Running with Scissors
The story of how a boy was abandoned by his mother and how he, later, abandoned her. The year he'll be 14, the parents of Augusten Burroughs (1965- ) divorce, and his mother, who thinks of herself as a fine poet on the verge of fame, delivers him to the eccentric household of her psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. During that year, Augusten avoids school, keeps a journal, and practices cosmetology. His mother's mental illness worsens, he takes an older lover, he finds friendship with Finch's younger daughter, and he's the occasional recipient of gifts from an unlikely benefactor. Can he survive to come of age?
The film underperformed commercially against its tight budget of $12.0M, earning $6.8M globally (-44% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its unique voice within the comedy genre.
3 wins & 7 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Running with Scissors (2006) demonstrates strategically placed narrative architecture, characteristic of Ryan Murphy's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 56 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Augusten Burroughs
Deirdre Burroughs
Dr. Finch
Neil Bookman
Agnes Finch
Natalie Finch
Hope Finch
Norman Burroughs
Main Cast & Characters
Augusten Burroughs
Played by Joseph Cross
A creative teenage boy struggling with his mother's mental illness and bizarre living situation with the Finch family.
Deirdre Burroughs
Played by Annette Bening
Augusten's narcissistic, mentally unstable mother who dreams of becoming a famous poet.
Dr. Finch
Played by Brian Cox
An eccentric, unethical psychiatrist who adopts Augusten and runs a chaotic household.
Neil Bookman
Played by Joseph Fiennes
Dr. Finch's adult patient and Augusten's older love interest who lives in the Finch household.
Agnes Finch
Played by Jill Clayburgh
Dr. Finch's deeply religious, submissive wife who enables her husband's dysfunction.
Natalie Finch
Played by Evan Rachel Wood
The rebellious adopted daughter of the Finches who befriends Augusten.
Hope Finch
Played by Gwyneth Paltrow
The eldest Finch daughter who has escaped the family chaos and represents normalcy.
Norman Burroughs
Played by Alec Baldwin
Augusten's distant alcoholic father who abandons the family.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Young Augusten lives with his unstable, narcissistic poet mother Deirdre and distant father in a dysfunctional suburban household filled with tension and neglect.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Deirdre signs papers giving legal guardianship of Augusten to her eccentric psychiatrist Dr. Finch, abandoning her son to pursue her own freedom.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 30 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Augusten accepts his new reality and begins to actively engage with the Finch family, choosing to make this strange household his home rather than fighting it., moving from reaction to action.
At 58 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Augusten fully embraces his new identity and life with the Finches, feeling liberated and accepted, believing he has found where he truly belongs despite the chaos., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 87 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Augusten hits rock bottom as the relationship with Neil deteriorates, the household crumbles further, and he realizes he has lost years of his life to this toxic environment with no future., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 92 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Augusten decides to reclaim his life and future, choosing to leave the Finch household and pursue his dream of becoming a writer in New York, taking control of his own destiny., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Running with Scissors's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Running with Scissors against these established plot points, we can identify how Ryan Murphy utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Running with Scissors within the comedy genre.
Ryan Murphy's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Ryan Murphy films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Running with Scissors takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ryan Murphy filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, Ella Enchanted and The Evening Star. For more Ryan Murphy analyses, see Eat Pray Love.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Young Augusten lives with his unstable, narcissistic poet mother Deirdre and distant father in a dysfunctional suburban household filled with tension and neglect.
Theme
Dr. Finch tells Deirdre that she must be free to find herself, foreshadowing the theme of seeking identity and belonging in unconventional places.
Worldbuilding
Augusten's chaotic home life escalates as his mother spirals into mental illness, his parents' marriage crumbles, and he becomes increasingly isolated and desperate for stability.
Disruption
Deirdre signs papers giving legal guardianship of Augusten to her eccentric psychiatrist Dr. Finch, abandoning her son to pursue her own freedom.
Resistance
Augusten reluctantly moves into the Finch household, resisting the bizarre new environment while trying to understand the chaotic family dynamics and unconventional rules.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Augusten accepts his new reality and begins to actively engage with the Finch family, choosing to make this strange household his home rather than fighting it.
Mirror World
Augusten develops a romantic relationship with Neil, Dr. Finch's adult adopted son, finding unexpected connection and intimacy in the chaotic household.
Premise
Augusten explores life with the Finches: no school, bizarre therapy sessions, eccentric family members, and his relationship with Neil, experiencing a twisted version of freedom and belonging.
Midpoint
Augusten fully embraces his new identity and life with the Finches, feeling liberated and accepted, believing he has found where he truly belongs despite the chaos.
Opposition
The darker reality of the Finch household emerges: Dr. Finch's malpractice, Neil's instability, the family's dysfunction deepening, and Augusten realizing his situation is more prison than paradise.
Collapse
Augusten hits rock bottom as the relationship with Neil deteriorates, the household crumbles further, and he realizes he has lost years of his life to this toxic environment with no future.
Crisis
Augusten processes his despair and the death of his potential, confronting the reality that he must save himself because no one else will rescue him from this situation.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Augusten decides to reclaim his life and future, choosing to leave the Finch household and pursue his dream of becoming a writer in New York, taking control of his own destiny.
Synthesis
Augusten executes his escape plan, confronts his past, says goodbye to the Finch family, and moves to New York to start his real life as a writer.
Transformation
Augusten as an adult writer, having survived and transformed his chaotic childhood into art, now stable and self-determined, contrasting sharply with the lost boy from the opening.