Directed by: Ryan Murphy
Written by: Augusten Burroughs, Ryan Murphy
Starring: Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Evan Rachel Wood, Joseph Cross, Alec Baldwin, Gwyneth Paltrow
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Budget: $12 Million (estimated)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: Rated R for strong language and elements of sexuality, violence and substance abuse.

I can imagine how people sat there reading Running with Scissors, thinking to themselves how great of a movie it could be. I sat in a dark theater watching the movie adaptation pondering the same thing: how great a movie based on this book could have been.

But Running with Scissors is far from a bad film. It's probably one of the most refreshing coming of age films in years. Scissors is filled with incredible moments that scream out, wishing they were a part of that better capable film that could have been.

Running with Scissors is an unbelievable survival story about the quest for family, identity and forgiveness. Ryan Murphy's interpretation of Augusten Burrough's best selling personal memoir concentrates more on the wacky characters than story. This is probably why the film works and suffers simultaneously.

"Your mother was meant to be a very famous women," Deirdre (Annette Bening) tells her 6 year-old son Augusten. She hopes to one day have her over-dramatic confessional poetry featured in the pages of the New Yorker, despite receiving rejection letters from such low level publications as the Virginia Quarterly. Augusten's father Norman (Alec Baldwin) is a math teacher who drinks his depression away.

Deirdre believes that Norman is oppressing her creativity, and claims the only reason she married him was because she was afraid he'd kill himself if she turned down his proposal. Every time they have sex she contemplates suicide. She enters therapy sessions with the unconventional and eccentric Dr. Finch (Brian Cox), who ultimately fails to save the Burrough's marriage.

The story really gets started when Deirdre packs up and sends Augusten (Joseph Cross) to live in the Finch's junkyard-like clutter filled home. Think the Brady Bunch on crack, where electroshock therapy is considered a form of childhood entertainment.

"I'm doing what's best for you," she tells him. "What's best for all of us."

Thus begins a coming of age story where Augusten unwillingly becomes part of the family, which includes the dog food eating Mrs. Finch (Jill Clayburgh), their older daughter Hope (Gwyneth Paltrow) who uses the Bible to guide most of her daily decisions, the younger rebellious daughter Natalie (Evan Rachel Wood), and Finch's 35 year old adopted but cast away son Neil Bookman (Joseph Fiennes).

If there is one perfect thing about this flick, it's casting. Evan Rachel Wood delivers her best performance to date. She somehow pulls off being both dangerous and cute at the same time. Which is actually quite hard since they are for all intensive purposes opposites (Cute requires innocence, where dangerous forbids innocence). Brian Cox is also in top form.

Annette Bening gives the best performance of her career. If the Academy doesn't recognize this effort, than all is lost. Benning gives an unflinching portrayal of a mentally unstable woman torn between an artistic feminist dream and motherhood.

Paltrow however delivers a stock depiction which might ultimately be attributed to her rather meek role in the film. I'm sure this is just one of the many cuts that were required to transform the book into a movie.

Reminiscent of Almost Famous, the movie's soundtrack is used as a character in the film.

The story is supposed to be about Augusten and his struggle, yet much of the film concentrates on his mother and the incredibly crazy side characters. And in the end, you care more about them than you do Augusten.

Overall, the movie isn't what it could have been - but is good none the less.

/Film Rating: 7 out of 10