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Running on Empty

Play trailer Poster for Running on Empty PG-13 1988 1h 56m Drama Crime Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
81% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Arthur Pope (Judd Hirsch) and his wife, Annie (Christine Lahti), are fugitives, perpetually on the run from federal authorities due to their antiwar activity during the 1960s. The couple moves around the country with their two sons -- young Harry (Jonas Abry) and his older teenage brother, Danny (River Phoenix). On the verge of adulthood, Danny longs to set out on his own and live a more stable life, but he knows this could mean permanent separation from his family.
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Running on Empty

Running on Empty

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Critics Consensus

Running on Empty largely skims past its political themes, but River Phoenix's performance helps anchor the story's generational conflict.

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Critics Reviews

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Joe Pollack St. Louis Post-Dispatch May 25, 2021
"Running on Empty" is a brilliant movie, a gripping story that works on many levels. Go to Full Review Robin Givhan Detroit Free Press May 25, 2021
5/10
Hirsch as a '60s radical is hard to swallow. He looks and moves more like a professor of American political history than someone who made history. Go to Full Review Jay Carr Boston Globe May 25, 2021
Its essential generosity is its most laudable aspect: its sympathy for the idealism of antiwar radicals seems like the real thing. Go to Full Review Elizabeth Pincus Gay Community News (Boston) Jul 13, 2022
Running on Empty is as earnest as they come, delving with ostensible sincerity into the spirit, if not the substance, of the ’60s. Go to Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) Jun 21, 2022
The ambivalent hypocrisy of [Running on Empty] would make it intolerable if not for an astute Lumet who shifts focus to turn it onto a conflict of loyalty with the eldest son. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Apr 7, 2022
3.5/4
...completely compelling and entirely rewarding... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Doug F @frisch555 Jul 6, 2026 Well acted and thoroughly enjoyable See more Kirsten W @kirght Jun 23, 2026 Great story and great acting. See more Joshua M @Flameon Mar 28, 2026 Family drama with great acting. River Phoenix and Martha Plimpton steal this one. See more John F @RT84127024 Jan 12, 2026 Before One Battle After Another, there was Lumet's Running on Empty. River Phoenix is a gem. See more David F @dfulmer Dec 24, 2025 Kind of an eccentric film about some ex-hippy fugitives on the run with their family. Politics and family troubles mix to make for a lot of conflict. See more Robert W @RT34973803 Dec 24, 2025 Accidentally posted on the wrong movie See more Read all reviews
Running on Empty

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Cast & Crew

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Sidney Lumet

Director

Christine Lahti

Annie Pope

River Phoenix

Danny Pope

Martha Plimpton

Lorna Phillips

Jonas Abry

Harry Pope

Ed Crowley

Mr. Phillips

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Running on Empty

Running on Empty (1988) Running on Empty (1988) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Arthur Pope (Judd Hirsch) and his wife, Annie (Christine Lahti), are fugitives, perpetually on the run from federal authorities due to their antiwar activity during the 1960s. The couple moves around the country with their two sons -- young Harry (Jonas Abry) and his older teenage brother, Danny (River Phoenix). On the verge of adulthood, Danny longs to set out on his own and live a more stable life, but he knows this could mean permanent separation from his family.
Director
Sidney Lumet
Producer
Amy Robinson, Griffin Dunne
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Lorimar Film Entertainment
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama, Crime, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 9, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 14, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.8M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Surround
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