Running with Scissors
October. 27,2006 RYoung Augusten Burroughs absorbs experiences that could make for a shocking memoir: the son of an alcoholic father and an unstable mother, he's handed off to his mother's therapist, Dr. Finch, and spends his adolescent years as a member of Finch's bizarre extended family.
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Reviews
It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
School-loathing gay teenager in 1978 is adopted into the bizarre family of his mother's psychiatrist after her marriage fails and she embraces lesbianism; the doctor--who has a sad-sack wife and two troubled teenage daughters--is a pill-pushing purveyor of the Primal Scream method...and is also in danger of losing his mansion to the IRS. Absurdist tragicomedy from Augusten Burroughs' book, "Running with Scissors: A Memoir", adapted by the director, Ryan Murphy, and smothered in pop music, pop psychology and pop witticisms. The whole damn thing is made into bubblegum. Performances by the talented cast carry many of the scenes, and yet the characters come from the same jaded, cynical mold (so much so, they wear themselves out and wear the audience down in equal measure). Murphy is the kind of filmmaker who loves a good hug between eccentric or eclectic people, but his cinematic style and handling of the narrative are shallow (to be charitable). The humor isn't derived from the characters, just their idiosyncrasies. It's all behavior. What Murphy finds funny is a theatrical sort of deadpan--incredulous expressionism--which makes the movie and nearly everyone in it seem smug (with the exception of Jill Clayburgh as the doctor's wife, who has two or three really terrific moments). It's meant to be precocious; it is instead merely precious. ** from ****
I really wanted to see Running with Scissors when in opened in Britain, as I love the book. Unfortunately, it was only on for a week at a few screens in London before closing, and having bought the DVD I can appreciate why.The book is Burrough's account of his childhood when his crazy mother leaves him to be looked after by her even crazier shrink and his family. It's a remarkable achievement as the author manages to make the often alarming events of his upbringing touching and funny.The film, though an accurate (but abridged) reflection of the book, seems to miss out on the fact that it's supposed to be a comedy. This is chiefly because it makes Augusten's mother the focus of the plot, when in the book it's her absence which is the driving force. Annette Bening does a fine portrayal of mental derangement but only captures the flavour of the novel occasionally, in for example, a bizarre poetry-reading she organises for her would-be literary friends.I liked Evan Rachel Wood's performance as Augusten's friend Natalie but she's only given a little screen time, when she should really be a central character. My favourite scenes in the novel - diving through the college waterfall and a trip whale-watching off Cape Cod - involve her but are omitted entirely here.The only time the movie truly flickered into life for me was during the closing credits, when the real-life Augusten Burroughs stands next to the actor playing his young self. But this single moment of playfulness and humour (qualities seen repeatedly in the book), isn't enough to save a film.
Strange one this. Augusten Burroughs (Joseph Cross) was born into a dysfunctional family. With his father (Alec Baldwin) an alcoholic and a mentally unstable mother (Annette Bening) who lives in a delusional world where her belief that she has what it takes to become the world's greatest poet is only surpassed by her attempts to achieve her goal, it's unsurprising to find that his life has been impacted greatly from a young age.As he grows into a teenager, his mother signs him away into the custody of her shrink, Dr. Finch (Brian Cox) an equally eccentric man who it seems treats his children as more of an experiment than an actual family. From here it seems that instead of normality, Augusten has leapt from the proverbial frying pan into a immensely large fire. He befriends the two daughters, Hope (Gwyneth Paltrow) and in particular Natalie (Evan Rachel Wood) as well as Neil (Joseph Fiennes) the most damaged of all of Finch's children.If I'm honest, I'm not sure exactly what to make of this film. Is seems intentionally set out to confuse the viewer but then deals with some serious topics amongst all of this. Each individual character is damaged and has serious character flaws that need to be addressed, some more than others. Although I have never read the book of the same name, I hear it sticks to the content closely and is all based on the real life events (I'm assuming more in part than in full) of Augustun Despite this, because of it's tendency to be so random and with so many things going on it is hard to ground yourself and actually believe that these are real people and not just extreme characters. This made it hard to relate with the characters.Black comedies of this nature can be rather subjective to the viewer and this will be one of those films that will split the general populous. It's even fighting a battle in my own mind as write this trying to work it out. I was a fan of the comedy that throws you from one topic to another while the characters remain completely serious, talk about deeply emotional feelings and yet still manage to draw laughs at the same time. For that alone the script and direction have to be commended.The performances of Benning and Cross also deserve a mention. Benning truly seems engulfed in her own world as she struggles to cope with herself let alone the environment around her and the casting of Benning worked in my eyes as he struggles to better understand himself.I suppose that if I had to summarise the plot I would call it as a coming of age story albeit a rather warped one. I think the movies tagline says it best- he's looking forward to a memory he won't have to suppress and although the film leaves you asking more questions than it answers, something I can't quite put my finger on made me enjoy it. Not so much that I want to watch it again next week but give it a year or so and I'm sure I will want another dose of Augusten Burroughs and his alternative life.For further reviews feel free to check out: http://www.fanaticalaboutfilms.com
I haven't read the novel. In fact, I hadn't heard of it, the suspiciously extraordinary life it describes or the controversy that evidently surrounded the release of book and film alike. I don't know if it is true or not, if he experienced all of these things. That's not what I'm here to determine. What I will tell you is that this, while it may not be for all tastes, is an interesting tale and oddly engaging in spite of how difficult it can be to relate to at times. The situation is foreign, living in this bizarre household, abandoned by the mother. I was impressed with the uncompromising psychological accuracy and harshness, and how every single character is so completely human. The cast is great, and they all deliver compelling performances; none of them feel as though they were given the role on account of star power. I did not realize Cross had such range from Untraceable, and am glad that he got to show it here. The music is well-chosen. This has good writing. I haven't watched anything else by Murphy, but I like his style, and will be on the lookout for other efforts by him. This genuinely engaged me, and situations that have been seen before didn't feel clichéd. There is a ton of strong(at times explicit) language, a bit of disturbing content and a little sexuality in this. I recommend it to anyone who can imagine liking it. 7/10