Negative Positive
Title: VERY disappointing!
Review: I read Running with Scissors recently and was highly anticipating the film adaptation -- I was VERY disappointed in this poorly contructed rendering of Burroughs' book. The film entirely lacks Burroughs' dark wit -- it's as if the director misinterpreted the author's tone. The over-abundant scenes of the characters weeping over their tragic lives left me bored.The movie is certainly well-cast (excluding the roles of Augusten and Nathalie, which bothered me somewhat), but even Gwenyth Paltrow seemed to lack direction in her portrayal of Hope, which was as dull and colorless as a block of wood. However, I do have to admit, Annette Benning and Joseph Fiennes' stellar performances did stand out in this otherwise lacking adaptation. I also thought the script was poorly written -- I can understand the necessity for some creative license, but the script strayed too far from the book in my opinion. I think perhaps that's why the film is such a mess.
Is the review positive or negative? 