The Glass House (2001)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

This one started out really good.... it was by the 3rd act the film took a down turn for me - the ending wasn't all that great for a film of this type either - I really expected more out of the 3rd act and ending. 5/10

Tries its best to be a Domestic Thriller and the Good Cast does Elevate the Standard Proceedings. Leelee Sobieski, Stellan Skarsgard, and Diane Lane take the Trashy Script and run with it.Director Sackheim made His Name on TV (X-Files, etc.) and this one has that Feel. Not Helped by the Wimpy PG-13 Rating, it all has to be, You know, in the Mind, kind of thing. That's OK in a Psychological Thriller but it has to be Well Written and Sharp. This one isn't.It does have Enough Entertaining Elements to be Worth a Watch. Most Teen Boys, Love to Watch Leelee and here Her Acting Chops are Enhanced by the Choice Wardrobe and Overall Odd Beauty She brings to all Her Work. She's a Better than Average Looker and can Play Edge and Smart Very Well.Slightly Above Average with a Good Budget to make it all Viewable in a Slick, Glossy way. Not Much New in the way it goes about its Lurid Business. But at least its Lurid and Trashy. But only as Lurid and Trashy as PG-13 will Permit.

I did like the storyline of this film. It was rather clever, but it didn't really go into too much detail. The story was from the girl's perspective (Ruby) so I only really understood that the bad guy (Terry) had money problems and wanted to use their inheritance to get himself out of the trouble. It was lacking in a lot of details.However, there were a few creepy moments and the setting itself was rather eerie. The children were put in a difficult predicament, and unfortunately nobody seemed to be listening to them, which annoyed me the most.I only really watched this as it the lead role (Ruby) is a favourite actress of mine. I really like her and she didn't disappoint in this role.I enjoyed the film, but I wouldn't watch it again.

On the whole, this is a fairly predictable suspense/thriller with the expected twists and turns thrown in to try to throw the viewer off and keep us guessing, but in reality there was really only one plot point that I was really guessing about (revolving around the estate lawyer and where and to whom his loyalties really were) and that particular plot point wasn't really at the heart of the story. The movie introduces Ruby (Leelee Sobieski) as a bit of a troubled kid, whose troubles become much more complicated when her parents are killed in a car accident, and she and her brother are sent to live with the Glass family - friends of their parents (played by Stellan Skarsgard and Diane Lane.) And, yes, the Glasses live in a house that seems to have a lot of glass - too cute by a longshot.The suspense is around the Glasses. What are they up to? They haven't been especially close to Ruby's parents in recent years, and there's a certain creepiness to them (and especially to Skarsgard's Terry) right from the start. That builds to the point where the Glasses become downright dangerous to the kids. However, there really isn't much mystery about what the Glasses want. (It's revealed fairly quickly that the kids have a large trust fund and that Terry needs money to pay off a loanshark he's in trouble with.) So there's no real suspense around motive, and you pretty much know that although it's going to be a rough ride the kids are going to end up OK (because they always do in this kind of movie.) So the story isn't really that compelling. The performances (mostly from Sobieski, Skarsgard and Lane) are decent, but I didn't think anyone in the cast was truly outstanding.Two things worked really well in the movie. Director Daniel Sackheim did a good job of gradually turning the Glasses from just a creepy couple into a dangerous couple. (At first, Terry's interest in the 16 year old Ruby was truly creepy - it seemed physical more than financial, a suggestion that was let go of fairly quickly in favour of the financial motive.) The other thing that worked well was the setting in the house. Yes, the play on words was a bit too cute, but the big house with its somewhat confusing design and all sorts of windows both inside and outside so that the characters (and the viewer) could often catch a glimpse of what was going on was effective. But, still, a suspense/thriller that's almost entirely predictable and that therefore has no real "edge of your seat" moments can't be considered truly good. (5/10)