Running With Scissors Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
The story of how a boy was abandoned by his mother and how he, later, abandoned her. The year he'll be 14, the parents of Augusten Burroughs (1965- ) divorce, and his mother, who thinks of herself as a fine poet on the verge of fame, delivers him to the eccentric household of her psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. During that year, Augusten avoids school, keeps a journal, and practices cosmetology. His mother's mental illness worsens, he takes an older lover, he finds friendship with Finch's younger daughter, and he's the occasional recipient of gifts from an unlikely benefactor. Can he survive to come of age?
| Annette Bening | Deirdre Burroughs |
| Brian Cox | Dr. Finch |
| Joseph Fiennes | Neil Bookman |
| Evan Rachel Wood | Natalie Finch |
| Alec Baldwin | Norman Burroughs |
| Joseph Cross | Augusten Burroughs |
| Jill Clayburgh | Agnes Finch |
| Gwyneth Paltrow | Hope Finch |
| Gabrielle Union | Dorothy |
| Patrick Wilson | Michael Shephard |
| Kristin Chenoweth | Fern Stewart |
| Dagmara Dominczyk | Suzanne |
| Colleen Camp | Joan |
| Jack Kaeding | Six-Year-Old Augusten Burroughs |
| Gabriel Guedj | Poo |
| Ryan Murphy |
5.80 out of 10 (4294 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Post-modern crap
posted on 24 Aug 2009What a terrible, piece of degenerative, frivolous art this is. Just like the book, the film has absolutely no purpose other than to say, "Hey, look at me and my crazy, crazy childhood!" A work like this that has no appeal but shock value does not constitute art. The plot is that a boy in New York moves in with a crazy psychologist and his messed up daughters and the boy himself is a pervert. Whoop dee doo. Every scene is meant to make the audience so, "That's so crazy, I can't believe they did that." There's no vision and purpose to this piece. But, predictably, there will be an audience for a film like this, because the pseudo-intellectual posers will be saying, "Look, I'm enlightened because I can appreciate something really messed up. I am so enlightened that maybe people will finally respect me. Most people wouldn't like this sort of film, therefore I'm unique because I do!" It's the typical post-modernist syndrome, which revolves around trying to define "the human condition" which basically means defining "humanity" as weakness and pure material, slave to one's genetic and environmental programming, with no will of one's own. This is the sort of message that dissuades virtue and encourages the end of culture and civilization.
Brilliant film adapted from a popular memoir
posted on 11 Aug 2009Occasionally a film comes along that defies being placed in a specific genre. Running With Scissors is exactly that kind of film. Every actor in this film creates amazing multi-faceted characters. Annette Bening really stands out with her intensity as Augusten Burrough's self-centered mother, but it's hard to pick a stand out in such an amazing cast.
The trailer left me thinking it would just be a Royal Tannenbaums knockoff, with little to offer. But, after watching the film once, I was ready to sit down and watch the whole thing again.
The story is incredibly engaging, and although I haven't read the book, I definitely want to now. I can understand why some people would give the film a low rating, if they felt it wasn't true enough to the tone of the book, but really this is a film adaptation, and that means it's for those of us who have AND haven't read the book. As someone who hasn't read the book, I was glad to see a film that stands alone as an amazing story with a great presentation and rewatch value.
Also, on the DVD, there are a few featurettes about the making of the film, and Augusten Burroughs was highly involved in the transfer from the page to the screen. These featurettes offer some great insight into the optioning of the book to become a film, the set design, and the casting decisions.
Annette Benning 5 stars but please read the book
posted on 07 Aug 2009Why did I find the book so hilarious but not the movie (except for Annette Benning's portrayal)? Perhaps because the movie exaggerated some descriptions to the point of being unbelievable and not funny. For example, the house. In the book the author describes how a living room is set up outside on the lawn...rug, sofa chair , lamp, etc...one can envision an eccentric person doing this (people have some of these same items on their porches and patios) but the movie shows hundreds of items in front of the house. The clutter and collections are exaggerated inside the house, too, so it looks like something out of a horror movie, a really scary one rather than just hilarious. His relationship with Natalie is downplayed somewhat...the movie omits their truancy and town explorations while dressed (Natalie) in her very loud and stiff polyester part-time job MacDonalds uniform. Why doesn't the movie let us know what happens with the various characters later in life as the book does? Well, if you're curious, read the book.
Mid way between a drama and a comedy
posted on 06 Aug 2009This film is based on the real life story of a young man who had a disturbed family, and had unusual experiences while living with an exploitative and crazy psychiatrist.This film was in no way bad. The performance of Annette Benning was startling in every aspect, whether she was portraying love, sadness, blankness and perplexity or pure craziness. Joseph Cross was also remarkable in his portrayal as a confused teenager. Much to my disappointment, Gwyneth Paltrow's role was small and insignificant, and her part could have been cut without affecting much of the story.However, I found this film a mid way between a drama and a comedy. It ended up as not being powerful enough to be either. It was certainly not as funny or weird as "The Royal Tennenbaums", and it was not as affecting and moving in its portrayal of family dynamics as "Little Miss Sunshine". I thought this film could have been better. Still it was worth the watch, especially considering it was someone's painful recollections of past events.
Horrendous
posted on 06 Aug 2009Let me state this first: I never walk out of movies. However, after enduring an hour's worth of this I was forced to. A recurring theme in the beginning of the movie is Annette Bening's character ranting about her husband trying to get her to kill herself. This quite fittingly foreshadows what we as the audience are about to experience. No character is likable, with the exception of the (Alec Baldwin father) who leaves the insanity, as any sensible person would do when confronted with these people. I can't identify with any of the characters, and although the movie is marketed as being funny because of their absurdity, it deliberately avoids possible humor in numerous cases. Yes, it takes itself quite seriously. For a vastly superior film about dysfunction, please go see the excellent Little Miss Sunshine.I realize that this movie is based on a memoir, and is more or less a true story. However, even if it happened to be a compelling tale on paper, it does not translate well at all to film. Instead it becomes like that cocktail party story we have all heard. You know, the one that seems really funny to the person telling it, but everyone else finds it quite dull because they apparently are not in on the joke. Do not see this movie.
horrible
posted on 31 Jul 2009Easily one of the worst movies I've ever seen. The characters were so depraved and so hurtful to the people around them that I kept hoping bad things would happen to them. Unlike movies like "The Royal Tenenbaums" with characters that are quirky and eccentric and yes even crazy but, ultimately likable' the characters in this movie were devastatingly self-centered, hurtful and unregenerate (with a few exceptions). I just couldn't enjoy it and don't feel like I took anything from it.I really wanted to like it but I just couldn't get over how disgusted I was with the behavior of most of the main characters.
Suprising movie, some dark humor and drama, intriging.
posted on 30 Jul 2009This was an interesting suprise. I had seen the previews with other movies, but didn't expect it to be this interesting. Yes, it is cast as a dark comedy, but It does adress some serious issues and actually paints a good picture of a side seldom adressed in the subject of mental health. All I can say is kudos for Augusten Burroughs for ever being able to make it this far. Many families are shattered appart by mental health issues, and in the middle are so many children, what happens to them? This is a first hand account of just how hard it can be. The doctor in this, Dr. Finch, is an ultra rare case, and yes, although there have been accounts of doctors with loose patient boundaries etc, it is the exception, so please don't take away from this movie that psychiatry is all a bunch of wierd doctors that drug people. I think it is a vivid portrayal of Life in a world very different from many of ours, and the struggle of a child to grow up in it. Great casting and script. Check it out.
yes crazy people suck
posted on 15 Jul 2009I had to Google Augusten Burroughs after I got home from the film, because I had no idea who he was. Apparently he's an author who wrote a bestselling memoir about growing up with a mentally unhinged mother, on which this movie was based. I thought the film's narrative suffered from a weakness similar to that of another recent cinematic memoir, The Squid And The Whale, in that much of the film felt too personal, idiosyncratic and arbitrary, with events and details seemingly included because they happened in real life, not necessarily because they were carefully chosen, well crafted scenes representing the most skillful and creative way to communicate an artistic theme or larger idea. In fact, I'm not exactly sure what the point was, exactly, other than it sucks growing up around crazy people, but given the People magazine/Oprah level of discourse in our culture, maybe marketing yourself as a personality with a Jerry Springer-ready backstory is enough. To me, the more sophisticated artistic accomplishment would be to shape the material into a more focused, cohesive, ambitious fictional novel, or movie or whatever, plus you wouldn't have lawsuits from the real life parties. But then I haven't read his book and maybe he did fictionalize the story, but in the movie many things feel shorthanded, like the character of the father, played by Alec Baldwin, which was completely underdeveloped—maybe because pop has another whole memoir/movie in the works devoted to him? And his mother's girlfriend toward the end, what was her story, her motivation was completely obscure. Having said all that, though, I must say by the end I kind of liked the film. Thanks less to the script and more to stellar performances on the part of the cast, including Jill Clayburg and especially Annette Bening, the movie does gather some heavy dramatic momentum toward the end, and while the film may not have much more to say than it sucks growing up around crazy people, there's one scene that cuts from character to character, all simultaneously screaming in pain and frustration, that I thought said it pretty well.
In the spirit but not the success of Royal Tenenbaums
posted on 15 Jul 2009"The 'family' has clearly emerged anew in the late 1970s as a central subject for discussion, debate, research and writing in both scholarly and popular arenas. Anxiety over whether or not the family as a basic social institution is dying has diminished. In its stead has emerged a fairly broad consensus around the position that the family is "here to stay," but that it certainly is changing." Sheila B. Kamerman "Where do I begin to tell the story of how my mother left me, and then I left her?" This promising opening, narrated by Augusten Burroughs (Joseph Cross), is followed by a scene in his 1972 Massachusetts home with his mother, Deirdre (Annette Bening) reciting tepid poetry composed for sending to The New Yorker into a microphone at a mock poetry reading. After that interesting scene, director Ryan Murphy, adapting the 2002 successful novel of the same name, piles on sometimes funny scenes in the spirit but not the success of Royal Tenenbaums and Little Miss Sunshine.Eventually given up for adoption to an aging and unstable shrink, Dr. Finch (Brian Cox), Augusten samples a fringe life of turd gazing in a toilet, a masturbatiorium room for the doctor, and shock treatments for fun. In all of the seemingly eccentric scenes, there is no character, not even the narrator (played too remotely) who commands sympathy or with whom an audience can identify. Deirdre is too outré to be believable (although Bening is impressive in the devolution of the only possibly sympathetic character), and the doctor would be better played as Cox did the first Hannibal Lecter.The minor characters such as Evan Rachel Wood's Natalie seem to exist for amusement rather than touchstones for what makes this house dysfunctional. The connections of love or even hate among family members do not bind as they did for the Tenenbaums. After a while, no jokey set up garners a laugh. What does happen, though, is a desire to go to the book to enjoy the faultless deadpan narration that endears readers to Augusten.
WANTED A LITTLE MORE
posted on 12 Jul 2009i am a tremendous fan of augusten burroughs and i think that this movie does not really do justice to the vision that is running with scissors. but to be fair, i think that this film was very difficult to put to film, and after viewing the finished product i feel that the filmakers did the best they could. the book itself is very episodic, there is no definite flow to it, in a way it goes from crazy situation to crazy situation. there is some chronology to it but not a lot. so i think that the movie actually does a good job of bridging the gaps that come with the book. as far as casting goes, i think that annette bening was flawless. she was the right woman to play deidre, the delusional mother to augusten. she is a sad character with no inner strength who relies on others to give her importance. joseph cross, does an ok job, in my humble opinion, playing augusten. i think the role was a little underdeveloped, i think he could have incorporated more of the "tics" that made augusten, augusten. i loved agnes, jill clayburgh, she was understated, funny and tragic. the scene where she asks augustend what he wants is heartbreaking and redeeming at the same time, it was pulled off well. gwenyth paltrow as hope, seems to just be there for the fun of it, she really doesnt add a lot to the film, but she was funny in the stew scene. evan rachel wood does great as natalie. she is excellent at playing teen agnst and teen vulnerability. joseph fiennes as bookman, was very believable. i liked the instability he displayed, i would not think it easy to play a schizophrenic and he did great, but also his character is also sad and tragic. brian cox does great as finch. he was so calm with his craziness that it was scary. i could not imagine living in a house like that. i did not find the movie as funny as i found the book. the humor did not translate very well onto the screen. i think that the feeling augusten put into the page has to be read in entirety rather than bits and pieces selected for the screen. perhaps a second viewing will change my mind but i doubt it, i knew what i wanted from the movie and didnt really get it, but it was still watchable and not a total waste of time, so give it a shot. however, do not base the work of burroughs on this movie, the books are far superior, and should be given read to fully experience burroughs at his best.
Hug back…Running with Scissors
posted on 11 Jul 2009The trailers for this adaptation of Augusten Burroughs' memoirs, Running with Scissors, looked like an offbeat, quirky comedy. I had heard good things about the novel and the cast looked amazing. However, I am very happy I didn't spend the money to see it in theatres. This film ended up being a sprawling series of uncomfortable events with no real narrative thread to be building towards a satisfying conclusion. If Burroughs himself came up to me and said just half of this film actually happened to him, I would laugh in his face and call him a liar. If we were to believe this is what he went through as a 15-year-old kid, all these people involved would be arrested or committed, never to see the sun again. Also, it seems the filmmakers wanted to make it cool by adding music and splicing it over the script, adding that indie-staple emotional resonance cliché, (the Garden State scream anyone?). When it works it works, and maybe if this movie had been shorter and less of the same thing happening—mother goes crazy, son gets sad and acts out with the shrink's kids, mother gets better, all is forgiven, repeat—it would have worked better instead of seeming contrived and a cover-up to kill time without needing words to be spoken, (I did like the "Blinded by the Light" moment, however, and the soundtrack was fantastic). In the end, I really could care less for all the characters involved; they were all self-absorbed people without many redeemable qualities between them.No matter how disappointed I was in the film though, I still would like to read the book. Maybe the gags would seem funnier with a backstory description preceding them. As it is in the movie, the parts that may try to play for laughs fall flat because of the disgust you feel for the oppressive forces involved. True there are some nice bits, but there are more moments where you feel utterly sorry for what is transpiring, as the occurrences aren't happening to crack a smile, they are results of mental instability and not knowing any better. I feel that the film would have worked better as a full-blown drama, because the acting truly is superb. It is this professionalism and believability in the characters that make you take every situation so seriously, subverting any humor that was trying to be achieved.Annette Bening is amazing as the mentally corrupt mother. When she is on medication, in a state of misguided bliss, or her true biting cynical self, she is in top form. You feel sorry for what is happening to her and the dream she is reaching for to hopefully gain credibility and be able to stop thinking of herself as crazy. Joseph Cross and Evan Rachel Wood are very believable as well, portraying the two sane people in this crazy world, attempting to make the best of their screwed up situations and keep everything together until the chance to break free finally arrives. The final scene between the two characters over the phone is heartbreakingly real and a long time coming revelation. Brian Cox is also wonderful as Dr. Finch, the patriarch to everyone that comes into his sphere of life. At times his eccentric ways are genius, and at others just prove that he must be insane himself. You never really can get a handle on whether he is truly helping those around him or if he is just making everything worse. The real standouts, though, are Joseph Fiennes and Jill Clayburgh. They are really the only two people in the entire film that I felt sad for. I have never seen Fiennes act this well, usually he is doing straight shots at Shakespearean roles, but here he really encompasses the schizophrenic, soft-spoken Bookman. He is afraid of himself and what he thinks he may be capable of doing, but his love for Augusten is beautiful and heartfelt. As for Clayburgh, she is the heart and soul of the movie. While going through the motions, very zombie-like throughout, she is the only one who truly comprehends what is going on around her, and is desperately trying to keep it all from falling apart.It is a real shame that all these great performances have been trapped in such a meandering and convoluted film. If only it took itself more seriously, because when the hard moments of reflection came, they were very effective and emotionally real. I wish the script had been tightened into a stronger narrative in which we as an audience cared and wanted to know what would result, rather than filming a page by page reenactment of a journal. There was a great story buried beneath the camera tricks and attempt at humor in a very serious world, but this film did not succeed in telling it. Hopefully the book is a bit more focused and decipherable as a memoir, something that film isn't really meant to be.
Much room for improvement
posted on 05 Jul 2009Lately it seems that a brand new genre has been emerging of films that are equal parts solid drama and off-the-wall comedy, such as Garden State or Little Miss Sunshine. The problem with Running With Scissors is that it felt like it wanted to be one of those movies, but fell short. Rather than mixing the drama and comedic elements of the film, the film swings from moments of hilarious absurity to moments of grave seriousness, but the tranitions are far from smooth. The strange thing is that there were a lot of moments in the film that felt like they could have been funnier (and were used to much comedic effect in the ads) but because of the music it would come off as strangely tragic instead of funny. Overall the film was intriguing. Some of the more heavily dramatic parts seemed to drag and felt a tad pretentious, but that's probably because I went in expecting a comedy. (So if anybody should be blamed for that, perhaps it's the marketing department for the studio.) The one problem I had with the film that I feel really stopped it from being so much better was that the director relied far too heavily on slow motion montages with rock music playing in the background. It seemed as if every time they wanted to get into the characters' heads they'd slow down the speed and crank up the volume. This film is definitely worth seeing for the performances, and the funny parts are pretty hilarious (Brian Cox's bathroom epiphany is easily the best part of the film).The directig could have used some work though, but it seems like this director's next film has the potential to be pretty solid.
5.8 out of 10! C'Mon!
posted on 03 Jul 2009I just watched "Running With Scissors" (RWS) this evening and immediately came to IMDb to see what others thought of the film. I could barely keep my head from exploding when I saw how low of rating this film had. What a brave and beautiful film! Annette Benning should be up for an Oscar for her performance, and Jill Claybourgh even more so. I had not read Augusten's book, so I'm coming from completely the film's perspective with no comparison to the his writing. To think that "Little Miss Sunshine" which I did like, is up for "Best Picture Oscar," and RWS is not being recognized at all, is a cinematic crime against humanity. The entire cast is superb! If you like smart, introspective films the cover the entire emotional canvas, in the tradition of American Beauty, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Little Miss Sunshine, Prozac Nation, Hard Candy,Hedwig, and others of the same genre. Then you will love this film. Hopefully more people will see it and the ratings will eventually soar!
Not quite transferable to screen
posted on 01 Jul 2009Here you have all the elements for a great movie: a good book, good actors, good timing. But this film, "Running with Scissors" falls flat, becomes dull and disjointed making the viewer wonder more than getting into the crux of the film and its subjects.Annette Benning did a bang up job here, as did Alec Baldwin as the alcoholic, uncaring hubby of the 60's. But there were so many continuity problems and disjointed music and pop references in time line, that it absolutely ruined this film for me.I found myself wondering why in 1976 were they watching the series "Dark Shaddows" when it went off in 1971 (and no 'reruns' of soap operas were NOT done in the 70's)...and then in 1979 Augusten was "15" years old when in 1976 he seemed 19 years old in his references, but then when you go back to the late 60's..well, it gives one a headache. Bottom line, I didn't want to know more about this guy because I was too concerned with what was surrounding in the years that they were supposed to be reflecting.Even trying to shield out the above, I was trying to "get" the problem. While Annette Benning did a bang up job as the mentally-ill mom, I didn't get her- was she really mentally ill, or was it the pills or was it she was just a bi-polar, bent up artist on the cusp of the 70's woman's movement being stifled...what? That was never clear to me in the movie (the book is another story!) And Augusten...in the film, you never "get" him either. (in the book, you do!) The film bounces around too much, too fragmented in telling this tale - never actually concentrating on what really made him this fully dysfunctional character - maybe it's because of the Director's lack of having the "time" to do so.Same with the psychiatrist played by the wonderful Brain Cox. Was he nuttier than those there? Of course, that is obvious..but why? Why were folks STILL going to him even seeing the obvious - but most importantly - why did these parents GIVE their son to this man and his equally family? And one of the better parts of his wife - there were so many questions about her in this relationship while watching the film, it makes your head spin.Sad for a film that should have been, could have been a blockbuster and known in the highest regard. It's not as though this film doesn't have a few moments here and there, but a "few moments" do not make up for the lack of depth, sadness, heart, this should have been of a real unconventional coming of age life.
Tried too hard.
posted on 30 Jun 2009The start of the film was quite hearty, further on as characters are introduced little room for improvisation is left cause they're actually very extreme characters in their own right. 50 minutes into the film, it starts to get boring. While this film is not an indie and doesn't really celebrate itself completely, I felt there were a few outrageously beautiful scenes. The best scene involves a guy and a girl breaking bits of the ceiling off. That and a few other scenes makes one smile. However, towards the end, you felt the direction is rather didactic, ya know kind of "Please buy this" salesman like. Complicated, I know. Basically, this film tries to make a statement which the book already made (I Presume) It failed in that right. Annette Bening looks haggard towards the end and it's not a very pretty sight. RUNNING WITH SCISSORS tried to be as nonchalant as SQUID AND THE WHALE but something was lacking. Something beyond a storyline. Blame the director, then. :)
Dares to go where others will not - a fantastic film!
posted on 25 Jun 2009I had been reading many reviews of this movie and they were all talking about how they wasted time watching it. I had a completely different reaction. I thought that this movie was amazing. It dared to do what many movies could never do. It was odd and quarky, but it showed the real wackiness of real life. I know...it was more exaggerated in terms of craziness than most peoples' lives, but whether it is on the surface or not, everyone's lives are a little bit wacky in some way. This was a very daring film!Many people have said that the acting was rubbish in the movie, but I disagree. I thought Joseph Cross was perfect for the role of Augusten. Annette Benning was amazing and so was everyone else. Gwyneth Paltrow was very odd, but really funny. Joseph Fiennes was fantastic. He had, by far, the most complicated job in having to portray Neil Bookman. He nailed it! Fantastic job from everyone! I would definitely recommend this film to anyone that likes films that are out of the ordinary and make you think. Great, great film!
Quirky family, that's for sure
posted on 16 Jun 2009OK, perhaps this film has some semblance to the true upbringing of the main character, the teen-aged Augusten Burroughs, but if so, the whole lot of them needed to be committed.
Joseph Cross plays the young Burroughs, and does a pretty good job. The character's gay, and Mr. Cross is believable as a gay would-be hairdresser (sorry, cosmetologist). Most of the attention is going to be paid to Annette Bening's Deirdre Burroughs' performance, and Ms. Bening plays the self-indulgent, no-talent mother well, but the character is totally without sympathy. Jill Clayburgh plays Agnes Finch as a sad-sack, overwhelmed loser, but is one of the few sympathetic characters in the film. The beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow plays a character (Hope Finch) somewhat similar to her role in "The Royal Tenenbaums" (quirky to a fault).
Overall, the movie was somewhat entertaining, but don't expect lots of laughs. My thoughts were (1) the father played (well) by Alex Baldwin should have divorced (or better yet, never married) Deirdre; (2) Child protective Services would have had its hands full with the Finch's even more dysfunctional family; (3) getting Augusten out of both the Burroughs' and the Finch's house was what we all were waiting for; and (4) the IRS hounding of Mr. Finch was probably the best use of that agency in quite some time.
I can't really recommend the movie, but it isn't as bad as the worst reviews here, nor as good as the five-star reviews. Two and one-half stars.
The Things We Do For Love
posted on 08 Jun 2009Most reviews so far have failed to appreciate this movie because of it being a poor adaptation of the book. When is the last time you saw a book-to-screen movie and ended up liking both the book and the movie equally? I have never read the book, so I have nothing to compare this movie to. And I can honestly say, I appreciate it for its cinematic meaning as a stand alone, book or not.
Augusten Burroughs had a miserable childhood that makes for good screen time for sure. I wanted to accept so much of this movie as just over-the-top shock value. I found myself either laughing at the screen or scrunching my eyebrows in amazement. At times, I wanted to take a sharp pair of scissors and stab them into my forehead because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I wanted to hug him and tell him it would be okay. I wanted to slap all the characters and hope they snap out of it. But we cherish others' tragedy each and everyday, and we either take away from it and learn something or we appreciate the thought that our own lives aren't as f**ked up as we thought they were. There is always someone out there who has had it worse than us, right?
Annette Bening is amazing as the mother, and it was good to see Brian Cox in a lengthy role as the doctor. The true heart of the movie lies within Agnes, the doctor's wife. Toss in a good 70s soundtrack, pill popping addiction, drunk dad, schizo boyfriend, and some poetry/journal writing, and you've got a two hour movie that will make you want to watch Clockwork Orange or Valley of the Dolls all over again! Light some incense, throw some tie-dye blankets over the windows, and put on a Fleetwood Mac record because this movie is just as guilty as it is fun!
A fractured, memorable gem despite some flaws
posted on 03 Jun 2009A charmingly eccentric adaptation from author Augusten Burroughs' memoirs may lack some of the sting and depth of that cult classic book, but still remains a highly entertaining and somewhat disturbing venture into the depths of family dysfunction. In all honesty, I am quite surprised to see relatively low scores being given for this vibrantly weird piece of work. I expected fans of the original book to express obvious resentment at it's Hollywood-like liberties , but for uninitiated viewers, the general negativity puzzles me. I suppose the marketing of the film is partially to blame, having heavily concentrated on advertising the more quirky, morbidly fun aspects that surround this unique scenario.In describing a small portion of Mr. Burroughs' exceptionally screwy upbringing with his psychologist's warped family, Ryan Murphy does bring out many of the novel's darkly hilarious undertones, but the real focus here deals in depressive and cathartic pain, something marketing might have shied away from. It is also this line, running between insane/funny and insane/scary, that ironically manages to be both a potent combination and an undermining for the movie. Too little time was spent to add both of these ingredients together into a compelling whole, though I still remained engaged and entertained the whole way through. At points, the sensationalism of some scenes do come across as disingenuous, despite a personal score (echoing kindred spirit Royal Tenenbaums), and based on real (though surely and highly embellished) events, it becomes clear that the film works best as fiction. Even though asserting the true nature of these events render these scenes more manipulative and crass then need be, a healthy suspension of disbelief, which can even be rationalized through Burroughs' recollective, thus distorted journal narration, will help make this the demented joy it strives for.The oddball performances do help steer this narrative through the progressively insane pace, everyone doing their job (with few exceptions) to embody their disjointed perspectives, but even with a great cast, the ensemble aspect never really gels as well as the individual takes. Annette Bening in particular, nearly steals the movie away from many good actors with some of her strongest, most perceptive work in modern years, a good thing considering most of the main story revolves around her as the crazy mother in this family film on crack. Anyone who has the slightest taste for independent film, highlighting independent characters (barring those who are strict fans of the book) should like this movie, if nothing else but for the sheer crazy charm of it all. Embrace your inner weirdo, do not be a stickler for character depth, and enjoy this one.
it was more than i ever wanted!!!!
posted on 24 Aug 2009i am a huge fan!!!! way before the movie came out right after the book was released i read and fell in love with Running With Scissors!!!! Augusten Burroughs is by far the best author i have come across.....i was totally unsure about the movie when i first heard they were making it..i saw it and was totally blown away!!!! it was the best movie ever!!!!! Joseph cross couldn't have been better as Augusten.....i saw it 4 times already and each time it made me cry!!!!! i wanted to be in the movie (that would have been my dream come true) it was great and i hope that they make a movie out of Dry!!!!! Augusten Burroughs is MY hero!!!!!