Running on Empty (2024)

Running-on-Empty-(2024)
Running on Empty (2024)

Do you consider it a blessing to know the precise time of your death? For most, this is a miserable thought. One can be relieved upon learning this about them: they are going to die when they reach old age. That makes planning for retirements and trips such a hassle. But what if the circumstances were the opposite? Because you might die before a year’s time without even saying a proper goodbye to that one person well-suited to be the love of your life, or flying to that far-off beautiful destination you dreamt of always, or simply doing all those things which mattered. What now? Would you try to live every moment to its fullest, or would you sulk over what little time is left? What’s a man like Mortimer the mortician to do?

The film’s premise was intoxicating but the punchlines became ridiculously mundane. Running on Empty Heard about this term? Don’t mix it up with Sidney Lumets legendary classic of the same name or The Musical Number by Jackson Browne this ideation could have worked, somehow, it’s a series of incredibly stale, sexist jokes, even more stale, and parodies wannabe or low-quality ones, hackneyed and lifeless acting from what can only be described as knowing this version wouldn’t even exist, followed by dialogs which ought to leave the speaker embarrassed most especially in Starbucks never mind withstanding it for over an hour and a half, this seems close to being the worst.

Other than the storyline, which is its sole saving grace, there is practically nothing to be gained from the film, and the ending itself is not all that unexpected, rather more similar to a lengthy period of such rending in the middle of the day, the only difference being that it is unanticipated.

Mortimer (Keir Gilchrist) is a mortician (or a funeral director), who helps his ‘chilling’ uncle Barry (Jim Gaffigan) run the family mortuary business in the San Fernando Valley. In the process of purchasing a home with his stereotypically attractive fianacée Nicole (Francesca Eastwood), the two head over to a clinic where they get told when they are supposed to die. The great news for Nicole is that she will outlive even a man. The bad news for Mort is that, well, he is going to die in less than twelve months. Nicole makes him die inside that he must figure out how he will try to enjoy his final few days on earth. During this, he meets compassionate Kate (Lucy Hale) and a horrible ‘working’ Simon (Rhys Coiro), the latter of whom is a frequent and stronger presenter of Mort and anticipate more payments.

According to the narration and direction given by Daniel André, the romantic comedy turns out to be one quite the influencer in the eye of one the most passionate characters running on empty.

It is true that the premise is the only good thing about the movie but as Mort’s woes increase so do the odds of him speed dating with the horrible bachelorettes of los Angeles, and sitting through the n number of dates with Simon too becomes tedious, the impression gives off quite the opposite since earth as a planet is slowly becoming dearer to Mort. Mort & Andre share the similarities as well since Andre now has to devise a way out to find some humor in the endless disappointment due to the fact that his role always gets beaten up every other hour of the night. In Running on Empty, there are traces of there being a movie ‘After Hours’ produced and directed by Martin Scorsese, but then again, there was an absolute dearth of it to such circumstances such that it was difficult to place Mort’s scramble against time and mortality in an appropriate place.

For him it would appear to not have even a small ounce of emotion to have to go through such lines when looking up at him one would always be looking to feel some level of tension which would be more understandable when there was more style but then again there was no substance to have been “I love it when I am provoked”. Giving me the impression that perhaps Mort is not a very nuanced character at all seeing as even towards the latter end of the movie we failed to get a glimpse of depth.

I think we shared the same feeling because he looked disinterested as well.

Nicole is set up to be one-dimensional as well, but even more complex is Kate who acts similarly to a mix of different versions of Ramona Flower but is devoid of character or motivation.

At the very least Hale injects some humor or does take some effort to ensure the humor is there. She portrays an upbeat and cheerful demeanor, unlike Gaffigan’s Barry or Jay Pharoah who plays Mort’s coworker Sid. And while the rest of the cast seems to be dazed and subdued for the majority of the film, Hale single-handedly balances the movie out on her own. However, It will not save the movie or its conversations, but such a change is rather refreshing.

Unfortunately, it seems that creative writers are calling some of their works the title of “Running on Empty” in the hopes of creating something funny but they are quite unsuccessful in doing so. The comedic monotony paired with failed performances, bland storytelling, ‘revolting’ comedy, monotonous set designs, and of course memorable quotes like: “So Simon says,” made me feel as if I was wasting my life watching this. There is hardly anything redeemable about “Running on Empty” since all it aims to do is to be true to its title.

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