Augusten Burroughs (Joseph Cross) comes from an unhappy family. His father (Alec Baldwin) loves his booze, his mother (Annette Bening) is a temperamental aspiring poet with psychological issues, most likely bipolar of nature. Augusten is much closer to his mom than his dad. His mother decides that the family should see a psychiatrist, Dr Finch, to solve their problems. The outcome is that his parents get divorced, mother starts living on her own and poor Augusten moves in with the Finch family, after being adopted by Dr Finch.Augusten keeps a journal, giving us an indication how the lad tries to cope with this environment, and the people he meets and how they relate and react to each other. For most of the film it makes for engrossing viewing.If you thought that Augusten's mother had issues, wait until you meet the Finch family: From their stoic mother Agnes (Jill Clayburgh), the nun-like eldest daughter, Hope (Gwyneth Paltrow), the younger rebellious daughter Natalie (Evan Rachel Wood) to the eccentric Dr Finch himself (Brian Cox), they are part of one unorthodox family. To call their household chaotic, would be an understatement. Enjoying the erratic behaviour of this odd family is part of the fun of watching this film. I am not going to add detail and spoil it for those who still have to watch this movie. Suffice to say, if you love the bizarre (including below-the-belt humour), you will most likely enjoy this film.Technically this is a fine film with great soundtrack, cinematography and set. I just loved that chaotic house with its unimaginable range of paraphernalia.The character of Augusten is well-developed and three-dimensional. His mother is a more complex person, yet the effect of her bipolar condition is effectively portrayed. Although not playing a major role his confused, booze-loving dad is also well-presented. I found the acting by all accomplished, but special mention must be made of Annette Bening and Brian Cox who really excelled. Joseph Cross also acted well, and this brings me to my only serious bit of criticism, and that concerns the casting. Augusten is suppose to be fourteen and later fifteen according to the book and film, yet he is played by a clearly much older Cross, who was close to 20 when filming took place. A younger actor playing the protagonist would have generated more sympathy for the vulnerable lad; Cross comes through as a less vulnerable, rather independent young adult. The strong points of the film fortunately outweigh this negative aspect. This is a coming-of-age film with a difference, and worth watching. 7/10.

Before I bought this, I was intrigued to know how they could possibly have filmed the book accurately. They didn't. The book portrayed Burroughs' journey into and through adolescence gradually, describing repetitive, strange behaviour patterns in both Burroughs and his mother Deirdre, and using these to give the reader a depth of understanding of the path to the mid-teen Burroughs described towards the end of the book. There is no way that some of the events which are graphically described in the book could be shown in the same way in the film, but altering or redacting the events as extensively as has been done for the film severely reduces the viewers' understanding of Augusten Burroughs. That said, the humour which I saw in the book is at least partly still there (though truncated) and the film thus could possibly have the power to do for the mental health care profession what M.A.S.H. did for war.

Well, here's another one that turns to be way much better than I expected. Funny. Playful. Deep. Running with Scissors is the real life story of writer Augusten Burroughs who grew up in a mentally dysfunctioned environment. However, the movie is not about disordered people, but the disordered life we're living in; the dilemma of what we want to be and what we're supposed to be. The story doesn't lecture, but it shows that whichever path you choose or whichever path you sacrifice, restlessness and hardship will be waiting for you. The "Follow Your Dream" motto is harshly ridiculed and tested on real grounds, because setting yourself free from all duties and boundaries to pursue what you want most is like running with scissors! The movie was beautifully written and wonderfully brought to life by the top-notch performances of Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, and Jill Clayburgh. Ryan Murphy did a tremendous job here. He knew how and when to make you laugh or make you cry.

Awful. This was horrible. A huge disappointment.I don't know if I can even write how bummed I am about this. I really, really loved the book and was incredibly stoked when I found out there was a movie.Let's do some comparisons: the movie was boring, the book was intriguing. The characters in the movie were ridiculous, rigid, as if they were trying to be exactly what the book said they were without any of the spirit that they had in the book. The conflicts in the book were enticing, made you hunger for more, the conflicts in the movie felt like a messy waste of time. I couldn't even feel anything while watching this movie, not a thing but disappointment, while the feelings evoked during reading were addicting and rendered me unable to close the book. Honestly, I'm not qualified to make this review, because I didn't even finish the movie. That's how awful it was. I left.One thing good about this movie that makes this one scene worth watching: Gwyneth Paltrow. Honestly, usually she's forgettable. I don't often care much for her, but in this one scene, I can't help it. If you're gonna watch this movie, look out for Paltrow in the scene where she's cooking stew. I could not look away. Her acting in this scene is absolutely remarkable. I truly have a lot more respect for her than I did before. Right as I'm writing this, I can only name one other movie where I've seen her..but I doubt I'll ever be able to forget this scene.Don't watch the movie, ever. Go read the book. Augusten Burroughs is an amazing story-teller, Ryan Murphy is not.