summary
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Running on empty
The film aims to celebrate life amidst uncertainty, and has a great cast, but struggles with a scattered narrative and unclear direction. - The film borrows successfully from successful comedy-drama works, with quirky characters and a bold attempt at storytelling. It's just a bit of a loose end.
- Lucy Hale is excellent, but unfortunately her role is buried in the end.
If someone could tell you exactly when you were going to die, and you couldn’t change fate, would you want to know? It’s an old premise that has certainly sparked some interesting conversations over the years, and has been the narrative backbone of many a film in one way or another, whether it’s Cleo from 5 to 7 to Eternity and one dayWe can add. Running on empty (2024) to that list, and while it's not as good or important as those older masterpieces, this new cast proves its worth in laying a promising foundation from the start.
Directed and written by Daniel Andre, this relentlessly weird romantic comedy throws a lot of stuff at the wall of cinematic tropes, with some things sticking and others falling to the ground. But it's actually a brave, eccentric effort, which is always commendable in this day and age.
Running on Emptiness Wishes Kier Gilchrist a Sad Death Day
Running on empty
2.5/5
Keir Gilchrist, Lucy Hale, Francesca Eastwood and comedy legend Jim Gaffigan star in this heartwarming romantic comedy about celebrating life and living it to the fullest. Mortimer is a quirky but smart young man living a carefree life in California's San Fernando Valley until he receives some life-changing news. Determined to make the most of every day, Mortimer sets out on a quest to find meaning in his existence and discovers the girl of his dreams along the way.
- release date
- August 9, 2024
- exit
- Daniel Andre
- Runtime
- 1h 31m
- The book
- Daniel Andre
- Distributor(s)
- Lionsgate
- It's great to see such a talented group of actors working together. Lucy Hale is excellent; Francesca Eastwood and Rhys Coiro are fantastic.
- The introduction, final direction and themes are interesting and impressive.
- The movie seems scattered and unclear about where it wants to go and what it wants to do.
- Keir Gilchrist is given a shallow, awkward character and can't deliver a good performance. Meanwhile, the film's best direction doesn't emerge until the last 20 minutes.
Going back to the “here you die” cliché for a moment, this subgenre also includes comedy-drama. 50/50 (2011), where the hero Joseph Gordon-Levitt falls out with his girlfriend amidst a life-threatening cancer diagnosis, leading to their permanent separation. Running on emptyA similar disconnect occurs after a mortician named Mort (Keir Gilchrist) tries to buy a house with the love of his life, Nicole (Francesca Eastwood). This requires them to take a future test that literally determines their future death dates – for insurance, of course.When it becomes clear that Mort's death will not occur for less than a year, Nicole leaves the ship at the horrifying thought, in a messy breakup similar to her previous one. 50/50.Ooooh.
If you hadn’t already assumed it, Lionsgate’s new offering—with a title that misleadingly suggests a movie about robots, a remake of River Phoenix, or a Jackson Browne documentary—is clearly borrowing from or paying homage to previous successful comedy-drama films in an effort to maintain its luster. Some of these films are successful, such as the small roles played by big-name actors like Rhys Coiro (Footnote). Here we see a gangster and pimp named Simon, who throws our hero's life into a tailspin when Mort eventually turns to strip clubs and sex workers during his “life after his ex.”
On that note, and in a new comedic twist, the only sex worker he ever loved dies—by a bizarre coincidence—shortly after meeting Mort. This sends him on a chaotic spiral through California's San Fernando Valley, on the run from the deceased's employers who want Mort to pay for what they believe he did to her. Mort finds himself seeking existential guidance from his somewhat doting uncle Barry (Jim Gaffigan, a reliable comedian) And my explosive friend Mr.Jay Pharoah, doing a lot with limited screen time) But he eventually turns to a professional dating service to find true love in the limited days he has left.
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Death is a tough thing to deal with, but funny comedies like the following help us deal with the subject and discuss it lightheartedly.
Lucy Hale and Francesca Eastwood deserve better.
Ironically, it’s the person running this dating service, a smart, down-to-earth woman named Kate (Lucy Hale), who Mort finds himself drawn to. The fact that this comes up so late in the film is both strange and disappointing. We last spoke with Hale amid the release of another of her unconventional romances, Which brings me to yougiving the talented young star a more significant role. Hill still has the screen. And reminds us that Running on empty The film, ultimately, attempts to be a celebration of life amidst a constant state of uncertainty (or ironic certainty, in this case, given the date-of-death component). It's unfortunate that this brand has become so confused along the way..
Meanwhile, Gilchrist feels strangely restricted all the time. (Except for a few over-the-top scenes.) He seems just as confused as most viewers would be, baffled by certain plot developments that go nowhere. It's as if some scenes, like Nicole being brought back randomly, are just comedy sequences, and then we move on to another scene without any follow-up. Comedy does not serve the narrative.
British-Canadian actor Gilchrist is certainly talented and has proven his worth with the hit Netflix series atypical In addition to popular movies like It followsHe plays the confused stiff well here, but it often leaves us wanting more of a varied performance. He really brings some emotion and comedic timing, at least, but Running on empty He seems to suffer from an unspoken resignation that this unbalanced group is everywhere. From Lionsgate, Running on empty Now showing in theaters.
