Running on Empty (1988)

Continuity mistake: Michael Manfield (Danny Pope) walked to the Phillips' house for the in-house music presentations, but on his way home when he was sitting by the lake, his bicycle was on the ground. There was no indication that he had gone home first - he was throwing away the hat he took from Lorna's room, and he was still wearing a tie. (00:38:51 - 00:42:52)

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Character mistake: Mr. Phillips told Michael (Danny) that he'd like him to apply for "early admission" to Julliard. Michael was a 17-year-old high school senior and had not yet auditioned for Julliard - the audition is to occur when a student his age is "entering 12th grade in the Fall of the academic year for which he is applying." It was too late to submit an application and an "early admission" was not possible at this point. (01:08:42)

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Other mistake: Mr. Phillips told Michael (Danny) that he'd like to hear him play on his "Steinway at home", but didn't say when or give Michael his address, but Michael was able to ride his bike to the Phillips' house. Michael was in this new school (and State) for only one day, so it seems unlikely that he'd know where Mr. Phillips lived. (00:26:33)

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Trivia: There were palm trees near the Popes' home in FL and there were palm trees when they stopped at a motel in SC. Palm trees are expected in tropical and subtropical climates, but certain species can grow anywhere in SC under the right conditions. (This is true to a lesser extent in the warmer zones of North Carolina.) The "Sabal Palm" (A.K.A. "Cabbage Palmetto") is actually South Carolina's State Tree. The palms at the motel looked like "True Date" palms to me but were more than likely "Sabals." (00:02:44 - 00:08:12)

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Trivia: There are a lot of misconceptions about palm trees. Two major assertions are: (1) palm trees are NOT trees and (2) palm trees are grasses. The latter might prefer to call palm trees "grass trees." The answer of what palm trees are lies in its categorization as a "monocotyledon plant" (monocot for short). Monocots are grass and grass-like plants whose seeds have ONE (mono) embryonic leaf. That does not make palm trees grasses - they are monocots, as are grasses, orchids, some grains (e.g, corn).

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Trivia: Martha and River were already "girlfriend/ boyfriend" since co-starring in "Mosquito Coast" (1986). After "Running On Empty" (1988), their relationship ended in 1989 because Martha did not like River's use of drugs.

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Lorna: You are certifiable! What is this? Some sort of smart-ass joke? You're taking cooking?
Michael: I want to learn how to cook.
Lorna: Yeah, right. You have some burning desire to learn how to make apple brown betty.
Michael: What are you doing here if you think so highly of it?
Lorna: Well, they wouldn't let me take auto mechanics, and I didn't have time to take the issue to the Supreme Court.

Lorna: You're certifiable. You're welcome.

Michael: They need me.
Lorna: I need you.