If you would've told me I could see a documentary telling the story of the Hemingway family's struggles with mental disorders, I would've responded with a mildly interested "okay." If you would've told me it had been produced by Oprah, I would've responded with a resounding "no." Running From Crazy hits closer to the mildly interesting side, but this film is fraught with the stench of Oprah.
Combining old family films, interviews from the '80s, and footage of Mariel Hemingway and her current boyfriend as they build a relationship and business together, the film has plenty of interesting material with which to work. The Hemingway family is as talented as they are tortured, and it is easy to want to learn more about how they live and deal with their demons. Unfortunately, the unbearably smarmy production of the film makes the film an afternoon TV-movie throwaway.
