Summary

Lucy Hale’s performance shines in the film.
Keir Gilchrist and Hale have great chemistry.
The cast struggles with a lack of direction and odd acting choices.

Running on Empty is a movie that clearly tries to deliver an impactful message about living life to the fullest, but it falters behind bizarre and lackluster comedy and writing. The movie stars Keir Gilchrist (It’s Kind of a Funny Story, It Follows), and Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars, Scream 4), as young adults searching for meaning in their lives. This is made exponentially more important for Mort (Gilchrist), when he is told he has less than a year left to live.

Running on Empty Director Daniel André Release Date August 9, 2024 Writers Daniel André Cast Francesca Eastwood , Lucy Hale , Monica Potter , Dustin Milligan , Keir Gilchrist , Jim Gaffigan , Rhys Coiro , Jay Pharoah Runtime 91 Minutes

Mort is a mortician who is happily engaged and planning to purchase a house with his beautiful partner. However, when the couple decide to take an official scientific test, which is now common place, to determine how long they have left, Mort is stunned to discover he has less than a year. From that point on, his life begins to spiral out of control, and he finds himself getting into increasingly dangerous and disastrous situations. The one bright ray of hope is Kate (Hale), who Mort meets at a matchmaking agency for people who have their life expectancy results.

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Running On Empty Forgets The Basics Of Comedy Stories: Being Funny

From the beginning, Running on Empty’s comedy is abrasive and belligerent. Rather than attempting to pull us in with the usual gentle comedy stylings of a classic rom-com, it pushes the boundaries harder and faster. While this isn’t inherently a negative on its own, and there is a place for that type of comedy, Running on Empty fails to assert any reason or sense for why it belongs in that category.

Hale does the majority of the heavy lifting as the only character who’s believable and charming.

The problem is the movie wants to be sweet and thoughtful, with a heartfelt message about grabbing life with both hands. But the resulting feature is rife with odd innuendo, creepy characters, and bizarre twists. There are some moments where I believe a viewer may be compelled to laugh, but it’s much more likely to be out of an awkward obligation rather than a genuine sense of entertainment.

Ultimately, the movie could have chosen one or the other of these directions, or found a smoother way to bring them together, but in chasing both, it lost sight of its goals. Fortunately, Gilchrist and Hale manage to remain engaging enough throughout that it’s not a complete waste of time, but even then, Hale does the majority of the heavy lifting as the only character who’s believable and charming. Everyone else is assigned a quirk to make them stand out, but it just results in dozens of one-note characters that add nothing to the film.

Running On Empty Doesn’t Seize The Day

As a result of Mort receiving his death date, he tries to resolve how he should spend the final year of his life. However, it appears he has no real desire or motivation to chase anything — until others directly tell him what to do. Everything in his life is the result of others pushing him to act, and the only thing he actually has a passion for is decorating dead bodies in the family morgue.

The idea was solid… Hale delivered, and chemistry between the leads was there… but without… a clear focus for the film, it’s hard to offer much in terms of praise.

The idea is a positive one, and the premise has a great deal of promise, but it does not deliver. Running on Empty is dissonant and aimless, much like the leading man. The supporting cast also struggles to bring their characters to life. Whether it was a lack of direction, a lack of development in the script, or a lack of effort from the actors, it simply feels like this movie was a less than ideal feature debut from writer-director Daniel André.

Hopefully, André can take what he has learned with this project and make something great in the future. The rom-com idea was solid, strong actors like Hale delivered, and chemistry between the leads was there. This can go a decent part of the way, but without more character development, direction, and a clear focus for the film, it’s hard to offer much in terms of praise.

Running on Empty is now playing in select theaters and will be available on VOD August 27.

1.5 After learning he has less than a year to live, Mortimer’s life spirals when his fiancée leaves him. Joining a dating service that pairs people by their death dates, he meets Kate, sparking an unexpected romance. As a deranged pimp stalks him, Mort embarks on a quirky journey to embrace life before it’s too late.ProsLucy Hale is the standout performance of the filmGilchrist and Hale appear to have some genuine chemistry that works well ConsMost of the cast seem to struggle with a lack of direction and bizarre acting choicesThe comedy fails to land throughout the filmThe entire film feels disconnected from the message it’s clearly trying to espouse