The Work:
Running with Scissors
The Artist(s):
Directed by Ryan Murphy. Starring Annette Benning, Alec Baldwin, Brian Cox, Gynneth Paltrow, Joseph Cross, Joseph Fiennes.
Description:
Young Augusten Burroughs (Cross) is given to the custody of his mother’s psychiatrist (Cox) after his alcoholic father (Baldwin) and nutso mother (Benning) split up. He comes of age, so to speak, in the wacky, dysfunctional household of his mother’s psychiatrist.
Purpose:
This movie is trying hard to be cool. Trying hard in the way that Brad Pitt tries hard. Trying hard in the way that Tom Cruise tries hard (he tries the hardest!). Interesting that I should mention Pitt, since he’s one of the producers. Based on Augusten Burrough’s memoirs (which of course a guy like Pitt would read and revere—I’ll bet Pitt has a whole shelf of Bukowski in his bedroom, don’t you?) this movie his supposed to give you insight into a world of brilliance and dysfunction, it tries to convey what it means to be sane in an insane world. Or be insane in a sane world. Oh, it’s also a love story of sorts. And a story of redemption. And a story about building shrines to poop. And a story about Gwynneth Paltrow murdering the cat and then cooking stew with Bo Derek-style cornows. Did I mention the gay love affair between the young Augusten and a 35-year-old schizoid? Did I mention Annette Benning chewing the scenery and bedding housewives? Okay, I’ll admit; I don’t know what the heck this movie was trying to do. You can’t blame Alec Baldwin’s character for his lush-hood; after ten minutes of this movie I wanted to reach into the screen and steal his bottle of scotch.
What Works:
Okay, I have to say something nice here. I think Joseph Cross gives a good performance as young Augusten. By good, I mean he doesn’t annoy me as much as the rest of the characters.
What Doesn't Work:
I think I can still hear Annette Benning screaming. Seriously, the fatal flaw in the movie, the one thing that contributed most to its undoing, is this: the characters are repugnant. As a viewer, you’re rooting for young Augusten to survive this hell, no question. And that’s a fine premise for a movie. Position his abusers as villains, fair enough, now we’re engaged. Instead, the movie continues, relentlessly, to try to get us to sympathize with Benning and Cox, two self-absorbed nut jobs. They chew whole scenes, the two of them, and we don’t see Augusten at all. What happened to Augusten? And we wonder, again and again, “what’s this movie about, anyway?” If you’re asking that question after thirty minutes, a movie is probably in trouble. I was asking that question even as the final credits rolled.
Verdict:
Don’t waste your money. I kept wishing that a big oil tanker would break loose from a Sylvester Stallone film, crash into the psychiatrist’s house, and incinerate the entire cast.
1 comment:
Are you obsessed with the Baldwin brothers? Of course Alec Baldwin has huge acting range, from way back when he was skinny and did Hunt for Red October to Mr. Conductor in Thomas the Tank Engine. I even caught him on a PBS fundraiser the other night doing South Pacific. Nice voice, by the way. I saw Reba there too, doing Nellie. Pretty good casting for a girl from Arkansas. She was matched against a classically trained singer and it worked. There was chemistry; there was harmony; there was entertainment for country/western aficionados to musical goers alike. Unfortunately, however, she did not stick the ending, and musical performance is very akin to gymnastics, in that, despite the flare and accuracy of the routine, if you do not land on cue, feet together, knees locked, it brings down your effort. Her classically trained partner missed his cue as well. He cut off early, while the light technician counted correctly and took out his follow spot with the orchestration. Maybe he was trying not to outshine Reba.
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