Running on Empty

Rating:
Summary: River's Best Work
Review: This is one of River Phoenix's most moving and amazing performances. Having seen this film over 30 times in the last 14 years, it still manages to stir up my emotions every time. This is a story about the closeness of a family, love, and aspirations. I recommend this movie for anyone, even if you aren't a River Phoenix fan.

Rating:
Summary: First rate drama.
Review: This is simply one of the very best dramas made in the last 20 years. I consider it a must-see. The scene wherein Christine Lahti is reunited briefly with her father is one of the most powerful images ever caught on film.

Rating:
Summary: A Touching, Inspiring Film
Review: This is the defining performance of River Phoenix's tragically short career, deservingly earning him an Oscar nomination, as a teen-age boy trapped in circumstances beyond his control and wishing to break free. An exceptional supporting cast (Christine Lahti, Judd Hirsch, and Martha Plimpton) adds a full range of emotional drama to this piece...but River's performance certainly stands out. The specific storyline may seem a bit far-fetched, but at some level every family deals with its basic themes: the reality of growing up, the meaning of family loyalty, and the pain of letting go. Rent it!

Rating:
Summary: River's and Judd's best performances
Review: This movie is a moving and tearfully unsettling experience. Judd Hirsch, formerly of the sitcom, TAXI, gives a great performance, and River Pheonix really should have won the Oscar in '88. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: A source of inspiration!!
Review: This movie tells us how young generation get to find and love their identities and their lives. River is the figure-in-the-mirror of us. Like him, we may feel that we are running on empty. But he shows how much beautiful, though painful, life is. This is one of the most inspiring movies in 80's.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie, Awful DVD
Review: This top-notch drama features a gut wrenching story and powerful acting, including the late River Phoenix' best performance. It's remained one of my all-time favorite movies since I first saw it over a decade ago. Unfortunately, the dvd presentation is disgraceful, with a badly cropped pan and scan video presentation and a mono soundtrack. Hopefully, Warner Home Video will rectify this atrocity.

Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorites
Review: You are reading this from a true River Phoenix fan. I love this movie with a passion. I can understand why at the age of 18, Phoenix was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for his role as a boy who has grown up living on the run with his younger brother and ex-hippie parents. If you are a fellow Phoenix fan, or even just a movie watcher, you must see this terrific applaudable movie that can give you a view into another world.