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Glass House, The

EMAILPRINTColumbia Pictures

Glass House, The reviews
34
7.2 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 17 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller

Written by: Wesley Strick

Directed by: Daniel Sackheim

Release Date:
Theatrical: September 14, 2001
DVD: January 2, 2002

Running Time: 110 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for sinister thematic elements, violence, drug content and language

Starring Diane Lane, Leelee Sobieski, Stellan Skarsgård, Rita Wilson, Bruce Dern, and Trevor Morgan

When Ruby (Sobieski) and her younger brother Rhett's (Morgan) parents are killed in a car crash, their parents' best friends, Erin and Terry Glass (Lane, Skarsgård), become their guardians. Ruby and Rhett are promised a world of opulence and California fun -- all they have to do is move into the Glasses' gated house in picturesque Malibu. But in this taut psychological thriller, trust can be as transparent as The Glass House. (Columbia Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

70

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

It is surprising that no matter how much we know what will happen, we never stop watching.

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70

New Times (L.A.) Luke Y. Thompson

While the specifics of the plot are often as fragile as an actual glass house, those looking for a good night of disposable entertainment will find it here.

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63

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

Something that gets your motor racing briefly, but which you've seen all too often.

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63

Miami Herald Philip Wuntch

A workmanlike thriller that works. The film is a victory for both first-time feature director Daniel Sackheim and budding star Leelee Sobieski.

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58

Entertainment Weekly Ty Burr

As the supporting cast gets winnowed away, though, we're left with a cat-and-mouse game between girl and murderous faux-dad that's simply boilerplate.

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58

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Has a good cast, a nicely sustained mood of paranoia and several genuinely creepy moments, but ultimately ends up being one more highly formulaic teen screamer.

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50

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

If you want to see a great movie about a couple of kids endangered by a sinister guardian, rent "Night of the Hunter." Watching The Glass House has all the elements for a better film, but doesn't trust the audience to keep up with them.

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50

USA Today Claudia Puig

The standout performances by Sobieski and Skarsgaard, and the sense of foreboding aided by the deliberate pace of this suspenseful script, polish off the rough edges.

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40

LA Weekly Manohla Dargis

Ludicrous but not quite the howler it could and should have been.

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40

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

The cast, including genre veteran Bruce Dern as a kindly lawyer, do their best with the material, but you can't make a crackling thriller out of soggy cliches.

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25

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

This is trash on a big budget, but trash nonetheless.

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20

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

It may be lulling to know, almost from the outset, where the plot is going, but thrilling -- or even psychological -- it is not.

20

Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard

Psychological thrillers depend on convincing audiences to suspend disbelief, but this one doesn't manage that for a moment.

20

The New York Times Dana Stevens

The Glass House is hardly insane, just absurd, and the only damage it does is to itself.

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20

Austin Chronicle Steve Davis

It is truly one of the year's dumbest movies.

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10

Variety Robert Koehler

There's nothing in genredom quite so unhinged as the badly made psycho-thriller, and long before it's over, The Glass House collapses from wretched design and execution.

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10

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

So laughably awful that it begs to have stones thrown at it; it's a wonder it got made at all.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Saer A. gave it a 9:
This movie was entertaining and I was really into this movie!

Konrad R. gave it a 6:
A good thriller...fair acting all around, taut plot, but only mildly scary.

Ahs S. gave it an 8:
This movie was entertaining. It had enough suspense to keep interest throughout it, it also had good acting and a nice setting. The only down I saw about it was it was a little predictable.

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