Set to an eclectic but enjoyable soundtrack and brought to life by colorful characters and sarcastic dialogue, the insanity and mayhem that was Augusten Burroughs’ adolescence easily transitions to the big screen.
“Running With Scissors” is a film adaptation of the personal memoirs of Burroughs, in which he documented true events so exceptional he wrote, “Dear journal … somebody has to write down what’s happening to me, it’s not to be believed.”
Viewers might be offended by the film’s language and treatment of controversial topics such as pedophilia, homosexuality and drug addiction, but the movie gets the job done; it successfully transfers the meat of Burroughs’ story into a well-crafted and enjoyable film and more importantly, the filmmakers handled a distressing and at times heart-wrenching story with a sense of humor and appreciation of life’s oddities, following in the footsteps of Burroughs’ memoirs.
From start to finish, it seems a truly unbelievable story. Augusten’s life begins to collapse around him, as his melodramatic mother Deirdre loses touch with reality and becomes dependent on valium, and his father Norman withdraws from the family and retreats into alcoholism. He is sent to live with Dr. Finch, Deirdre’s unconventional therapist with an unusual home, peculiar tactics and an oddball family.
The story unfolds to reveal the ensuing insanity inside the Finch household, a filthy and cluttered museum of junk and assortment, where he is invited to play with the electro-shock therapy machine, the Bible is used like a Magic 8 Ball to answer questions and dog kibble is a snack. He becomes romantically involved at age 13 with adopted son Neil Bookman, a gay man in his thirties.
The story is disturbing, yet the film handles it with dignity. Director Ryan Murphy was delicate in his adaptation of Burroughs’ story for his film, and none of the importance of these events on Burroughs as a person was lost in translation.
The soundtrack, which includes songs such as Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” and Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s “Blinded By The Light,” was one feature of the film that added a sentimental element and sense of comedy.
But perhaps what really made it come to life were the performances. Big names like Alec Baldwin, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow signed on to do this project with Murphy. They shine alongside 21-year-old Joseph Cross’ breakout performance as Augusten. Cross delivers such emotion in the role; hearts will continually break for him throughout the film.
Complimenting Cross’ performance is the one given by Annette Bening, who took on the troubled character of Augusten’s mother as she led viewers down the path of Deirdre’s passion for poetry, detachment from her husband and feelings of oppression, her melodramatic flair and psychotic episodes and her inability to take care of her own son, even though it is obvious she deeply loves him.
Altogether, the music, characters, actors and script somehow make a feel-good film out of a troubling story of one man’s coming of age. One thing is for sure, the audience will walk out of this movie realizing that compared to Augusten’s, their own family is not as crazy as they might have thought.
