I decided when I got back that I would clear off one of those films that's been on my DVR for months, so I watched RUNNING WITH SCISSORS. A very sad story of a teen abandaoned by his psychotic mother into a family full of semi-psychotics. It's meant to be seriocomic, but I couldn't laugh at all because the people were so sad and desperate in their mental illnesses, based on the memoirs of Augusten Burroughs.
What an astounding cast: Annette Bening (in a role that should have earned her an Oscar nomination; she might have gotten one if the film hadn't tanked), Alec Baldwin, Brian Cox, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Evan Ward, Joseph Fiennes, Patrick Wilson, Jill Clayburgh, and Joseph Cross as the main character - all superb performances.
But I finished the film not feeling relief for the kid but so terribly unhappy over these unhappy, miserable people. Nice little coda on the film to let you know how these characters turned out, in many cases much more hopefully than one might have thought.