Running With Scissors | Rotten Tomatoes

Running With Scissors

R

Released Oct 27, 2006

2h 0m

Comedy

Drama

List

32%

Tomatometer

136 Reviews

56%

Audience Score

100,000+ Ratings

As the son of an alcoholic father (Alec Baldwin) and a mentally ill mother (Annette Bening), young Augusten Burroughs (Joseph Cross) faces a challenging childhood at the very least. His life takes an unexpected turn when his mother gives him to her unorthodox therapist (Brian Cox), and the boy becomes a member of the doctor's own strange, extended family.

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Critics Consensus

Despite a few great performances, the film lacks the sincerity and emotional edge of Burroughs' well-loved memoir.

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Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

Rated: 4/6

Feb 3, 2007

Full Review

Will Lawrence

Empire Magazine

Well-acted by the superb ensemble cast but there just isn't a likeable character amongst them to care about.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 29, 2007

Full Review

Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

In the real world, mental illness is a serious problem. In this film, it gives everyone a license to run around like characters in a Lewis Carroll story -- all of it set to predictable pop hits from the 1970s.

Oct 31, 2006

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

A few hysterical moments can't compensate for the prolonged weirdness that blankets the picture.

Rated: 4/10

Nov 21, 2020

Full Review

Paul Constant

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

This movie doesn't work because an honest adaptation of Running with Scissors can't work. Without Burroughs's narration, we're left with a Tobe Hooper horror film.

Mar 1, 2018

Full Review

Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Strictly for the Anderson-Baumbach crowd of privileged idiots

Aug 28, 2009

Full Review

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Temple s

Read the brilliant, darkly funny and heartbreaking memoir. Skip the movie. It's one of the most shallow, disappointing book-to-film adaptations I've ever seen. I hope in the future someone else will try to do a better job of adapting this gem of a memoir to film.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/09/23

Full Review

ira m

Boring. Never found out why anyone cares about these people. I certainly didn't.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/04/23

Full Review

colin m

Random plot with not much going for it.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Delightfully mad. Young boy battles through his father's alcoholism and mother's deep mental illness. When Dr. Finch takes his mom on as a patient, he gets sucked into another wild family's swirling mental issues. New mom eats kibble.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I love this film. It made my weird childhood feel relatively normal. The mother son relationship feels right at home.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

steve d

I found it to be trying too hard, with a bunch of over the top performances.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Ryan Murphy

Director

Annette Bening

Deirdre Burroughs

Gwyneth Paltrow

Hope

Brian Cox

Dr. Finch

Jill Clayburgh

Agnes Finch

Joseph Fiennes

Neil Bookman

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Synopsis

As the son of an alcoholic father (Alec Baldwin) and a mentally ill mother (Annette Bening), young Augusten Burroughs (Joseph Cross) faces a challenging childhood at the very least. His life takes an unexpected turn when his mother gives him to her unorthodox therapist (Brian Cox), and the boy becomes a member of the doctor's own strange, extended family.

Director: Ryan Murphy
Producer: Brad Grey, Brad Pitt
Screenwriter: Ryan Murphy
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Plan B Films
Rating: R (Strong Language|Sexuality|Substance Abuse|Violence)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 27, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 14, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.8M
Runtime: 2h 0m

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