If your childhood wasn’t perfect you are going to like Running with Scissors. If it was then maybe you will understand the rest of the world a little better. This movie captures the justification of insane behavior that goes on in abnormal childhoods perfectly. It does so with midnight black humor, and painfully open acting. I was laughing hysterically on one beat, only to be devastated on the next.
How does it dance the line so perfectly? It may be because it’s based on the memoirs of Agusten Burroughs, who lived the story, or it could be because the director Ryan Murphy.(Nip/Tuck creator) also had a similar childhood so he could bring the humor and the pain that is present in offbeat upbringings.
Here’s the synopsis: A teenage Augusten Burroughs (Cross) absorbs experiences that could make for a shocking memoir: the son of an alcoholic father (Baldwin) and an unstable mother (Bening), he’s handed off to his mother’s therapist, Dr. Finch (Cox), and spends his adolescent years as a member of Finch’s bizarre extended family.
The casting is great in the movie, Annette Bening just kills as the mother Deidre Burroughs, she is completely mesmerizing every time she comes on screen, it is her best performance to date hands down. Then there is the opposite of Deidre, quiet Agnes Finch played by Jill Clayburgh, who brings a tone to this movie that no one else could have given. With her patience and kindness without any expectations, she warms up every frame.
There is some surprising casting for Burroughs gay lover in the way of Joseph Fines, believe me he is no Shakespeare in Love in this movie, he is a funny and painfully troubled man. We also get to see fabulous performances from Gwyneth Paltrow, the delicious Evan Rachel Woods, Alec Baldwin, Brian Cox and lovable Joseph Cross as Augusten Burroughs.
One of the biggest reasons the chemistry was so good in this movie has to do with Murphy. He allows a lot of freedom and improv with his actors and said that Brian Cox in particular gave the movie a lot of extra spice with good improvisation.
Sharp dialogue, darkly comedic with drama at just the right moments, Running with Scissors is a fantastic dark comedic drama. I loved this movie, it’s a great ensemble cast and I’m giving it a nine out of ten, for a no go or routh it’s a total routh.
Annette Bening has a face for every nuance. She could play Anne of Green Gables or any of our great actresses from Hepburn to O’Hara.
I was a writer until yesterday, but I just threw away my yellow legal pad and pen. Running With Scissors scared the hell out of me. It is worth an Academy Award for Bening but once again she has chosen to portray very sick people. Makes me wonder what’s going on in the Beatty household. I’ll stick with Love Affair, with it’s mixed up prop’s (paintings) and Bugsy, the best romantic comedy a gangster ever lived and leave Running With Scissors’ to more stable minds than mine. It didn’t do well at the box office but the casting was superb. I’m off to my therapist.toodleloo.
An adolecent being given to his mother’s shrink to be raised in a house dominated by extremely mentally unstable people isn’t a dark enough comedy for you? It was funny, but I thought it was extremely dark.
When electric shock therapy gets me to laugh I consider it in the darker vein of humor.
Give me a break! This movie has been touted as a Comedy. Prior to reading the comments on this blog, the word dark was never mentioned.
The only reason my wife and I didn’t leave was to see if the absurdity would be sustained!
Thanks for the heads up on the typo, I loved Jill so much in this movie so getting her name right is a priority :)
Good idea about the video reviews. I’ll talk to John about it. And I never get creeped out when people think I’m attractive, I blush though.
Burroughs is one of my favourite authors, and Running with Scissors is one of the best memoirs out there. Everyone should read it, and I hope the movie lives up to the book’s absolute brilliance.
Small correction. It’s Jill ClayBURGH, not Clayborn.
you should do a movieblog tv review like john does. because, yes i think you are attractive. sorry if this creeps you out.
I’m so glad you like the film! Thanks for the review. I honestly cannot wait to see this movie.
I have been lucky to be invited to a lot of good stuff, because believe me there are tons crappy films out there. I just let John see them :)
sharon only gives high ratings
well maybe shes only watching great movies :)