Running with Scissors – A review
January 21st 2008 00:15
Life stories are not normally for me, even if I have a strong admiration and interest for a person and their achievements, I don’t normally read them. I don’t think I have managed to stay focussed on an entire biography yet. And if I have I have forgotten it. So, that says something. This book was different. Running with Scissors (2006) is based on the autobiography of writer Augusten Burroughs.
I felt the author wasn’t trying to elicit sympathy from his reader. He was telling his story, at times quite emotionless, yet factual. It felt as though it was the reader’s responsibility to decide how they could deal with the information. It is a gritty, vivid account which could be off-putting to some, with many disturbing elements. Yet, I was not able to stop reading. I was enthralled, both by the story and the style in which it was written.
After learning that a film adaptation had been created, I wondered how the book would transfer to a film. As we know, book to film adaptations do not always work and can be substandard. For example, Patrick Suskind's Perfume. Something went awry with its film creation and as a result I was wholly disillusioned. This was not the case with Running with Scissors; the essence of the book was well-tailored to a film. The atmosphere of dysfunction was maintained by writer and director Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck).
The film begins with the statement: 'I guess it doesn’t matter where I begin, because no-one is going to believe me anyway.’
By writing his story, Burroughs definitely took this risk. His story is so full of mind-boggling and hard- to-digest events that not all readers would stay with him.
Growing up in the 1970s, Augusten (Joseph Cross) suffers the brunt of the dysfunctunctal and disturbing relationship between his parents, Deirdre (Annette Bening) and Norman (Alec Baldwin. Deidre despises her husband; an alcoholic maths professor who doesn't dismisses her yearnings to be a ‘poet’. Despite the unevenness of the relationship, Burroughs had a strong adoration for his narcissistic mother: ‘I’m more like my mum, I want to be special and I want to be famous,’ he stated to his dad. She leans heavily on him, more than a mother is meant to lean on a son. More than is comfortable to watch.
Eventually, Deidre drives her husband out of the house and turns to Dr. Finch (Brian Cox), a strange, unorthodox psychiatrist who has a pill collection for all his clients’ needs. He tells her that she is a talented writer, and nurtures her self-absorbed beliefs. Deidre abandons Augusten on the doorstep of the Finch household and his new world is, in a word, cluttered.
All the characters have varying degrees of insanity, Dr Finch’s wife; Agnes (Jill Clayburgh) lives in her own little world, oblivious to the mess around her as she watches TV and eats dog biscuits. Daddy’s girl, Hope (Gwyneth Paltrow), is an animal lover whose cat, Freud, talks to her. Second daughter Natalie (Evan Rachel Wood) is the most normal of the lot, though not all that normal as she convinces Augusten to let her “treat” him with her father’s old electro-shock machine. Another ‘adopted’ son is Neil Bookman (Joseph Fiennes), a thirty-five-year old schizophrenic prone to hallucinations and violent episodes, who lives out in a shed behind the dishevelled and perpetually dirty Finch house. They begin an alliance despite their initial sexual contact basically being rape.
Dr Finch is the leader of this entourage of unstable characters. His frightening philosophy being that children become adults at thirteen and that no-one can tell them what to do. The danger in this belief is that children are not protected and can become damaged by events, which is what we see happened to Burroughs, illustrated well when Dr Finch encourages Burroughs to stay off school by staging a fake suicide attempt.
The author’s apathy and acceptance of his bizarre youth was well-illustrated using a voice-over narration without causing a feeling of intrusion. There is a definite stream of comedy throughout the story. The actors fill the characters with life and conflict. At first, it seems insensitive to laugh at the absurd scenes that emanate from a macabre, affecting memoir of a young man’s emotional hell. After each episode of warped reality, it becomes obvious that humour is intentional, permission is given and absurdity piles upon absurdity.
The film isn’t perfect. At times, it borders on becoming slightly cheesy as the characters awkwardly overload viewers with their psychoses. It is uneven, sometimes tentative. At times, the quirkiness and theatrical air feels too contrived and moves uncomfortably close to becoming silly parody. Where we see Dr Finch give his mother a Valium, the music is offensively loud, creating a triteness which detracts from the symbolism of the interaction where we see the relationship’s intense dysfunction for the first time.
Visually, the movie is colourful and vivid coated in 70s kitsch. The Finch house, both inside and outside, represents what happens when no-one cleans up anything, both metaphorically and physically; a filthy mess.
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
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Fat Cult
Techbreak
I enjoyed the book tremendously, though... dissuaded from watching the movie.
Comment by Lara M
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Comment by katyzzz
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Comment by Miswanderlust
Killer Beats
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Hipnotherapy
I will rent it just for the 70s kitsch
Mis
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Fair enough, I read quite a few negative comments about the film too. Maybe it fitted in with my warped sense of humour...
Have you read the second book, Dry?
Tracy
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I would definitely read the book first, it's excellent.
Thanks for popping in,
Tracy
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by AmyHuang
Sydney Table
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Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I'd recommend it...and the follow-up book, Dry.
Byee
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I didn't mind this one either...as long as you don't compare it to the book its a fun fluff comedy. Admittedly it was "Brian Cox's" brilliant performance that placed it in my runners up of 2007 films.
Agree it is uneven and I found it hard to put up with Gwenyth but she didn't drag things down to much.
Comment by Lilla
Enviro Warrior
An Extra Ordinary Life
Dream Herald
This didn't appeal to me at all until I read your comment;
I like that approach and the dysfunction here seems interesting ... albeit (as it is) typically neurotic and highly complex ... I will look out for this one on DVD.
Thanks again for the heads up.
Lilla ...
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
I saw this one when it was doing its rounds and decided to wait for the DVD - it sounded interesting and now you have given it that extra few points to make it appealing. If I add it to my book list it will be around 2039 that I actually read it!
Ash
Comment by tlcorbin
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Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
Now I'll wait until I read the book before I watch it - am still interested in seeing it but would like the full impact of the story before I get it with it's adaptational flaws.
Will have to buy Dry now too!
Michaelie
Comment by Joanne Fedler
Secret Writers Business
Jo
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Thanks for popping in. I didn’t compare the film to the book as such, rather the book was a foundation (not on purpose, subconsiously). Otherwise I think it would’ve been too unbelievable for me.
Yes, Brian Cox was superb, I also thought Evan Rachel Wood was fantastic. I’m not a Gwyneth fan, so I just endured her.
Tracy
Tracy
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I like your description, maybe that’s part of the reason why it didn’t work for a lot of people:
It was definitely a neurotic tale!
Thanks for popping in,
Tracy
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Yes, I think that due care must be taken when playing with sharp objects...otherwise who knows what might happen?
Byeee
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
That seems to happen to me a lot too, very frustrating:
I thought it was just me!
Yes, as I said to JD, subconsciously I used the book as a foundation for the film, but I didn’t really compare the book to the film. A lot of reviews did and gave the film negative feedback. I think it is a film that could drive people nutty (no pun intended), but for me, it mostly worked and I had a bit of a laugh.
Dry is excellent, I learnt a lot about behaviours that people do/use when they are in pain, it’s sad.
Byee
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Good to see you. I know what you mean about your book list, mine also is far too long as is my film list... I think I need to give up everything in my life to get through them both!
Byee
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Thanks for your comments. Yes, I think a lot boils down to taste, as well as style and effectiveness. It’s interesting that you found the book artificial, I don’t think that’s weird at all . I wondered if anyone thought something like that, so it’s good to hear your opinion.
I’m pretty sure that if I didn’t think so much of the book then I wouldn’t have liked the film.
Bye
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
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Debate Fan
Burroughs and I are contemporaries, so I'm curious about his experiences. Thanks for the review!
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Yes, I would definitely recommend reading the book... oh and in the film, there's a scene sort of along the same lines as your recent Big Day Out experience... sort of...
Byee
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Thanks for popping in. It's quite a mesmerising book to read.
Enjoy!
Tracy
Comment by What's Your Story?
What's Your Story?
So You're Getting Married
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
He he, it sounds like you tried hard! Ah well
Tracy