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Community reviews
From TMDb members · 1 total- badelf7/10
It's a little bit long for the sole issue that the script deals with. Other than that, very well played by all the leads, and Stanley Lumet did a decent job with the limited material.
Full text & links on TMDb in the reviews section below.
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Running on Empty
“They chose their lives. Now their son must choose his.”
74%
Movie
1h 56m
AI Analysis
Running on Empty (1988) — AI movie analysis
WatchMind AI generated this AI analysis of Running on Empty (1988) — a movie tagged as Drama, Romance, and Crime with emotional moods and steady pacing.
Story & themes: The Popes are a family who haven't been able to use their real identity for years. In the late sixties, the parents set a weapons lab afire in an effort to hinder the government's Vietnam war campaign. Ever since then, the Popes have been on the run with the authorities never far behind. Their survival is threatened… Our models also surface themes such as identity, ai, family, survival, and war from synopsis and genre signals.
Watch context: Best suited for date night. Expect steady storytelling (~116 min).
Community signal: TMDb members rate Running on Empty 74% (352 votes) — solid community ratings for this movie.
AI verdict
Running on Empty is a film worth prioritising when you want something with solid community ratings — our AI analysis flags it as a strong match for its genre and tone profile.
Algorithmic AI analysis from genres, synopsis, pacing heuristics, and TMDb community scores — not a generative chatbot. How WatchMind works.
Insights
Audience & engagement
How WatchMind visitors interact with this title — views, saves, sentiment, and taste match when you're signed in, or a device preview while browsing. Aggregates are anonymous; last 30 days.
Early data — charts fill in as more people explore this title.
TMDb audience score
74%
from 352 TMDb votes
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Engagement breakdown
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Views trend (14 days)
Daily title page views on WatchMind
Synopsis
The Popes are a family who haven't been able to use their real identity for years. In the late sixties, the parents set a weapons lab afire in an effort to hinder the government's Vietnam war campaign. Ever since then, the Popes have been on the run with the authorities never far behind. Their survival is threatened when their eldest son falls in love with a girl, and announces his wish to live his life on his own terms.
Quick facts
- Type
- Movie
- Status
- Released
- Release date
- 1988-09-09
- Runtime
- 1h 56m
- TMDB rating
- 7.4
- TMDB ID
- 18197
Watch & discovery tips
- Read TMDb member reviews in the reviews section, and audience tips from other WatchMind visitors in Audience notes.
- Use Rent, buy & download for official stores; offline viewing is usually inside their apps.
- Browse trending and top-rated movies from the main Movies page.
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Frequently asked questions
Where can I watch Running on Empty (1988)?
Running on Empty is available for discovery on WatchMind. You can find official links to rent, buy, or stream from licensed digital stores like Apple TV and Amazon in our "Where to Watch" section.
Is there an official trailer for Running on Empty?
Yes, you can watch the official trailer for Running on Empty directly on this page. We pull the latest video metadata from TMDb and play it via YouTube integration.
What is Running on Empty about?
The Popes are a family who haven't been able to use their real identity for years. In the late sixties, the parents set a weapons lab afire in an effort to hinder the government's Vietnam war campa... This is the official synopsis available via TMDb community metadata.
Is there an AI analysis for Running on Empty?
Yes. WatchMind publishes an AI analysis on this page — tone, pacing, audience fit, and community scores from TMDb metadata and recommendation models (not a chatbot). Scroll to the AI Analysis section or read the meta description summary.
How long is the movie Running on Empty?
The official runtime for Running on Empty is approximately 116 minutes.
Cast & crew
Names and photos from The Movie Database (TMDb). Follow links on themoviedb.org for full filmographies.
Directors & writers
Cast
Christine Lahti
Annie Pope
River Phoenix
Danny Pope
Judd Hirsch
Arthur Pope
- J
Jonas Abry
Harry Pope
Martha Plimpton
Lorna Phillips
- E
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
Bobo Lewis
Home Ec Teacher
- R
Ronnie Gilbert
Mrs. Taylor
Leila Danette
Maid
Audience notes
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Discussion0 notes
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Community reviews
Written by TMDb members — same catalogue as our movie & TV metadata. API terms
It's a little bit long for the sole issue that the script deals with. Other than that, very well played by all the leads, and Stanley Lumet did a decent job with the limited material.
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