Movie Day!
Today is the first day of Spring break for the schools 'round these parts. Even though my daughter and her best friend are both homeschooled, we observe the same holiday schedule as the school district. That way they can do fun stuff with their friends. So anyway, since today is really cold and snowy, they stayed in all day with me and we watched Running with Scissors. Now, before you holler at me for allowing them to watch an "R" movie, let me just say that there wasn't anything in there they haven't seen on regular TV or heard in school or in other movies. But I digress.
The movie itself is based on the personal memoirs of Augusten Burroughs. The thought than anyone could and did live through such a crazy upbringing and come out on the other side fairly sane and successful just amazes me. Annette Bening (one of my favorite actors!) gave a brilliant performance as young Augusten's mother, a deluded aspiring poet who believes she will one day be very famous, and who suffers from mental illnesses I couldn't even identify. LOL I don't even know where to begin with Dr. Finch, played by Brian Cox. He gives the word eccentric a whole new meaning! Jill Clayburgh played his long-suffering wife extremely well, leaving you feeling very sorry for her by the end. And Gwyneth Paltrow was quite believable as Hope, Dr. Finch's rather off-center daughter. If you haven't seen it and are in the mood for an amazingly unbelievable yet true story, watch it!
Running with Scissors, Annette Bening, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mental Illness
