The problem with life
”I don’t regret anything that happened in my childhood," Augusten Burroughs said.
And why should he?
Burroughs has become famous for his destructive, painful and downright scary adolescence. His first book was a childhood memoir entitled Running With Scissors, and now, through the grace of Hollywood (and Nip/Tuckcreator Ryan Murphy), that story has been brought to the big screen – and the larger audiences that come with it.
Burroughs says his childhood left him “deeply shaken" and it’s easy to see why. His life starts out normal enough, but soon descends into insanity with the help of both of his parents.
The trouble starts when his parents decide to get a divorce. It was obviously a loveless marriage, with a mother (Annette Bening) who resented her role as a housewife and a coolly detached alcoholic father. After and during the divorce, Augusten’s mother began seeing an “unorthodox" psychologist, who eventually convinced her to legally transfer custody of Augusten to him. This is where the story takes off – in the home of Dr. Finch (Brian Cox). The house Augusten moves into is exactly what one would expect an off-his-rocker doctor to live in. It is a constant mess, with little bits and pieces of artifacts spread all over and garbage on the lawn.
The family is equally disturbing. Dr. Finch has two daughters, one a clinically detached daddy’s girl and the other a 15-year-old seductress who’s in love with a middle-aged man. Nobody is “normal" and the family is at the height of dysfunction. The story revels in Augusten’s slow adaptation to his new surroundings, as well as his continued efforts at a meaningful relationship with his mother who abandoned him.
The cast in Running With Scissors is extremely effective. Almost every single actor portrays his or her part from the right angle, never over-doing what could be an easily destroyed part. Especially poignant and meaningful is the performance by Annette Bening as Deirdre Burroughs. She perfectly captures the inner turmoil of her character, both the pathetic insecurities and strong insanity. The audience can’t hate her because her self-destruction is so palpable and fierce. A mostly unknown actor named Joe Cross plays the lead character. While his performance is fine (the real Augusten said the Cross’ performance “thrilled" him), he comes off as too old for the part. During the course of the movie he is supposed to be in junior high, but instead looks older. This problem is especially noticeable when the character of Augusten engages in a sexual relationship with a much older man. In real life this engagement was a very destructive case of pedophilia, but because of the age and presentation in the movie, it comes off as an almost equal situation.
The visual quality of Running With Scissors is strong. It creates a believable world with a plain, but rich style, leaving the story to make the surrealness and tragedy all the more effective. This is not a film about wonderment and happiness, but a darkly comic telling of what really happened.
All of the strengths of Running With Scissors make the main problem with the movie even worse – in the end, it feels almost pointless. Murphy said that the movie is about “telling people that it’s possible to survive a terrible childhood," but that isn’t what happens. Yes, at the end of the film the audience sees Augusten escape – but why? The plot isn’t about him wanting to get out; it’s just about him living in a crazy situation. Running With Scissors is a fascinating exploration of a life most of us have never lived, but that concept doesn’t add up to an extraordinary film.
