Running With Scissors on DVD (2006)

Dark comedy minus the comedy!!

balearicbayes from Denny [Highly rated reviewer] , 19/12/2007

This film had the potential to be on par with the likes of The Royal Tenenbaums and numerous other movies dealing with dysfunctional families, but it never quite reaches that level. There is just too much tragedy in the lead characters life for even the slightly funny bits to raise a smile.

I found myself more concerned with the fact that this film is based on Augusten Burroughs' personal memoirs, and alarmed that all these events actually happened to this poor kid!!!

There is a couple of redeeming qualities though- one is Annette Bening who acts her socks off as the crazy mum, and the second is that Augusten survived his traumatising childhood to become a success!!!

Think I might go back and read the book instead!!!

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Dysfunctional families

A customer from London, England , 31/12/2006

The opening scene is great and the first fifteen minutes or so are promising, but after that the film slumps into dreary gloom and doom from which it never emerges. The film is based on the memoirs of the American author Augusten Burroughs in which he charts his childhood and adolescence as the only son of dysfunctional parents. His father is an alcoholic, his untalented mother yearns to be a famous poet and recites her work to her adoring son. When her psychotic episodes begin to take over, her husband walks out and the young Augusten is sent to live with the equally dysfunctional family of his mother’s dubious psychiatrist who likes to get his hands on his patients’ trust funds and dishes out tranquillizers as if they were biscuits. I hoped for some denouement in which the psychiatrist is proved to have been responsible for everyone’s mental deterioration and gets his just deserts, but no. There is no shape to the story, in fact there’s very little story, and no sign of any hope for Augusten’s future. Do we care? Well, there were one or two moments when I felt sorry for him but that’s all. I certainly couldn’t empathise with any of the other characters, with perhaps the exception of Augusten’s father. It is a very depressing film that goes nowhere.

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Irritating

breatheasier [Highly rated reviewer] , 22/07/2007

I rented this film after friends had commented on how great the book was... i wish I'd read the book instead.

Augusten Burroughs is a teenager raised by unstable parents, who's eventual split leads his mother to hand him over to her psychiatrist, a man who's family is as questionable as his medical practices.

The film isn'y entirely bad but I did get very bored about three quarters of the way through. I found most of the characters very irritating particularly Dierdre, the mother (played superbly by Annette Benning) who I had absolutely no sympathy for at all.

I wouldn't go as far as saying avoid this film but there are better films out there to rent first.

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Lovely Film

A customer from Leeds , 30/08/2007

Terrific acting by the entire cast, great editing especially when cutting between characters while each shows their individual way of dealing with rage. It has a gentle humour, not a comedy, but not a depressing examination of mental illness or grim childhood either. If you enjoyed Breakfast on Pluto, you'll enjoy this, both have a very similar directorial style and lead character.

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Dire!

A customer from London , 13/08/2007

If you've read and enjoyed the book, do NOT see this film, you will be devastated by how bad it is

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Running with a nail file.

Nadiestar from Ruislip, Middlesex [Highly rated reviewer] , 12/02/2008

Although the acting in this film is brilliant in lots of place and obviously the subject matter is about a boy growing up with dysfunctional parents/guardians, the film ran too long and was just too quirky to be compelling.

Based on a true story there are parts of the film the raise a smile but never a laugh. Gritty and implausible at times i was ultimately left with the feeling of blah!

I would say watch it but reserve judgement and don't expect this to be a WOW film as it will disappoint.

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