Review of Running with Scissors (2006) by Chads. — 30 Apr 2007

There's nothing wrong with the cast of "Running with Scissors"; every character, no matter how eccentric, maudlin, or downright improbable(while not entirely believable, especially Dr. Finch) are indeed colorful and definitely not boring, two essentials for a successful comedy.

Is Deidre Burroughs(Annette Bening) estranged from her son(Joseph Cross) because he lied about her being a bad mother, or that he aired their dirty laundry for all the world to see? We despise her. We mock her, too.

But if Deidre was, say, Anne Waldman(you should read "Marriage: A Sentence"), would we hate her less for handing over Augusten to her shrink(Brian Cox)? Despite his bad childhood, it's sort of cruel to expose his mother as a literary lightweight; writing being such a personal and vulnerable act, akin to moving your bowels in the nude(if you're bad), and Burroughs leaves the bathroom door wide open.

In spite of the author's willingness to humiliate his mom(who to be fair, was brainwashed by a quack), "Running with Scissors" is on occasion, riotously funny, and has a sneaky way of wriggling its way into your heart(thanks to Jill Clayburgh).