Keir Gilchrist and Lucy Hale star in Running on Empty, a tragicomedy following a man who has less than a year to live and wants his last shot at finding love.
Director: Daniel André
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Run Time: 91′
US Theatrical Release: August 9, 2024
US & Canada VOD Release: August 27, 2024
UK Release: TBA
If you could find out your death date, would you? For Mort (Keir Gilchrist), the aptly named mortician, his curiosity to find out the date he dies has gotten the better of him. When it’s revealed he has less than a year to live, his life is switched upside down. Unlike other people who would panic, Mort’s life is changed for the better. He starts living life to the fullest for the first time, heading into bars he’s never been to and hitting on women he normally wouldn’t have the courage to speak to.
Running on Empty navigates what it’s really like to encounter love in one’s final moments, and how life only seems to begin once you know it’s about to end. With Mort’s days quickly ticking by, he’s looking for real, true love in his final months left. When an app that matches you with people who also have early death dates is suggested to Mort, he instantly jumps at the opportunity to have his chance at love.
Before he even starts swiping on the app, Mort lays his eyes on a striking woman at a bar – Rita (Leslie Stratton) – who is willing to talk to him, flirt even. She’s coincidentally sitting right at the entrance to the bar, so he doesn’t even have time to browse around for anyone else who may catch his eye. He thinks Rita is genuinely flirting with him and not just talking to him because she’s an escort. Even when arriving back at her apartment, he still doesn’t get the hint. Date number one ends in complete disaster when Rita dies midway through giving Mort a lap dance. This is the start of many bad dates for Mort.
Gilchrist excels as an awkward late 20s guy who’s just trying to steer through life without too many ups and downs. Mort likes to stay out of the limelight, so as long as his life is mediocre, he’s fine with the way his days go. Gilchrist was particularly able to showcase this side of his acting during the four series long Netflix show Atypical, in which he played an autistic teenager trying to find love and independence. He channels that same energy to create a likeable, sometimes sensitive Mort in Running on Empty.
Supporting actress Lucy Hale is likewise delightful to see on screen, playing a warm, charming woman named Kate who’s in charge of creating the web profiles for the dating app. Hale channels her inner Aria Montgomery (the character she played in Pretty Little Liars) with the colourful streaks in her hair, and the gentle charisma her role as Kate holds. If anything, we don’t see enough of Kate to fully form an opinion on how we feel about her, but her friendly presence adds a pleasant atmosphere when watching.
When Mort finally sets up the early death date love app, it matches him with various women with whom he swiftly goes out on dates; after all, he doesn’t have that much time left to find a girlfriend. Some of the women are more unpleasant than others: one date even steals his suit jacket, with his wallet still in the pocket, and leaves the restaurant where they’re on a date. Mort’s luck is fast running out; some may say it’s running on empty. Will he ever be able to find his one true love this late in life?
Filmmaker Daniel André is new to directing, but not new to cinema as a whole. He has a knack for post-production, particularly when it comes to IMAX mastering, as he worked on Jurassic World, Avatar and Interstellar. His directorial debut is enjoyable, with a fun, unique storyline that stands out among 2024 releases. Whilst the acting from the lead shines, a few more jokes here and there to make it more upbeat would have worked well. Particularly on Mort’s string of dates when we’re rooting for him to find a woman and it falls a little flat. Here, Hale could have come to save the day and increased her screen time more when Mort’s dates aren’t going to plan.
Running on Empty is entertaining for the most part. It deserves to find its crowd, especially with those who love either Gilchrist or Hale. Everyone merits a chance to find love, whether you have a month, a year or 60 years to live. Mort’s story may not be common, particularly as we can’t predict our death dates, but we know we don’t have forever to pull ourselves together. This might be the film to make you realise that today could be the start of the rest of your life and trying those things you have been saving for later down the line could start now. Why wait, today is as perfect as any to do those bucket list things, or even push yourself to find your one true love.
Running on Empty will open in US theaters on August 9, 2024 and will then be released on VOD in the US & Canada on August 27, 2024.
