Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

The Runner

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Slow-moving political drama has strong language, some sex.

Movie R 2015 90 minutes
The Runner Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

THE RUNNER is the kind of movie that seems to have its heart in the right place but doesn't quite come together. Colin Price is a rarity: a politician who actually cares about his constituents and won't kowtow to wealthy corporate lobbyists. While we see his nobility tested again and again, it's hard to really care about him because the film is so slow moving and Cage is so flat in the role.

None of the characters are developed into anything beyond stereotypes, especially Colin's power-hungry wife (Connie Nielsen) and the smarmy donor (Bryan Batt) who pushes him to run for office again. The only interesting character is Colin's dad (Peter Fonda), also a failed politician and alcoholic, who only appears briefly and isn't enough by himself to make this film worth watching.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate