The Glass Castle

Name: The Glass Castle
Genre: Biography, Drama
Released: August 11, 2017
Duration: 127 min
Rating: 56
Cast: Brie Larson, Chandler Head, Charlie Shotwell, Ella Anderson, Iain Armitage

2017

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Mixed or average reviews based on 40 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 75 Ratings

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5.9

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5.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 75 Ratings

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The Glass Castle: Brie Larson On The Story

Now Playing: The Glass Castle: Brie Larson On The Story

Movie Details & Credits

Lionsgate | Release Date: August 11, 2017 | PG-13

Starring: Brie Larson, Chandler Head, Charlie Shotwell, Ella Anderson, Iain Armitage, Josh Caras, Max Greenfield, Naomi Watts, Sarah Snook, Woody Harrelson

Summary: A young girl comes of age in a dysfunctional family of nonconformist nomads with a mother who's an eccentric artist and an alcoholic father who would stir the children's imagination with hope as a distraction to their poverty.

Director: Destin Cretton

Genre(s): Biography, Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 127 min

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Critic Reviews

Ariel Scotti

Aug 9, 2017

The Glass Castle is a family portrait that at its heart is a father-daughter movie, anchored by two outstanding actors. Read full review

Mick LaSalle

Aug 9, 2017

Still the spectacle of this, of beautiful, sensitive children at the mercy of damaged adults — this is what we take from The Glass Castle. It’s a universal awfulness rendered with truth and detail, and somehow that’s enough. Read full review

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Aug 6, 2017

Even when the the music swells and people talk through their problems to reach unremarkable conclusions, there’s an undercurrent of emotional authenticity. Read full review

Joe McGovern

Aug 10, 2017

Too much of the plot is spun with vanilla, especially tacked-on scenes of Walls’ starched careerist life in New York City with her Banker Boyfriend (Max Greenfield), presumably to engineer more screen time for the lead actress. Read full review

Kate Taylor

Aug 10, 2017

The fault in the film lies as much with Cretton’s script, which he co-wrote with Andrew Lanham, as it does with his direction. Read full review

Sara Stewart

Aug 10, 2017

Movie adaptations shouldn’t require that you know their source material. But in the case of The Glass Castle, it’s impossible not to just say it: You’re better off reading the book. Read full review

Claudia Puig

Aug 6, 2017

In Cretton’s hands, this fact-based tale of an oddball, destitute upbringing rings false. It’s based on a woman’s complicated personal recollections of her traumatic childhood, and yet it feels like a cloying, one-note Hollywood tale, the beastly trauma all tied up with a pretty bow and de-fanged. Read full review

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User Reviews

ledaumas

Aug 12, 2017

This was a very touching film about extremely flawed parents. What's incredible to me is how the 4 children not only survived, but three of the four became successful and productive despite the neglect. Makes you wonder about rich parents whose children die young of a drug overdose. ThisThis was a very touching film about extremely flawed parents. What's incredible to me is how the 4 children not only survived, but three of the four became successful and productive despite the neglect. Makes you wonder about rich parents whose children die young of a drug overdose. This story tells you that some people can overcome adversity under the most trying conditions. What helped a lot was that the parents did love their children, and that the children knew they were loved. Woody Harrelson did an excellent job of making his awful character sympathetic. The middle-aged Jeanette, Ella Anderson, was excellent with her expressions so you could feel her pain. Because of Ella, you know why the adult Jeanette, Brie Larsen, has become hardened towards her parents. I'm sure it's easier to understand this story when one identifies with the story as we did growing up in the same era.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

julianachavez11

May 6, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Glass Castle is a novel based on true story written by Jeannette Walls. The book starts off when she's about three years old and follows her growing up. With her drunk but very loving father and her big dreams mother, Jeannette didn't get a perfect life style. She had three other siblings, Lori, Brian, and Maureen. Jeannette was in the middle of the mix of the siblings. The novel starts off with Jeannette getting badly burned while she was cooking hot dogs for herself all at the age of three, now you can see that her parents were not much around to care for their children. She writes more about her life and growing up and all the adventures she had. Rex Walls was always losing his jobs and then not getting one that worked for the city. Rose Mary Walls went to college and has a teaching degree but doesn't teach unless they make her because her dreams are to become a famous artist painter.They moved states a lot, probably every couple years. She talks about everything that went on in their lives and how it impacted all of them in many ways. Towards the ending of the novel she talks about how Lori and her move to New York City away from their parents for a better lifestyle. All is well and Jeannette even meets a man and gets married. It ended and she gets a divorce and gets remarried, Jeanette’s fathers passes away from a heart attack. At the very end she invites her whole family over for Thanksgiving and raises a toast for her father.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Greens131

Aug 22, 2017

I loved it and was touched by the characters strength and courage. what more do you need? the acting was very good. woody and Naomi are exceptional. the directing and story-telling might have been tighter, but I loved the movie

5 of 7 users found this helpful52

DogeGamer2015

Mar 27, 2021

La película tiene una trama muy sentimental y los actores son decentes; la recomiendo si te gustan los dramas basados en hechos reales.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

bfoore90

Dec 17, 2019

My main issue with The Glass Castle is that it asks you to feel sorry for two unfit parents as they drag their family through the dirt with no regard for anyone for themselves and are just generally horrible people. With that being said, the cast shines in this and its a touching story ofMy main issue with The Glass Castle is that it asks you to feel sorry for two unfit parents as they drag their family through the dirt with no regard for anyone for themselves and are just generally horrible people. With that being said, the cast shines in this and its a touching story of how children can survive rough parenting.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

NotDante

Nov 28, 2017

'El Castillo de Cristal' tiene un gran despliegue fotográfico, una banda sonora más que respetable y una base argumental magnífica, la vida de Jeannete Walls, de su familia y de sus historias. Por momentos se siente que abusa demasiado de los sucesos de Nueva York, en vez de explorar lo'El Castillo de Cristal' tiene un gran despliegue fotográfico, una banda sonora más que respetable y una base argumental magnífica, la vida de Jeannete Walls, de su familia y de sus historias. Por momentos se siente que abusa demasiado de los sucesos de Nueva York, en vez de explorar lo verdaderamente importante de esta historia: La incapacidad de un padre amoroso de cumplir con sus responsabilidades. No es que la película no deje en claro este punto en particular, pero simplemente omite muchísimos escenarios del libro que son muy importantes para comprender el presente de Jeannete, su hermano y hermanas y al mismo tiempo le da demasiado protagonismo a un personaje, sin dejar explotar el potencial del resto del reparto (verbigracia Saddie Sink y Josh Caras podrían haber sido mejor implementados). Por otro lado, los momentos sentimentales son eficientes y memorables, la trama está bien organizada (tampoco de forma magistral) y no es para nada una película aburrida.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

JaneHamilton

Aug 13, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After the movie I was chatting with a women who, like me, had read the book. Her description was perfect, "A Hallmark version of the book.". The sugarcoating of the true story was obviously designed to set up the ridiculous "deathbed redemption" scene. Best example when Naomi Watts is telling Brie Larson her father is dying but her lipstick is perfect. We can't have our Hollywood beauties look too scruffy even when they are playing a homeless squatter.… Expand

3 of 9 users found this helpful36

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