Running With Scissors

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Running With Scissors

R

2006

2h 0m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

32%

Tomatometer

135 Reviews

56%

Popcornmeter

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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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

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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

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Murphy's take on Burroughs' hellish childhood is tonally fractured, unleavened with black-as-pitch gallows yuks and -- very nearly its saving grace - a series of performances that pitch and yaw between 'normal' and utterly mad.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 30, 2006

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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

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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

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Fernando F. Croce

CinePassion

Strictly for the Anderson-Baumbach crowd of privileged idiots

Aug 28, 2009

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prawnda s

i think this is ryan murphy's most notable work just via name recognition, but its as cruddy and disrespectful to his audience's time and intelligence as anything else the man has made.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/05/25

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Julian S.

The book is wilder and more complete, but the film has Bening—and that alone makes it worth watching.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/23/25

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Randall V

I haven't read the book "Running With Scissors," but this kind of subject matter requires three-dimensional characters. I couldn't even care about the kid, let alone anyone else. Everyone's flat, just a caricature. And one thing that does is make no one accountable for their actions--the psychiatrist is an execrable man engaging in abuse of everyone he encounters. You don't just tell someone to kill themselves in a movie as a throwaway line. But it just comes off as another quirk of some eccentric character. Not! I watched this with someone who had gone through similar types of emotional abuse, and he was beside himself. And that was well before the way-too-long two-hour running time.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

09/01/25

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Ed .

Looking for Attention Prime example of a film that starts out 'interesting' and then wears thin and wears my patience. The string of weird scenes for the sake of being weird unravels well before the film's end. In my opinion, its author courts drama and invents it when it serves his purposes. Even his name change demonstrates this. Having said all this, I give him much credit for overcoming his additions and staying sober. He has talents that others enjoy. C'est la vie! YMMV.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/29/25

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LeVeta S

My daughter and I loved it. What a crazy childhood.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/03/25

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Jen S

So depressing to watch

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/10/25

Full Review

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Ryan Murphy

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Deirdre Burroughs

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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, Ryan Murphy, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner
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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