Running with Scissors (2006)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Ryan Murphy

Writers (WGA):

Ryan Murphy (screenplay)
Augusten Burroughs (book)

Release Date:

27 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Ever have one of those lives?

Plot:

Young 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.

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Therapist | Memoir | Cat Killer | Mother Son Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and elements of sexuality, violence and substance abuse.

Runtime:

USA:116 min | USA:122 min (DVD) | Argentina:116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Finland:K-15 | UK:15 | Ireland:16 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Singapore:M18 | Germany:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | New Zealand:R16 | Netherlands:6 | Australia:MA | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Plan B Entertainment

Trivia:

Julianne Moore was originally attached to play Deirdre Burroughs.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Augusten's mother receives a rejection from the New Yorker magazine, the return address is "4 Times Square" (the magazine's current address). In the 1970s, the address was "25 W. 43rd St.," where they had been for five decades.

Quotes:

Dr. Finch: Well, the only loophole or way I could see me getting you out of school for any considerable length of time would be for you... to commit suicide.
Augusten Burroughs: You want me to kill myself?
Dr. Finch: Well, if you tried to kill yourself, I could explain to the schoolboard that you were psychologically unfit to attend, and that you needed intensive treatment. It would be a staged suicide attempt. Of course, your poor mother would have to find you and drive you to the hospital, where you would stay for three weeks or a month for observation.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References The Exorcist (1973)

Soundtrack:

Teach Your Children

What a wild romp!

Running with Scissors takes you inside the memories of Augusten, an endearing kid growing up under the roof of a dysfunctional household only to find himself uprooted and transplanted into another equally troubled one. The real unsettling twist is that his new surroundings are even more questionable and more Edward Gory than he could ever imagine.

From there the film is a wild romp of scenes that build on each other until every mentally challenged character is a pile of screaming chaos. As complex and unattractive as that sounds Running with Scissors is a must see, after all it is a comedy. It is highly-stylized and fashion conscious from the costume design to the glossy editing. The technical aspects of the film are as redeeming as the grade of the entire cast led by Annette Bening's iconic performance. I hope you'll find it as enjoying and engrossing as I did.