When I mentioned to a friend that this movie was next on my list, he said that he hated it so much that he had to stop watching at points. I was surprised--I had seen the previews and found it intriguing, especially because it was based around the memoirs of a real person.

Putting his criticism aside, we made pizza, opened a six pack of beer, and sat down to watch. Perhaps I'm not as discerning a viewer as my friend, but I'd like to believe that I have good taste in such matters. I was touched, moved, and entertained and I thought it was a really lovely film.

Starring Joseph Cross, Annette Benning, Brian Cox, Evan Rachel Wood, Joseph Fiennes, Alec Baldwin, and Gwyneth Paltrow, it was an ensemble piece revolving around the twisted childhood of Augusten Burroughs (Cross). Some might say Benning's Deirdre Burroughs was overacted and overdramatic, but look at the character: She's psychotic with delusions of grandeur, overmedicated with a manipulative shrink, an overaspirational underachiever. Of course she's going to be dramatic. Augusten's teen years are riddled with dark and off-kilter personalities leaving him neglected and trying to break boundaries that were never set for him. The setting is uncomfortable and tragic in and of itself, the beauty is in how terrifically funny it's portrayed. I think a lot of people might have trouble wanting to laugh at these situations which are at their core, terribly sad. But we do, because it's the only option we really have while watching Agnes Finch eat dog kibble out of a 10-lb bag and accuse Augusten of being afraid of trying new things.

The theme that I believe really carries this picture is Augusten's search for his mother, having never really had a normal maternal caregiver his entire life. He tries to convey to her what he needs as a son after so many years of his self-sacrificing doting on her, and all she can see are her own needs and her own desires. She's unwilling to put aside even the smallest part of herself for him and yet he persists in attempting to gain her attention. This struck a particular chord with me (maybe because my own mother is the polar opposite) and all the maternal instinct I possessed ached for him. Jill Clayburgh (as Agnes Finch) gives one of the best performances as probably the only real mother figure in the movie. I'll admit, I did get a bit misty near the end.

So yes, it's silly at times, yes, parts of it are nearly unbelievable, but I enjoyed the acting, the writing, and the premise as a whole. Sorry friend, I guess we'll agree to disagree.

Question: Should I come up with a rating system? Something like... "good date movie." "4 out of 5 stars." Stars... or Bananas? Any and all feedback is much appreciated.