‘Running On Empty’ (2024) Review – Nothing But Fumes In A Random And Awkward Story About Life And Death

Imagine knowing how long until you die and the exact date of death. Running on Empty asks the audience those questions. The answers are mixed, and at points, the film feels like it is living up to its title. It moves from vignette to vignette without a storyline connecting it. The movie tries to play it straight with a serious undertone of life and death but falls into cliched humor and trapdoors of redundancy. There are signs of life, particularly in the performance, that keep this film from being dead on arrival.

Mortimer “Mort” (Keir Gilchrist) is a mortician who works in the family business. However, when he learns he has less than a year to live, his fiance dumps him. On his own and feeling depressed, he joins an online dating service that matches people based on their death dates. After a few dating adventures, including a misbegotten one night with a woman who is a call girl, he establishes a friendship with Kate (Lucy Hale). Kate initially set him up with the dating service. Throw in being stalked by a vengeful pimp; Mort sets out to start living life.

Running on Empty does not unearth anything profound about life’s meaning in a silly, run-of-the-mill dramedy. Mort, upon learning of his end date, philosophically approaches the matter. We meet him as a no-frills, serious individual who, knowing his time is genuinely finite, knows death is unavoidable, but so is life. This is the kind of Hallmark-style messaging the film has to offer through its ninety-minute runtime. It reverts to antics whenever it tries to be bold or even provide some commentary.

The bit with the pimp hunting Mort for money is slightly humorous. There is a half-baked subplot involving Mort’s ex-fiance Olivia (Emelina Adams), but it also reveals itself as a minor distraction. Even the presence of Jim Gaffigan, who plays Mort’s Uncle Barry, feels like a sideshow or a setup for another movie. He runs an eccentric funeral parlor that serves as nothing more than a window dressing. These vignettes, which populate the film, wear thin once we realize it is nothing more than a sideshow until we meet Running Empty’s true purpose. The bond between Mort and Kate is ultimately the goal the film strives to be about; however, it arrives far too late in the final stages. What otherwise might have been a fun exploration of opposites attracts and life-affirming self-discovery plays like a “previously on” montage from any number of teen dramas.

All that said, the casting of Mort and Kate is delightful. Gilchrist brings an awkward warmth to Mort. Despite the film’s absurd trappings and, at times, strung-along story, his character is a unique soul who pairs well with Hale’s Kate. As for Hale, despite being left waiting in the wings until largely the third act, she is charming as always. She navigates this bare-bone tale and brings Mort’s character a beautiful sense of heart and purpose.

Oddly, much of their interaction feels like part of a clip show, which is a pity. Despite the film’s more hollow offerings, Gilchrist and Hale’s chemistry is tender and surprisingly genuine. Perhaps the movie’s design makes their interactions fleeting, leaving the audience wanting more. Their connection feels authentic in an otherwise spurious story.   

Ultimately, Running on Empty feels like a movie that wishes to make a profound statement on life and death but ends up saying nothing. It is a radical case where the runtime is both an advantage and a disadvantage. On the one hand, the film’s thin story is stretched to ridiculous lengths. On the other hand, the film leapfrogs to the purported purpose of the story. It is a case where no parties are satisfied, and perhaps the best response to the film is that’s life.

Running On Empty is currently playing in select theaters and is available on Digital platforms courtesy of Lionsgate.