Running With Scissors Reviews and Ratings


  • timonthemeerkat
    November 25, 2009
    timonthemeerkat
    It's so hard to review this as just a film since I read the memior before hand. . .
  • danieljparsons
    October 25, 2009
    danieljparsons
    Ryan Murphy has done an excellent job of taking poignant, disturbing and sometimes laugh-out-loud material and adapting it into something profoundly annoying. Augusten Burroughs' superbly written first memoir details in vignettes moments of his teenage life at the hands of massiv...( read more)ely irresponsible adults: an abusive, loveless father; a fundamentally damaged and abused mother; a paedophile; and an unhinged, unstable psychiatrist doctor. Ryan Murphy gets so much wrong it's hard to know where to begin, but for starters Augusten's father (here played by Alec Baldwin) is sympathetic when he should be feared, his mother (played with skill and dexterity by Annette Bening) is promoted to a starring role when she should be barely glimpsed, and music cues are overused to the nth degree. The manipulation Neil Bookman has over Augusten, which forms a good deal of the backbone of the memoir, is hastily got through in a few scenes and lacks any depth. Joseph Cross as Augusten does a very good job however, and his scenes with Evan Rachel Wood are amongst the most funny and successful. But too much potential is wasted and the film tries too hard to shock and be melodramatic in some areas whilst neutering the power of others. Read the book again instead.
  • awkoppenberg
    October 18, 2009
    awkoppenberg
    evan rachel wood is hot.
  • panmac
    October 15, 2009
    panmac
    A weird kinda film and very strange to any disfunctional person or family group that havent had any contact with the even more disfuctional profession of therapy educated in sycology and mentel health counciling.

    Based on the true memoirs of a youth, the teenage/young adult son...( read more) of a famously controversal, unsuccsessful poet/writer and an alcohol abusing father. After a parentel split up he is left in the care of his mothers therapist, at the height of presciption drug abuse in the 70`s and 'valium motherhood' question was answered. The therapists house was a gaggle of girls and a 'suffering mum'.

    He grew homosexual tendansies experiencing love expression experimentation with an older guy when is also part of the Dr`s client list, apart from his direct family that is.

    Struggling through recession timesand his mothers infamous.. lfe and its followers/ing , he learns what he can, about getting up and on his own two feet without a Dad ever there after age 15yrs.

    A lot of strong femminine issues while the Dr, trying to keep as much masculene gentry amoungst irrational situations asserting an awefully eccentric appearance (how others would see him as..)

    A stella cast and a directioal jugger-naught causing a difficulty of a semblance of a continum with the adolescent material to work with.

    A really good job from Annett Benning a supurb actress and some good work from Joseph Cross (the son... ?The Star?) ha ha. Also a familiar face portraying the 'eccentric Dr Finch' effortlessly. Please have an eye out for the gay man. I had trouble finding his talent, though new it was there.
  • SirPant
    September 30, 2009
    SirPant
    Good film with fantastic performances by Bening and Cox. The fact that it?s a true story makes it even more entertaining but I must say I'm a little cross with myself for not reading the book first, have been meaning to for so long and probably won?t now for while. Recommended.
  • thecatwalk
    September 4, 2009
    thecatwalk
    man, this is so crazy it could only happen in real life.
  • poptartfiend
    August 24, 2009
    poptartfiend
    love the book, but this movie is surely awful
  • OCButterfly99
    August 11, 2009
    OCButterfly99
    I really enjoyed this movie..I loves these kinds of movies....
  • princessfayefaye
    August 7, 2009
    princessfayefaye
    I really didn't get to see every part of the movie but i liked what I saw. Its very strange. Prespective from mental illness. Amusing, yet sad.
  • acatnamedmoustache
    July 28, 2009
    acatnamedmoustache
    ew. sickens me that such a fantastic book can turn into this piece of crap
  • tydea
    July 28, 2009
    tydea
    Fuck this trash and read the goddamn book. The fact that people actually enjoy this movie is beyond me.
  • tequilamockingbird82
    July 18, 2009
    tequilamockingbird82
    "This is my masturbatorium!"
  • musicfreak069
    July 18, 2009
    musicfreak069
    I read the book 2 days before I watched the movie the book was amazing it took me 2days to read it I couldn't put it down and when I was done with the book I was very excited to see the movie and was very dispointed with the movie all of the events in the movie was so mixed up fr...( read more)om the book I realize that most books are much better than the movie but expected more from this movie I expected that it would have followed the books timeline and it didn't there was things that happend in the beginning of the movie that happend at the end of the book I could go on and on about what was wrong with this movie so I'm going to say one last thing READ THE BOOK it's 10000000 times better than the movie
  • LYNNWOODS04
    June 30, 2009
    LYNNWOODS04
    Haven't read the book (although I want to) so I am not sure if its the same in writing as it is on screen. It's such a crazy movie.. A good kind of crazy. I had wanted to see this movie for quite some time now, and I am glad I finally got the chance to. It was such a great movie....( read more) All the characters are all insane but sane at the same time. The Dr. was my favorite. The lines he gave had me laughing.. If you haven't seen it I recommend you do..
  • exureimundo
    June 20, 2009
    exureimundo
    My friend, a straight guy, said it was a great book. I didn't read the book, but I was very impressed with the movie. Actually, I thought it was really disturbing, so it baffled me that the book was so popular, but I guess the mainstream public is really starting to like really b...( read more)izarre things, like the movie "Happiness". Joseph Fiennes is extremely handsome, but it should still disturb people that his character is having sex with teen age boys that happen to be his foster brother. Just goes to show ya... also, I read a few articles by Augusten Burroughs, and I don't think he's either witty or funny. But I still liked the movie a lot.
  • sinaiwinterwolf
    June 17, 2009
    sinaiwinterwolf
    Such a lovely unorthodox movie. I suggest this movie to those who like the mind-bending movies. (BTW, Flixter asked if this movie was anything like Donnie Darko, and NO, it isn't anything like that Trip Down The Rabbit Hole...)
  • davejdavies
    June 14, 2009
    davejdavies
    Very boring, had to turn it off after 25 minutes
  • malacaynomuerto
    June 7, 2009
    malacaynomuerto
    Grandes actores en buenas actuaciones, toda una critica a la psiquiatría y a la dependencia de la misma pero le hace falta alma o una intención mucho mas clara.
  • italiachick
    May 22, 2009
    italiachick
    amazing!!! the cast is amazing and the plot line, the series of actions is remarkable!! loved it!!!
  • demonicpaganist
    April 23, 2009
    demonicpaganist
    good movie scary what actually happens in america.
  • socalgirl96
    April 19, 2009
    socalgirl96
    This was a very strange movie. Kind of disturbing, but funny at the same time. Really sad, too. All in all it was really really good. Of course, I wouldn't recommend it for someone even my age.
  • pheobejean
    April 16, 2009
    pheobejean
    Dr. Finch: You can't come in here, this is my mastabatorium!
    ??????
  • baberman123
    April 13, 2009
    baberman123
    Pretty out there. Brian Cox is hilarious. Weird little flick but fun to watch.
  • DanAlbasry
    April 12, 2009
    DanAlbasry
    Everyone in this movie has major issues, I for some reason found it hard to connect with.
  • ahhh1989
    March 22, 2009
    ahhh1989
    Pretty twisted and sick, much like the book. However, unlike the book, it wasn't particularly funny. Still, it was a good movie.
  • imnotthere3
    March 17, 2009
    imnotthere3
    very interesting story.
    well made
  • littlelaura1510
    March 14, 2009
    littlelaura1510
    i like to run with scissors! it makes me feel DANGEROUS!! =D
  • MrMovieManiac
    March 11, 2009
    MrMovieManiac
    Great book - terrible (very, very bad) movie adaptation. I almost turned off the dvd half way through. The movie was trying way too hard to be too clever. It just didn't work. My recommendation. Read the book - skip the movie.
  • mondefisheye
    January 30, 2009
    mondefisheye
    Hilarious. Honest. Strange. Quirky. Sad. It has it all. I love it. It's a definite top ten. :D
  • schmdt
    January 29, 2009
    schmdt
    I like the movie but i like the book so much more! :)
  • Amerah00
    January 26, 2009
    Amerah00
    Great characterization. Quirky and funny. Overall great movie..alot of sappiness though.
  • MandyDarko
    January 25, 2009
    MandyDarko
    Una comedia dramática extrañamente hipnotizante, los personajes estan desquiciados y la historia es poco común por lo que atrapan desde el primer momento.
  • pinktulipgirl
    January 24, 2009
    pinktulipgirl
    A strange movie that you had to just keep watching due to the very funny, unpredicable moments.
  • Drusilla
    January 17, 2009
    Drusilla
    Lets beging by saying that Annette Benning is a goddess! She portrays the role of a depressed/crazy mother in a way that only a few actresses could. I really liked this film because it had a plot that any young person could identify oneself with, even if all the elements are emb...( read more)odied in a way that might be taken as a little bit too over the top. The cast ensemble is sublime, with the exception of Gabriel Union, whose character's presence in the movie feels forced and unnecesary, plus, as an actress, she doesn't do anything to fix it a little or make it relevant in any way whatsoever. Joseph Cross is really sweet in his character, Alec Baldwin is amazing in his, Joseph Fiennes showed that he should be on-screen more often, Gwyneth Paltrow plays her character to perfection, I don't think I'd ever seen her do a character like that, with that complexity and goofiness at the same time, and I really loved her for it. Evan Rachel Wood is one of the best actresses of her generation, but in this movie I don't think she brought what we're used to see from her, sometimes I felt her overracted and not believable, even though, I loved the character she played. In the end, Jill Clayburgh was my favorite, even when her character was a little crippled. There is no real background to it, so sometimes, whenever she did something surprising (the end, for example, or the scene in the car where she asks Benning to leave) I found myself asking: where did that come from? But then I'd just realize that the elements were there for one to interpret them and in the end she really won me over, becoming my favorite on the whole film. Running with Scissors is a dark comedy that works because of its dialogue and because of its surreality, and to me it was a delightful trip to watch.
  • queenbee0687
    January 16, 2009
    queenbee0687
    This movie is so freakin weird! I just watched it yesterday and my mom read the book and told me bits and pieces.....wierdest movie I've ever seen!
  • jananesane
    January 15, 2009
    jananesane
    dont know what its about but it looks weird
  • Vagas
    January 14, 2009
    Vagas
    I've read the book but haven't seen the movie yet! I must!
  • sheenacknight
    January 7, 2009
    sheenacknight
    it was a bit too much of a downer
  • monkeyvorn
    January 6, 2009
    monkeyvorn
    Great title but sounds dull as dish water.
  • Gidget22
    December 31, 2008
    Gidget22
    bizarre story about bizarre people
  • LisaMJ
    December 29, 2008
    LisaMJ
    Disturbing, but good.
  • RCCLBC
    December 29, 2008
    RCCLBC
    I'm pretty sure that "heart warming" is NOT the right word...but somehow that is what pops into my head...perhpas "touching" is more appropriate?

    In any case this film was not the quirky "dark comedy" that the trailer lead me to believe it would be.

    Instead what I got was a...( read more) very moving (and yes "quirky") period (1970's) piece about the life of one boy and his COMPLETELY disfunctional family (both biological & "adopted").

    The cast is amazing and the writting (for the most part) is as clever as it is depressing.

    All in all an enjoyable (but heartbreaking)story.
  • iceagecoming
    December 20, 2008
    iceagecoming
    i didn't care enough about it to finish it
  • sherryjbry
    December 20, 2008
    sherryjbry
    Disappointing adaptation of an excellent book, despite great performances by Bening, Cross, Cox, Clayburgh, Fiennes, and A. Baldwin. Some good moments, but overall the script is weak and meandering.
  • hidekihk
    December 20, 2008
    hidekihk
    Filme bem estranho! E isso foi um elogio!
  • SouthernblondeLKS
    December 14, 2008
    SouthernblondeLKS
    Seeing this makes me feel so much better about my dysfunctional family!
  • iownalaser
    December 12, 2008
    iownalaser
    Pretty boring overall, not much of a point to the story except for a boy who is raised in crazy household. Boohoo.
  • amberembps
    December 12, 2008
    amberembps
    this is such an odd movie

Summary

Running With Scissors Summary