey everyone! This is another movie that I had never heard of before, so thank you Bryan for requesting this on my Reactr page. This is also my first River Phoenix movie!

I'm looking forward to your comments and thoughts! This is one I'd def encourage watching if you've never seen it before. [Direct link here.]

Cheers,

✦ KL

Files

Running on Empty (1988) ✦ Full-Length Watchalong Reaction

Comments

Tyler Foster

I guess my accidental head start on learning what movie this was (I looked at the "exclusives" section on your website and it was already there) only lasted about two minutes, hehe. Much like the previous exclusive Pump Up the Volume, this is a movie that had a cropped DVD for years and years and recently-ish got a beautiful new 4K remaster from Warner Archive on Blu-ray. A Patch of Blue was similar, although that DVD was at least in the correct aspect ratio. Tragically, the new remastered versions have not yet been made available to streaming services. I love the work they do on these new transfers, and I suppose I get that they want to keep those presentations exclusive to the discs in order to make buying them more appealing, but it's a shame that they don't reliably turn up online after a couple of years or so.

nouvelle_vague

Ho. Lee. Crap. Well I certainly did not expect this to be the 1988 movie. I re-watched this relatively recently, but I look forward to re-watching it with you. This is a pretty good River Phoenix introduction. Certainly not one of his more famous roles, but he's so good in this. Thank you Bryan!

Bryan Dempsey

I’m glad you enjoyed it. You had a similar experience to me. My first apartment offered movie rentals as an amenity and would rotate a couple dozen movies into the front office every month. We would work our way through them without reading the back of the box. I also had no idea about the plot. Honestly the couple of years I lived there I saw many great movies that way. I do want to make sure it’s clear, though it seems to go without saying, this isn’t based on a true story. I didn’t mean to imply that if people misinterpret your intro. But there was a real napalm factory bombing in the 1970’s to protest the Vietnam war. And the leaders of Weather Underground, what the FBI called a domestic terrorist organization, Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn did go on the run. My understanding is that is where the similarities end. I referenced that in my summary because I wasn’t sure of your level of knowledge of US Vietnam protests or that war in general. My dad was drafted and served in the army during Vietnam, losing hearing in one ear, making my awareness of Vietnam high. I wasn’t sure if context helps the viewing experience or not. I loaned my dvd to my best friend who tried watching it 3 time over several months and fell asleep each time. I also did a favorite movie share with a woman I was dating a few years back and she found it boring and also fell asleep. I was beginning to think my fondness for the movie was an aberration. Thank you for validating the quality of the movie. Re: The movie itself. When they dump their dog on the side of the road my heart breaks. For so many reasons. When Arthur learns his mom died and the news is delivered so dispassionately. Ugh. It’s interesting how easy it was to enroll Danny. The limitations and trust in a world without the internet. And they didn’t ask for shot records, never thought about it before but that was still a thing even back then. I liked Danny and Lorna’s relationship. My favorite scene is the birthday party. They felt like a real family and accepted Lorna without question. They are so happy but dancing to a song that makes me feel melancholy. This was my first exposure to the song Fire and Rain by James Taylor and it’s stayed a favorite ever since. That was also my favorite moment of your reaction. You were completely lit up watching them. I know how you felt watching that family. I also liked the casual honesty between Danny and his father. After Danny returned late at night the quick, trusting conversation. and speaking as a father. My daughter had a boyfriend in college and told me she was planning to say overnight and it was her first time. I told her ok. I let her take the car. And then I ended up staying awake all night that night. And it was the weekend Iron Fist premiered on Netflix because I marathoned that show during my sleepless night. It’s easy to say more parents should talk to their children like we saw in the movie. In practice, it’s hard to let your child go and hope you taught them right. Danny telling Lorna the secret. Anyone who had held onto to secrets before. They carry weight. It’s hard. Lorna accepted his story, she didn’t interrupt him, she didn’t doubt him. That choice for the character really demonstrated the depth of her feelings for Danny IMO. She chose to share the burden with him. Beautiful. And a quote that has fascinated me since I first read it: “It requires as much caution to tell the truth as to conceal it.” - Baltasar Gracián I think the only way they could have left Danny is to drive away without hesitation. Like Arthur wouldn’t have had the courage to do what he argued against just that morning. But I’m someone who doesn’t like goodbyes. They are so awkward. So I appreciate the ending. And yes, River looked like Mark from Pump Up The Volume with his longer in front hairstyle of the late 80’s/early 90’s. I had friends who wore their hair the same way too. My final questions that will never be answered. Does Harry even have a real birth certificate somewhere? Is he legally Harry at all? Would Danny actually be accepted to college with a fake transcript? I mean, once the FBI finds out he’s with his grandparents they’ll be all over him and there will be no hiding his identity. What underground is actually helping the Pope family? How are they funded? Fun facts: River Phoenix and Martha Plimpton were dating in real life. This was actually their second film together. The woman in the doctor’s waiting room who forgot her purse and was ultimately robbed by Gus. She’s the librarian from the opening scene in Ghostbusters. The dentist Annie sees who helps her meet with her dad, he’s the same actor who played the mayor in Ghostbusters.

Nathan Jasper

Fantastic film. Such a rich, tragic story with brilliant performances and a hopeful ending. I had seen this one a long time ago but I had forgotten most of it so I might as well call it a first time watch 😂 I love River Phoenix so much, I hate that he died so young. He was really the James Dean of the '80s and 90s. So much promise cut short so soon. The only complaint that I have about it personally, and it's not really a big complaint because it doesn't really affect the movie one way or the other, is just how accepting the girlfriend was of his situation. Like I think if you told somebody that you really liked that your parents were fugitives and you weren't who you said you were, that you were on the run, they wouldn't be so accepting so quickly. Even though it's nothing you did and it's your parents that's at fault, it's still a huge thing to wrap your head around and accept. I do admire, on the other hand, that she did stick by him and encouraged his talent. I'm also glad his dad made a turn at the end. I do agree about needing a better goodbye but that also would have been tricky to play that out without it crossing cliché territory. The scene between the mother and her dad hits so hard. I felt that with every fiber of my being. That was probably my favorite scene in the film! Definitely would rewatch and recommend to others. Thanks Bryan for requesting!

Movies with KL

Great timing. I usually don't have things up on my site for very long before they appear here on Patreon. I bet the 4K of this is beautiful.

Movies with KL

Yeah, it definitely seems like a movie off most people's radars. I'm excited to watch more of River in the future, and this was a great start!

Movies with KL

First, thanks for the long comment! I assume you probably watched this before it ended up being shared here. (I'm going to attempt to do this with most Reactr requests moving forward.) Thanks again for the request! Sorry if it seemed like I thought this was SUPER true. I just meant that I would look more into *what* specifically they took inspiration from/based it off of. Appreciate the info! Not going to lie, I was very worried about how I would think of the movie after one of its first scenes was them abandoning their dog like that. 😂 It definitely didn't set the best tone right away. Yes, Arthur finding out about his mom was heartbreaking because of how emotionless it was. But you can tell that he knew it was necessary to have it be done that way. The birthday party is definitely a top scene for me, because it really displayed how close this family is and yes, them welcoming Lorna in with open arms was really wonderful to see. I'm sure my own Dad had a lot of sleepless nights with me too. I stayed out all night during my after grad party and didn't get into the house until 6 am. And my date was with me too. At the time I think he was probably sleeping, but in hindsight, probably not. 😅 Yes, I was quite surprised that he told her, but sometimes revealing our deepest secrets gives us that depth we need about someone. That seemed to connect Danny and Lorna even more. Those are good questions to ask! And wow, that's cool they dated IRL. That will make re-watching this even more fun.

Movies with KL

I get how you feel about the Lorna knowing the secret situation. But I think how accepting Lorna was of it just showed how much she already cared for him at that point and Danny feeling comfortable enough to tell her also showed how much he cared for her right back. Not to mention, he told her that his life has been like that since he was TWO years old. Like, it's truly all he's ever known. And clearly his parents being who they were didn't make him a selfish asshole towards her - like look at the kind of person he became despite the life he had. Which I think we can credit his parents for because despite doing what they did, they were [surprisingly] very good parents. I get the cliche part too. I don't think I would have minded that. I think I just wanted more of a familial embrace between them all. Then again, I'm a big "hug my family" person - always hugging my family members goodbye every single time I see them. So I think it's just personal preference. 😅

Bryan Dempsey

I watched twice before it dropped here. Once a dedicated watch, the other multitasking during my work day. It’s a comfort movie to me at this point.

nouvelle_vague

I’ve always loved this movie. You watching let me think about its legacy and how it had two notable young stars, a famous director, got Oscar nominations (including River Phoenix’s only Oscar nom), made Roger Ebert’s year-end 10 best list and is basically completely forgotten 35 years later. I am very happy Bryan requested you watch it. There is a screenwriting adage to “save the cat” — have the protagonist do something simple but endearing early on to win over the audience. This is the only time I think I’ve seen a movie do the exact opposite and “abandon the dog” in the first act. As soon as I saw poor Jomo I remembered that happened and thought the Popes might lose KL from the jump. I’m glad you forgave them. Beyond the fact that I think Arthur might have a change of heart if he lingered on the goodbye too long, I think one of the reasons the ending plays out as it does is because it mirrors the opening with leaving Jomo behind — who you assume they loved — which foreshadows the ending. Which isn’t to say I disagree with your criticism. As an audience, we want that moment at the end. I thought it was interesting that when Danny sneaks in to play the piano you commented that since he was raised by criminal it followed that he might do something like that (I am paraphrasing). I mean, you’re not wrong, they are criminals. But as someone who loves Mr. Robot as you do, I didn’t expect really expect you to land there on the Popes and their use of direct action — tragic as it ended up being. To that end I thought so many of these characters are wonderfully layered. Outside of maybe Gus, the bankrobbing revolutionary, I don’t think anyone is a bad person in this film. Everyone has a lot of really good qualities and some failings. They’re complex and messy and human. The acting in this film is so good top to bottom. And as sad as it is to see River Phoenix be so good, so young, I also think about Christine Lahti and Martha Plimpton who feel like they were underused by Hollywood for the next decades. On the other hand Steven Hill who plays her dad in that incredible reunion scene did get a long run on Law & Order in the twilight of his career. I thought someone mentioned it, but I’m not seeing it in the comments (unless I’m blind which is possible), but the screenwriter Noami Foner is Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s mom. It’s interesting that you kept thinking that River Phoenix looked like Christian Slater in Pump Up The Volume given that Samantha Mathis from Pump Up The Volume was Phoenix’s real life girlfriend when he died. Of course as mentioned he and Martha Plimpton met on The Mosquito Coast and had been dating for a while when this came out. There was a time when the all of the Phoenix siblings were young actors with seemingly promising careers: River, Rain, Leaf, Summer and Liberty… Leaf reverted back to his birth name of Joaquin when he was 15. Stand By Me is the obvious next one to see and one of his best performances. I haven’t seen My Own Private Idaho in forever, but also recommended as is Sneakers which is a much lighter vibe, but also a film that I remember everyone liking when it came out with a stacked cast that is faintly remembered. Since you said you didn’t know Sidney Lumet, he is one of the absolutely greats as a director IMO. I don’t think he gets the same kind of regard as a lot of others because he is from the old school and came before the New Hollywood movement of Spielberg, Coppola, De Palma and Scorsese and he didn’t have a particularly distinctive style. And he endured so long his output is so vast (44 feature films) that there are more misses than some others who are of his calibre. But from 12 Angry Men in 1957 to his gritty 70s New York movies like Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico to Network (high, high on my shortlist of films I’d love to see you react to) his best work is right up there with a lot of A list directors of the era. He was 64 when this came out and I think the measured pace, the assured and confident framing shows his age and experience. It’s wild to me how many scenes in this film feature someone playing the piano and there’s no quick cuts of fingers to furrowed brows and back…. it plays out slowly, often in one shot or two and often includes the entire piece being played. I’m glad you enjoyed it and I love that you watch quieter movies like this. It’s one of the reasons I subscribe.