Movie · 2006 · Drama, Comedy · 2h 2m · R · English
Curator score: 0.8/10 (23.9K ratings)
Do not disturb them. They already are.
Overview
Young Augusten Burroughs absorbs experiences that could make for a shocking memoir: the son of an alcoholic father and an unstable mother, he's handed off to his mother's therapist, Dr. Finch, and spends his adolescent years as a member of Finch's bizarre extended family.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.8/10
IMDb: 6.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 32%
Metacritic: 52
TMDB: 5.8/10
Director
Ryan Murphy
Production
TriStar Pictures, Plan B Entertainment
Cast
Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Evan Rachel Wood, Alec Baldwin, Jill Clayburgh, Gabrielle Union, Patrick Wilson, Kristin Chenoweth, Dagmara Dominczyk, Colleen Camp, Jack Kaeding, Gabriel Guedj, Nancy Cassaro, Omid Abtahi, Julie Remala, Will Carter, Bonnie Weis
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp cast and a genuinely strange memoir premise give the film moments of bite, but the tonal wobble and uneven adaptation keep it from fully landing. It’s worth watching if you’re drawn to dysfunctional-family dramedies and off-kilter performances; less so if you want emotional coherence or a clean dramatic payoff.
Best for
viewers who like dark dramedies about chaotic families
fans of memoir adaptations and coming-of-age stories
people interested in strong ensemble acting
audiences who don’t mind tonal messiness and discomfort
Skip if
you need a tightly structured screenplay
you dislike bleak humor mixed with trauma
you want a consistently empathetic or grounded family drama
you’re put off by stories built on eccentricity and dysfunction
Overview
Running with Scissors has the ingredients of a cult favorite: a bizarre true story, a stacked cast, and a setting that lets comedy and damage collide in uncomfortable ways. The performances are often the main attraction, especially when the film leans into the absurdity of its household of misfits and the adolescent confusion at the center of it all.
Worth noting
What keeps it from becoming more than a curiosity is control. The movie can feel scattered, as if it’s unsure whether to play the material as satire, tragedy, or memoir, and that uncertainty blunts some of the emotional force. Still, there’s an undeniable appeal in its willingness to be ugly, funny, and sad at the same time.
Bottom line
If you respond to dysfunctional-family stories that are more eccentric than polished, it has enough personality to justify a watch. If you prefer your coming-of-age dramas with cleaner tonal discipline, this one may feel more exhausting than illuminating.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Baby, Be Near (3★) · 111 likes
running with scissors is a movie with a runtime of approximately three weeks
mirms · 106 likes
what if we kissed in dr. finch’s masturbatorium
B E R T (4★) · 71 likes
What a misunderstood movie this is. There seems to be a lot of hatred aimed at it but I think people are being a bit harsh, it’s entertaining and easy to digest, filled with wonderful performances from literally everyone in the movie.
If you didn’t grow up in a picture perfect family with everything handed to you, I think you’ll find something to appreciate about this story.
Also, very loyal adaptation of the memoir by Augusten Burroughs.
That's So Gay List
megan (2.5★) · 68 likes
hey make sure not to run with scissors, alright, last time she was doing that she got shot, right in the abdomen
shookone (3.5★) · 64 likes
Ryan Murphy's ensemble dramedy could have easily followed the trend of the 2000s American genre coupling, but fortunately it doesn't. RUNNING WITH SCISSORS is a biographical report about a grotesque family situation and a difficult adolescent upbringing. It is clear that this is not going to be a cheerful experience - despite the bizarre exaggeration of the psychologist family - and so the tragic sequences have a level of depth despite the contrast with the specific humor that somehow always… more Ryan Murphy's ensemble dramedy could have easily followed the trend of the 2000s American genre coupling, but fortunately it doesn't. RUNNING WITH SCISSORS is a biographical report about a grotesque family situation and a difficult adolescent upbringing. It is clear that this is not going to be a cheerful experience - despite the bizarre exaggeration of the psychologist family - and so the tragic sequences have a level of depth despite the contrast with the specific humor that somehow always… more
1994 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 1h 46m · R · Curator 4.7/10 (45.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Paramount Plus Essential, Netflix Standard with Ads
A sharp mix of comedy and sadness centered on isolation, reinvention, and family disappointment.