It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

I heard about "Running with Scissors" when it got released but didn't get around to seeing it for years. I finally managed to. A couple of things to discuss.First of all, it's not a masterpiece but still bears watching. This story of a teenage boy is based on Augusten Burroughs's semi-autobiographical novel. I haven't read the novel but I'd like to. It's a most unusual set of people surrounding this lad: a mentally unstable mother and an alcoholic father, an eccentric psychiatrist and his even more eccentric family, and others.Also, when the movie ended, it was a pleasant surprise to see that the director is none other than Ryan Murphy, now known as the creator of shows like "Glee" and "American Horror Story". Indeed, the movie reminded me of those shows (even though I didn't know who the director was), and some of RwS's cast members appeared on them.Basically, it's one of the examples of what cinema can be when the people behind it put effort into the plot rather than into CGI. These are some of the most complex characters that I've ever seen in a movie. So far I've liked everything that I've seen from Ryan Murphy, including this. Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, Brian Cox, Jill Clayburgh, Evan Rachel Wood, Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Kristin Chenoweth and Gabrielle Union all put on fine performances. I recommend it.

Well, here's another one that turns to be way much better than I expected. Funny. Playful. Deep. Running with Scissors is the real life story of writer Augusten Burroughs who grew up in a mentally dysfunctioned environment. However, the movie is not about disordered people, but the disordered life we're living in; the dilemma of what we want to be and what we're supposed to be. The story doesn't lecture, but it shows that whichever path you choose or whichever path you sacrifice, restlessness and hardship will be waiting for you. The "Follow Your Dream" motto is harshly ridiculed and tested on real grounds, because setting yourself free from all duties and boundaries to pursue what you want most is like running with scissors! The movie was beautifully written and wonderfully brought to life by the top-notch performances of Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, and Jill Clayburgh. Ryan Murphy did a tremendous job here. He knew how and when to make you laugh or make you cry.

I think this is literally the worst movie I have ever seen. A meandering "story" about a bunch of 70's flakes too busy feeling sorry for themselves and popping pills to pull their own heads out of their asses. There was no one to root for. After two hours, I just kept praying that someone, anyone would die or be killed. I hated them all and they all got exactly what they deserved. If anyone ever tries making you watch this, RUN AWAY. Was I supposed to feel sorry for these people? I just hated them all. They were all a product of their own stupidity. Never have I seen a film so devoid of likable characters. Who gave the green light for this odious piece of dog waste?

During the first 20 minutes or so of this movie I found myself chuckling under my breath with barely restrained maniacal glee. The humor was so darkly offbeat and felt so familiar that I anticipated a fun, altho' most likely really weird, ride for the rest of the film. But then something happened that I didn't see coming. The movie started to get to me. At first in a subtle and then more pronounced way I became more and more involved in the characters and in the storyline. At times I was so bothered by what was transpiring on the TV screen that I almost wanted to watch with my hands over my eyes, as I would while viewing a frightening horror film. At the end of this movie I found myself sitting ramrod straight on the edge of my chair, my hands in fists at my side, unable to stop myself from succumbing to uncontrollable sobs. No one could have been more surprised than I with my reaction. In fact, I embarrassed myself and was thankful no one else was home to see me blubbering like an idiot in my living room. In retrospect I am unable to decide who I related most to in this movie, perhaps a little with each one of them, in different and undefinable ways. I will never want to watch this film again, and was unable to finish the book, but that doesn't mean that I didn't like this movie. I may have liked it, I may have hated it...I can't decide; but I do know for certain that it ripped band-aids off wounds I didn't realize I had.