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Review of “Running On Empty Dreams”

Warning: a few minor plot spoilers ahead.

Running on Empty Dreams (2007) may be one of the most emotionally exhausting lesbian films to come along since Boys on the Side, though it lacks the permanence and star power of the 1995 classic.

Instead, Running – recently released on DVD – offers a distinct indie charm, a wonderful, fulfilling lesbian romance (which is based on true events) and about 12 minutes of superfluous running time.

Written and directed by Nitara Lee Osbourne, the film is clearly a labor of love, though the end product is undeniably uneven.

The movie begins with the beautiful, brooding Sydney (Kathleen Benner) traveling to Arizona with her ex-marine husband (Corey, played by Jose Rosete) and their adorable son, Matt.

Kathleen Benner and Jose Rosete

Sydney is ill with thyroid cancer and the family has very little money, so she daydreams her life away. She’s also an aspiring screenwriter – penning lesbian-oriented films while sighing at her computer screen – and an avid fitness freak, an aspect that doesn’t jive well with her cancer treatments.

They soon settle into a house in a modest little Phoenix suburb, right across the street from Jane (Rachel Owens), a free-spirited single mom who closely resembles Amy Poehler. Corey spends long stretches of time on the road, so Jane and Sydney spend plenty of time together; doing play dates with the kids and swapping life stories while watching old flicks.

Benner and Rachel Owens

Their friendship grows increasingly intense until it becomes obvious that something a bit more amorous is working beneath the surface. Sydney is then faced with staying true to her hard-working (and very earnest) husband, or running off with Jane.

Complicating everything is Sydney’s cancer, her dedication to her existing family, and a very strange ex-lesbian neighbor who keeps popping up to torment our heroines into following “the right path” – that is, to live a life of celibacy.

The characters are all quite well drawn and the acting is top-notch across the board (save for a couple of folks who appear to be straight out of the twilight zone). Sydney’s journey makes for good drama – and her character is interesting, conflicted and complicated. Owens does a great job with Jane, avoiding any obvious “she’s the free-spirited lesbian!” clichés.

Rosete probably has the hardest job, since he has to make Corey believable and sympathetic as a traditional family man with military values faced with what he sees as a FUBAR situation.

It’s worth noting that his performance works very well – and what could have been a one-dimensional jerk becomes a flawed yet sympathetic guy who just seems to try too hard. A number of flashbacks to his days in the Gulf war do much to set him up well as an honorable, decent guy, despite the fact that his skills as a soldier don’t aid him much in suburban life.

Both young actors playing Matt and Tom are quite good, though every other line of theirs seems to be “what’s wrong with mommy?” – it’s simply that kind of movie.

The only real sour note performance-wise is Amber Ryan playing Geri, the butch ex-lesbian who tries (far too hard) to steer the leading ladies towards evangelical Christianity. The entire subplot is completely awkward and utterly unnecessary to the story – Running would be a stronger, tighter film without it. Each scene with the character feels forced and weird – and her lines are so cringe-worthy that it’s difficult not to laugh at her wannabe “I’m straight now” shtick.

Also completely bizarre is the baked-looking priest who gives Sydney some useless advice in a confessional. The religious aspects of the story are uniformly heavy-handed – one wishes that Geri and Father High Times would simply go off and star in their own movie, instead of padding this one down so often.

The music is almost comically awful and off-tone throughout the movie. While the few in-scene songs and the tune playing over the credits are just fine, the composed music sounds as if someone had a little too much fun playing with the strings section in Logic (or worse – GarageBand). It’s so over the top and cheesy that it almost undermines the fantastic performances, and it definitely prompted a few unintentional giggles.

The cinematography is excellent for a lower-budget film, with colorful sets and fairly dynamic setups that capture every ounce of the drama. Especially impressive are the wartime flashbacks – which are blown-out and beautiful in a surreal, “war is hell” sort of way. It’s a shame that the aural aspects couldn’t keep up.

Thankfully, the core romance works beautifully.

The “opposites attract” vibe soon melts into a romance that looks and feels like genuine love. Jane and Sydney play basketball with their boys, they go on picnics and watch old movies – it’s comfortable and often sexy. The actors have wonderful chemistry and the love scenes absolutely light up the screen.

A few clichés rear their heads – yes, there is some post-sex crying and (worse) poetry writing, but the scenes that Jane and Sydney spend together are easily the highlights of the movie.

Unfortunately, the film’s awkward plot points ruin the fun. The flick gets increasingly dramatic and unpredictable towards the end, and an extremely limp confrontation and yet another appearance of Geri make the last few moments drag on and on.

It’s a real shame that the ending credits are a welcome sight – and a discredit to the otherwise appealing 90 minutes that precede the unraveling.

The unevenness is difficult to swallow, but Running is still worth considering for all that it does right. Lesbian romances that feel “real” are rare and refreshing – and Jane and Sydney are both so likeable and multi-faceted that it’s impossible not to root for them.

One hopes that Osbourne works out the kinks in her writing and directing – there’s real talent here, and it’s easy to imagine her next project succeeding completely. She just needs to make sure to leave the “Geri” characters out next time.

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