Wes Anderson could have turned this quirky, bizarre, surreal and sometime heartfelt story into a little treat. Not that is was that bad, but it wasn't that great either. All the elements were there, but I just couldn't get into the strangeness of it all, even if it was all true. It just needed someone that little bit twisted to tell a truly weird and wonderful tale.Annette Bening perfectly got into the quirkiness, as did Joseph Fiennes and most of the cast. The main lead Joseph Cross almost delivered the goods, but fell short and I guess that's all got to do with the messy script that didn't know what genre it wanted to be. (But it did make me want to read the book.)With all the perfect elements in the book and the cast, it just didn't quiet deliver the goods in the celluloid form, which was a shame because the potential was there.

The source material is a darkly funny, but insightful memoir about a troubled childhood, and mental illness. When his parents divorce, Augusten Burroughs is sent to live with his mother's therapist and eccentric family. The action revolves around Augusten growing up in the house and his crumbling relationship with his mother. The movie, produced, written, and directed by Ryan Murphy, has some excellent performances and moments that ring extremely true. But while certainly not horrible or unwatchable, it does not do the memoir full justice. Murphy's writing and direction tend to under serve the emotional undercurrents and overplay the comedic surface. Resulting is a movie that is stuck between dark comedy and intense drama without a real blending of either. As Augusten's mentally ailing mother Dierdre, Anette Bening nails it. So vivid is both the emotional and physical deterioration of her character, to which Bening adds to her slimly written arc. Also impressive is Jill Claybourgh. She plays Dr. Finch's wife, turning in a remarkably layered performance in a minor role. Evan Rachel wood gives her part equal parts spunk and weight, giving the third stand-out performance. The rest of the cast all range from serviceable (Gwenyth Paltrow in a thankless role) to good (Alec Baldwin). As Augusten himself, Joseph Cross is great, but his character becomes more of a spectator, to which any actor would have trouble working with.If Murphy had just given his vision a bit more development, I think this one really could have been something wonderful - a darkly comic, but deeply felt film about the trouble of growing up amongst dysfunction - you can sense the faithful intent in everything. Instead, crucial emotional scenes get streamlined into montages set to the pop hits of the period -1970's, characters are left underdeveloped, leaving the story to not really go anywhere. It's entertaining enough at the funny parts, and Bening is really excellent, but there's not much else to grasp onto.

I loved this movie! It is incredibly funny in that sarcastic sort of way, yet also has a lot of heart in it. This movie also stays quite true to the book, which is even funnier. The acting is great, especially Anette Benning's portrayal of a drugged out psychotic. It is hard to imagine what Augusten Burroughs went through considering the neglect he experienced as a young teenager. His mother gives custody of him to her psychiatrist who has her convinced that her ex-husband is dangerous and wants to kill her. Augusten has no choice but to live with Dr. Finch and his family, who are an eccentric bunch. He makes friends with the younger daughter and dates a man in his late 30's, as Dr. Finch's psychological beliefs dictate that humans are considered adults at age 13 and can make their own choices. Eventually, he comes to the realization that he wanted a normal life, rules, and a normal mother, not one that craves "toothpaste sandwiches" when she's going crazy.

I haven't read the novel. In fact, I hadn't heard of it, the suspiciously extraordinary life it describes or the controversy that evidently surrounded the release of book and film alike. I don't know if it is true or not, if he experienced all of these things. That's not what I'm here to determine. What I will tell you is that this, while it may not be for all tastes, is an interesting tale and oddly engaging in spite of how difficult it can be to relate to at times. The situation is foreign, living in this bizarre household, abandoned by the mother. I was impressed with the uncompromising psychological accuracy and harshness, and how every single character is so completely human. The cast is great, and they all deliver compelling performances; none of them feel as though they were given the role on account of star power. I did not realize Cross had such range from Untraceable, and am glad that he got to show it here. The music is well-chosen. This has good writing. I haven't watched anything else by Murphy, but I like his style, and will be on the lookout for other efforts by him. This genuinely engaged me, and situations that have been seen before didn't feel clichéd. There is a ton of strong(at times explicit) language, a bit of disturbing content and a little sexuality in this. I recommend it to anyone who can imagine liking it. 7/10