Running with Scissors

Based on the bestselling memoir by Augusten Burroughs, RUNNING WITH SCISSORS features an all-star cast including Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Evan Rachel Wood, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Alec Baldwin. As a child, Augusten (Joseph Cross) completely adores his narcissistic mother Deirdre (Bening). Her biggest fan, he encourages her goal of becoming a published poet when no one else will. But while these dreams of grandeur seem innocent through Augusten's young eyes, they grow more delusional with time, slowly wearing on the family and contributing to its demise. While a teenage Augusten skips school and his father Norman (Alec Baldwin) uses alcohol to escape, Deirdre calls in an eccentric psychiatrist for an outside opinion. Dr. Finch's advice ends up being anything but professional, however, as his looseness with prescriptions and wacko theories end Deirdre's dysfunctional marriage and prompt her to abandon Augusten. Left to spend his teenage years as part of Dr. Finch's outlandish family, Augusten struggles to f...

Running With Scissors | texasgigs.com

saved by Ron | texasgigs.com

One of the toughest things to do in the world of movies, besides taking Jessica Alba seriously, is transforming an acclaimed novel into an acclaimed film... Running with Scissors, a memoir turned motion picture, struggles with this problem. Based on the tragic yet true events of author Augusten Burroughs teen years-including his parents tumultuous divorce and his mother's severe mental decay - the book is a casual and intricate look into the life of a child who was forced to raise himself... While director Ryan Murphy tries to balance the mix of insanity and humor that made Burroughs memoir a New York Times bestseller, there's something in the film that just isn't right... this page has an excellent review on this movie.

Review: Running with Scissors

saved by Ron | reelviews.net

Running with Scissors is based on the well received memoir written by Augusten Burroughs, but something must have gotten lost in the translation. For Ryan Murphy, who is making his feature debut after creating the popular TV series Nip/Tuck, it's not a promising first big-screen outing. Visually, the movie is interesting, but the storyline varies between being derivative... As dysfunctional family movies go, this is one skip. It doesn't just run with the scissors, it falls on them. Altogether it is not a pleasant movie. The problem isn't that it's a downer, although it is, but that it's a tiresome trek into familiar territory populated by one-dimensional stereotypes

Running with Scissors Directed by Ryan Murphy

saved by Ron | associatedcontent.com

Ryan Murphy's first large-scale directorial gig succeeds with big laughs and stellar acting, rolled into one... Who doesn't love a good, awkward teenage-coming-of-age story? Running With Scissors is that story,and so much more. Based on the popular memoir of the same name, the film chronicles the unbelievable, side-splitting adolescence of Augusten Burroughs, a normal kid... The laughs are inevitable, though you quickly realize that this film outlines a real person’s life, thus quieting some of the hilarity of it all... Don't come expecting comic antics, but a dark blend of humor woven into a very good film.

Running with Scissors | Review Roundup

saved by Ron | screenhead.com

Running with Scissors hasn't made the cut with the critics. While the cast, with such top actors as Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Alec Baldwin and Joseph Cross as author... Augusten Burroughs has met with praise, the film has not met with the expectations with Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy making his theatrical filmmaking debut... check out this page for an excellent review on this amazing movie.

Running with Scissors Review

saved by Ron | firstshowing.net

There are a number of great performances and satisfying musical accompaniments in Running with Scissors, but overall it's not a completely show-stopping story. The entertainment value is slightly there, with some great comedy even comparable to Little Miss Sunshine, but beyond that it becomes a more dramatic story that loses its vigor. Even then director Ryan Murphy can't decide whether to keep it on its comedy or its dramatic path, and ends up creating a jolting experience that great performances can't fix.