Barnes & Noble

This unusual film about the bizarre adolescence of writer Augusten Burroughs, chronicled in his bestselling memoir of the same title, doesn’t skimp on surrealistic excesses. But don’t let that scare you: Running with Scissorshas enough humor and pathos for three movies, in addition to a slew of superb performances. Writer-director Ryan Murphy captures the deadpan tone of Burroughs’s saga of his wannabe-poet mother, the supremely narcissistic Deirdre (Annette Bening), and the new family she fobs Augusten (Joseph Cross) off on. Headed by the brilliant but eccentric therapist Dr. Finch (Brian Cox), the strange clan includes Finch’s wife, Agnes (Jill Clayburgh), a placid older daughter, Hope (Gwyneth Paltrow), and a rebellious younger daughter, Natalie (Evan Rachel Wood). And then there’s Finch’s 30-something adopted son, Neil Bookman (Joseph Fiennes), a dark, brooding character with whom Augusten has a sexual relationship. As complicated as all this may sound, Murphy actually streamlines Burroughs's memoir quite successfully, condensing various episodes and sanitizing some of the more graphic passages. The film doesn’t really present a cohesive, linear story, but its crazy-quilt quality is perfectly in keeping with the absurdist tone and subject matter. Bening and Cox devise dynamic characterizations, while veteran Clayburgh also shines, particularly in her genuinely moving final scene with Cross. Although Running with Scissorsoccasionally displays too much ironic self-awareness, it’s an inventive romp that will delight viewers who crave films with offbeat sensibilities. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Screen newcomer Joseph Cross portrays Augusten Burroughs in director Ryan Murphy's film adaptation of author Burroughs' best-selling personal memoir of the same name. A child of the 1970s whose alcoholic father Norman (Alec Baldwin) and delusional, unpublished poet mother Deidre (Annette Benning) serve as the dictionary definition of the word "dysfunctional," Augusten is sent by his mother to live with her eccentric psychiatrist Dr. Finch (Brian Cox) when his disagreeable parents ultimately decide terminate their turbulent marriage. Suddenly thrust into an environment that is as unfamiliar as it is unpredictable, young Augusten forms a curious relationship with the doctor's two whimsical daughters while learning to adapt and survive under even the most unusual of circumstances. Jason Buchanan

Product Details

• UPC: 043396159136
• Source: SONY PICTURES
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français, Español, Portugais
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español, Portugais, Korean
• Time: 2:02:00
• Sales Rank: 3,367

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