The Glass House (2001) User Reviews

Come out, come out, wherever you are. (spoilers)

[vertigo_14 · 7/10 · 10 March 2005]

You might initially be reluctant to give 'The Glass House' a try if you've been turned off by many recent "thrillers" as they often have been disappointingly by the book. This is your eerie psychotic chase thriller similar to movies like 'Pacific Heights' and 'Unlawful Entry.' And, though it does play by the rules (unforutnately), there is something about it that makes it more entertaining than the recent dismal fare (not that Pacific Heights wasn't highly entertaining).

Leelee Sobieski plays Ruby Baker, a kid going through the terrible teens. When she and her brother's parents die in a car accident, they move in with ultra-modern family friends, Terry and Erin Glass. You know right from the start that there is something dreadfully suspicious and exceedingly bizarre about the Glass couple, but you can never be too sure exactly what at first (that's the purpose of a thriller, to throw you a few hints and let your quick assumptions guide you into all the wrong paths so that you're--hopefully--pleasantly surprised when the real perpetrator and his motives are revealed). But, Ruby Baker is a smart kid who's ever-present skepticism about the intentions of her new surrogate parents, and starts trying to figure out what's wrong. Unfortunately, this movie does terribly follow the book when it comes to the main character being disbelieved by other well-meaning characters (social workers, lawyers, teachers, etc.) who consequently pay with their lives for their doubts and unwillingness to really investigate, and in turn, making things worse for poor Ruby. It also follows the book when it comes to the deranged finale and the he's-not-really dead ending.

But, there is something that makes this better than most of its kind. On the one hand, you're never sure whether you can always trust Ruby because even she, too, arrogant most of the time, seems like trouble. It's hard to sympathize for a character like that at first. And, not only does Stellan Skarsgård make an appropriate villain as Terry Glass, his wife (played by Diane Lane) is not entirely an innocent creature herself as most women are often written to be in the role of the creep's wife/girlfriend/mother, etc. A good mix of characters and a creepy setting, combined with a decent finale, make it just the perfect mix of suspenseful elements. And one that I would recommend seeing.

Watched it because my wife demanded it!

[SamRag · 7/10 · 12 August 2002]

I was surprised by this one, after having read some of the comments about it. My wife had insisted on several occasions to rent it, but I had managed to avoid it until now. The reason being that I'm not a great fan of ‘startle-you-scenes' movies, where story line comes second to all possible means to startle the audience out of their shoes (which I believe is a the wrong way in creating good horror/thriller action movies). The Glass House is however not one of these, and I suspect that is one of the reason some people have given it slack reviews. Here they seem to keep to more realistic theme, with characters re-acting in intelligent manner, instead of some idiots you often see in horror/thriller films. The interesting thing was that the girl in the movie suspected from the start that something was wrong, and tried to solve the situation. The authorities became part of the picture from the start, instead of the usual stupidity that someone ‘evil' resides in position of authority, denying the victim any help. The Glass couple were a bit unusual, though not overdoing it, and we can follow how they slip into their own nightmarish madness. Especially good was the scene were Mr. Glass is asking for a loan at a bank, displaying how, in fact, he was just a regular man. So all in all, this was just enough tension, in rather realistic environment, with surprisingly good acting all around. 7/10

Not the best, but an OK thriller

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 6/10 · 20 May 2004]

Having seen many thrillers, most of them being formulaic, I was somewhat excited to see this one, since it has a pretty good cast; Stellan Skarsgård, Leelee Sobieski & Diane Lane. The plot does, admittedly have some holes, but these newer thrillers are rarely(read: never) perfect. All things considered, it wasn't a disappointment, as I didn't have that high expectations. The plot is OK, fairly see-through and obvious though, but it does have some twists that I(even though I may be alone on this) wasn't expecting. The acting isn't anything special, but at least Skarsgård and Sobieski both pull of decent performances. The characters are reasonably well-written, none of them come off as one-dimensional stereotypes, even though some of them, in all honesty, more or less are. The script is fairly well-written, though it does have its share of cliches, but most films do, anyway. All in all, a fair addition to the thriller genre, nothing that will stay in your mind for a long while after seeing it. It will, however, most likely keep your interest for the duration of the film, and keep you entertained, too. I recommend it to fans of thrillers, it would help to be a fan of at least one of the actors, and it doesn't hurt to have reasonably low standards or expectations. 6/10

Intriguing thriller!

[Movies8586 · 10 January 2002]

Please ignore the bad comments.

THE GLASS HOUSE is an interesting thriller that answers the question: 'What would you do if the only people you could turn to were the enemies?". The cast is great, the direction and design are beautiful, and the music score is very creepy.

It's a very good movie that has wrongfully received poor reviews. Of course it's predictable, but it's really, really enjoyable!

Get this straight, Ruby... you and Rhett... are mine.

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 31 May 2010]

I turned this on and immediately started looking for something that would start in a half hour. I did not expect to be interested, but I couldn't stop watching.

Ruby (Leelee Sobieski) and Rhett (Trevor Morgan) lose their parents in a terrible car accident, and the Glasses, Terry (Stellan Skarsgård) and Erin (Diane Lane), take them in. Everything appears normal, Erin is a doctor, and Terry runs a big business, drives a Jag, and they live in a huge house. But everything isn't as it seems or we would have no movie.

Ruby starts to get suspicious about things she sees and hears, and the attempts of Terry to explain them seem to mollify her for a time. However, she finds things that are definitely wrong, and makes plans to escape with her brother.

This is where the thriller begins: car chases, and fights, and death and duplicity. It definitely kept my interest, and I suspect it will keep yours.

Involving story, smart performances, and effective atmosphere overcome a hole-laden script. *** (out of four)

[Movie-12 · 7/10 · 9 October 2001]

THE GLASS HOUSE / (2001) *** (out of four)

By Blake French:

"The Glass House" takes place in a beautiful, luxurious glass mansion complete with swimming pools, expensive artwork, high-tech security systems, and just about everything else. The wealthy occupants, Terry and Erin Glass (Stellan Skarsgard and Diane Lane), become legal guardians of sixteen-year old Rudy (Leelee Sobieski) and eleven-year old Rhett (Trevor Morgan), when the kids' parents die in an automobile accident.

Terry and Erin were the best friends of the children's parents. They welcome their new guests into a world of wealth, glamour, and fun. Soon enough, however, Rudy notices strange quirks about these seemingly friendly folks. Is Terry secretly watching Rudy change her clothes? Is Erin addicted to prescription drugs, or is she a diabetic? Was her parents' death an accident, or a diabolical act of murder? Trust becomes as transparent as the glass surrounding this family.

"The Glass House" opened to mostly negative reviews, and not without probable cause. The setup provides an intriguing, imaginative situation, but everything happens so quickly the film forgets character introduction. First time-feature director Daniel Sackheim helms a hole-laden script by Wesley Strick that creates more plot holes than Swiss cheese. The film derives into involving material, but lacks the focus to play out these plot points.

While Daniel Sackheim and Wesley Strick create a movie that lacks the timeliness and intelligence of a first-rate, edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, "The Glass House" does offer good suspense and a plot that reveals itself with tantalizing sinister hints and increasing tension. It keeps us guessing, even if this diabolical fairy tale is anything but surprising.

Leelee Sobieski has been in a lot of movies lately, and that's not a coincidence. She is a very talented actress, and she carries "The Glass House" through many plot miscalculations. Trevor Morgan, seen in "Jurassic Park 3," adequately supports Sobieski's thorough, convincing performance. The very gifted Diane Lane and Stellan Skarsgard cover their sinister motives with pretentious personalities, but inject a mysterious, menacing undercurrent.

"The Glass House" also provides a fresh, unique outlook on villains. Instead of causing trouble, these characters get themselves into trouble, which eventually makes them dangerous. Innovative, original twists like these are what make this movie worth a look. They say those who live in glass houses should not throw stones, but the villains in "The Glass House" do, and it's only a matter of time before everything shatters and breaks apart. It's quite involving watching these events come about, especially through a character driven story.

Generally Predictable Stuff

[sddavis63 · 5/10 · 30 July 2011]

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)

Not Horrific but had me Jumping

[mustangamanda · 7/10 · 26 September 2001]

This movie wasn't exactly the most horrific and it certainly kept to its PG-13 rating. No real blood or horror, but then again it seemed just right. It had me jumping enough to be tense and the plot/story line wasn't exactly as cheesy as I had expected it to be. I would recommend it at least as a pretty good rental. And I wouldn't say I wasted my money going to the theater for it either.

Teen-aged Orphan Girl in Jeopardy.

[rmax304823 · 2/10 · 16 December 2009]

An egregious piece of commercial trash, uninspired and soulless.

Leelee Sobieski is a 16-year-old whose wealthy parents were just killed in a traffic "accident." She and her younger brother are handed over to the only guardians available -- Stellan Skarsgard and his wife Diane Lane. But mischief is afoot. The guardians owe an enormous amount of money to the mob and intend to cheat Sobieksi and her brother out of the four million bucks in the trust fund. They'll kill the kids if necessary. After all, it turns out, they engineered the parents' car so as to disable it, disposing of the parents and leaving the two kids as helpless orphans. Something like that.

Leelee Sobieski, I kind of like. Her acting talents may be modest but at least they exist. And her features are memorable -- those plump cheeks, that tiny mouth whose upper lip is chevron shaped, and those startling blue Tartar eyes. She reminds me of Dee Dee Myers, the former adviser to President Clinton. Dee Dee, Leelee. Might they not be one and the same person? True, I am nervous. Very, very nervous, but why WILL you call me mad? Let me put it this way. Have you ever seen the two of them in the same room at the same time? I thought not. Stellan Skarsgard is always dependable, and sometimes more than that. The other performers fade into the woodwork.

It's the plot that sinks this attempt at a chiller. There isn't a single instant that doesn't make a viewer feel that, somewhere, some time, he's seen this before. (And he has.) It incorporates every cliché in the formula.

I'll give just one example. Skarsgard is making a private, incriminating phone call late at night in his Malibu mansion. Sobieski is downstairs in the kitchen. She picks up the second phone and pushes "Listen." She accidentally makes a slight noise. Skarsgard hears it and begins to creep suspiciously toward the kitchen, but Sobieski doesn't know he's heard. Closer and closer. Cross-cutting between the scowling Skarsgard with the phone to his ear and the unsuspecting wide-eyed Sobieski behind the kitchen door. Skarsgard reaches the door. Sobieski yanks her head around. Skarsgard flings the door open. No Sobieski. She's darted away just in time.

This sort of thing goes on and on. In the climactic auto chase, Skarsgard rams through a wall and his Jaguar rolls down a cliff and smashes to pieces.

I glanced gratefully heavenward -- at least they'd managed to avoid the ritual of the corpse leaping back to life. But, no. While Sobieski and her brother sit alone in their silent car on the highway, the shockingly bloodied Skarsgard staggers through the hole in the wall with the intent of killing the two children. You know what I want to be when I grow up? One of the heavies in a horror movie. They never die. They take a beating but keep on ticking.

If you've never seen a movie before -- if you've never HEARD of movies -- you'll probably find this one engaging.

Underrated Movie

[stavrou-87853 · 7/10 · 7 March 2021]

Unfortunately, The Glass House movie doesnt get the recognition it deserves. It is one of the good thriller movies of 2000s. Stellan Skarsgård was the right amount of creepy. The set was perfect for the movie. The director did an amazing job. It had the right amount of jump scares.

Had potential but fell flat

[Natsu21 · 3/10 · 9 August 2013]

I started off watching this movie with generally high hopes of it being a decent film. Very quickly though it became apparent it wasn't. It was just so clichéd and boring. Also a lot of stuff happening in the film didn't make sense. For starters when Ruby goes and sees the lawyer and tells him about all the problems she is having at the Glass home, he goes on about how if she doesn't stay with them she and her brother become wards of the state. This does not make sense since Ruby and her brother have an uncle who would be more than happy to take them in they set this up right at the start of the movie. the lawyer does send a social worker to check out the house though, but at the end of the movie you find out he had warned Mr Glass about her coming. Last time I checked isn't breaking attorney client privilege illegal? or at least will get you disbarred? Also in the movie you find out Mr Glass killed the parents of the children, so he could get guardianship of the kids and have access to their 4 million dollar trust fund. This really doesn't make sense when you consider that the parents moved away the Glass's 10 years ago, so we are meant to believe that in 10 years time the Bakers (the parents) never updated their will? Mr Glass plan all rested on him and his wife still being the legal guardians of the kids when their parents died. In the end it was just a boring movie with lots of plot holes and a lot of moments that didn't make sense.

Leelee Sobieski kicks some Glass

[Dragoneyed363 · 9/10 · 8 February 2008]

I apologize for the pun, I could not resist myself. This film was recommended to me by a friend, and I had never heard of it, so I could not really say what I was expecting. What I received though was a smart, intense, fun, excellently executed thriller with wonderful performances that entertains from beginning to end.

Leelee Sobieski brings to her character, Ruby Baker, depth and likablity without even having to apply much effort to it. Stellan Skarsgård and Diane Lane are great as the Terrence and Erin Glass, and even Trevor Morgan gives a nice performances as Ruby's younger brother, Rhett Baker. The performances are part of what is effective with this movie. Everyone delivered their lines and completed scenes with finesse, even if they weren't Oscar worthy presentations and they created the atmosphere that the director was trying to set perfectly.

The film is not boring at all and it's not mediocre as a lot of reviews suggest. It has a nice, suspenseful build up and the material, while the gist is a bit overused, is fresh in it's own way. Who says an unoriginal plot has to bad? Is that a written rule? The plot is simply marvelous in this film, if you ask me. I enjoyed so much seeing how the twist in the film starts to slowly unravel piece by piece, because I liked the characters and was interested in the story from the get go. The movie almost trips on it's own feet a couple of times, but nothing seriously major that is worth noting keeps you from enjoying the fun and satisfaction the film brings. I even was extremely fond of the setting, and for those of you who say it's an overrated pun with the Glasses living in a house mostly made of glass, there are horror classics throughout history that work off puns much cornier, and The Glass House does it very well, stop complaining.

In any matter, as I have said, The Glass House is non-stop fun and excitement from beginning to end with delightful and even memorable performances (i.e.: Leelee Sobieski, who indeed gives the finest performance of all, and probably the finest of her career in general), an intense and realistic atmosphere, relentless build up and a twist that I honestly could not see coming. I loved it and had an amazing time watching it! It was a riveting, effective, astonishing accomplishment in my book.

It could've been better, it could've been worse...

[Mitra5292 · 6/10 · 16 May 2020]

Decent movie, not a must watch, but not a time waster either.

The action could've been a little bit more faster, especially at the start, and some of the events were pretty plausible, but all around a good movie that I enjoy watching.

It is tragic when you lose your parents, and it is even worse if you're a minor...

Broken Windows in the Glass House

[jhendricks97 · 1/10 · 25 September 2001]

They say that people living in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

But since I haven't made any awful suspense thrillers in the last little while, I feel perfectly comfortable hurling insults at "The Glass House." Although if I was making a film in the same vein as "The Glass House," there are a million things I would have done Differently. Little things, such as including some genuine suspense!

Right from the beginning of the film, we know that Terry and Erin Glass are evil. Really, the only way they could have made them appear more sinister is by painting black handlebar moustaches on their faces!

This removes all of the film's suspense. For it to have had even a chance of success, the films producer's should have made everything appear to be normal, at first! Then halfway through the film, we discover the Glasses secret! And from there, thrills would follow! But sadly, this movie lacks both thrills and suspense as well. And it's all because of a plot as transparent as, well, glass! I wasn't just a step ahead of "The Glass House," I was five steps ahead. And don't even get me started on the unconvincing acting from Sobiesky,

and virtually every other lead in the film. Simply put, `The Glass House' is awful, and a complete waste of time. 1 STAR OUT OF 5.

I had low expectations... but luckily, they were not fulfilled!

[madisongraves · 5 January 2003]

I had not heard much about "The Glass House", besides unfavorable reviews by critics, who claimed it was a ridiculous display of unintentional humor. However, when I came across it casually on HBO, I was immensely surprised and impressed!

The story was gripping and I loved the character development - which is so rare in thrillers today. I thought the cast was brilliant, especially Diane Lane and Stellan Skarsgard. Stellan's character was completely chilling, and he played it so effectively. And Diane's character was also wonderfully displayed - despite her terrible actions at times, you can't help but empathize with her a bit, due to Diane's emotional investment in the role. And Trevor Morgan (who I also recently saw in "A Rumor of Angels") is sure to do very well on the big screen for years to come... he's very good for such a young kid. And Leelee Sobieski... she was weak at times, but I felt that she was perfect for the part. She has kind of an authentic look to her and she was casted very well for the part. She had on-screen appeal without being too obnoxiously cutsie. She did a fair job, certainly enough to fulfil the director's vision of the movie - I'm sure of that.

As far as the story goes, it's got everything you could want in a thriller. There were some holes, but some of my favorite movies of all-time have holes and I think it's really too much to ask for a perfect film. But it's downfall was that at times it was a bit predictable - but for me, that only enhanced the movie's suspense.

I greatly enjoyed this movie and I think you will too. I'll agree with the critics that there are some technical flaws in some of the story's details - but over all, the story was very compelling and told VERY well, great development of it's characters and all the events were portrayed very believably, the director definitely kept the audience's trust and attention. So, I recommend it - despite the critic's bashing of the film. Personally, as a teenager, I thought the portrayal of LeeLee's high school was very realistic and so that definitely caught my attention in a good way. Little things like that, that are usually not apparent in most movies today, certainly made up for other little flaws. So, go catch it on HBO or rent it! It's good!

Not as bad as some reviews

[blakthndr · 6/10 · 21 November 2018]

I really didn't find it ALL that predictable, good tension if you immerse yourself in her situation of sneaking around not knowing if she will get caught or not, I watched it on a late Saturday night by myself and I think the only way to enjoy this film is by yourself.

Despite The Presence Of Lane & Stansgard It Is Sobieski Who Carries The Movie

[slightlymad22 · 7/10 · 9 October 2014]

Unfortunate to be released 3 days after the 9/11 attacks, this movie sank without a trace.

The fact it's taken me thirteen years to watch a movie staring my childhood crush Diane Lane, the always usually reliable Stellan Skarsgard and one of my favourite young actress's of the era Leelee Sobieski says how badly this movie did and was reviewed upon release.

When Ruby (Sobieski) and Rhett Baker's parents are killed in a car accident, they must travel to Malibu, to live with Terrence and Erin Glass, their former neighbours. But they are not the friendly couple the claim to be.

The movie is massively flawed in several areas, I have never seen Lane put in a performance this bad before, and likewise Skarsgard puts in a career low performance. Only Sobieski puts in a good performance, and she certainly fills out a bikini nicely. Both talented and attractive in equal measure, it's because of her the movie succeeds where it does. I'm amazed her career never hit higher heights. Bruce Dern pops up in a role as a lawyer and he is also OK.

A lot of my problems with this movie are more to do with the script and it's direction.

It is lazily shot with just the actors seemingly placed in front of the camera. As for the script it does not have a natural flow with lots of things going on all at once and lots of things unexplained as characters come and go.

Outside of Sobieski, there is little to enjoy, but another asset to this movie is the score. It hits all the rights spots, at all the right times.

Despite everything I think the premise of the movie is a good one, and with Sobieski at the lead it's more than watchable. I think released a month earlier, this would have done very differently.

A 7/10 is a generous score, but since the movie was carried solely by Sobieski it's a worthy one.

Silly thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 26 July 2014]

THE GLASS HOUSE is another over-plotted, overwritten and entirely overblown Hollywood thriller that goes over age-old ground without ever finding its own original standing. It's a sanitised, teen-friendly movie with a teen lead and a narrative that hints at plenty but never once approaches anything remotely dark.

The story goes that the youthful protagonist (played by the utterly cold Leelee Sobieski) and her younger brother are sent to live with some family friends after they're orphaned in a car accident. The girl soon realises that something's seriously wrong in their new home, a sinister situation embodied by an overacting Stellan Skarsgard (a guy who seems to be typecast as the bad guy in Hollywood).

That's a halfway decent premise, but THE GLASS HOUSE wastes its potential as it goes on, ending up mired in a muddled middle and uninspiring climax. You can literally work out everything that's going to happen in the first half hour, and there are no surprises or genuine shocks. There's no decent acting, either; bringing in Bruce Dern as the family lawyer doesn't do much, while Daniel Sackheim's direction is staid and uninspiring. It's best to give this one a miss.

Moderately Effective Thriller

[Spanner-2 · 7/10 · 7 October 2001]

A moderately effective thriller featuring a capable performance by Leelee Sobieski as a teenage girl who, along with her younger brother, is taken in by a couple of old family friends after the mysterious deaths of her parents. The story is fairly predictable as thrillers go, but Sobieski delivers a performance that has enough spark to keep the audience interested and the production design and the look of the `glass house' that they live in are impressive. GRADE: B

Sobieski just about makes it worthwhile...

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 27 August 2013]

As much as I like me some Sobieski, especially when wearing a bikini as she does here, I cannot recommend The Glass House as anything other than a mildly entertaining yet instantly forgettable piece of trash; it certainly doesn't work as a taut psychological thriller as intended, the far-fetched nature of the scenario draining any tension from proceedings.

Lovely Leelee plays Ruby, the oldest of two siblings who go to live with new guardians, Terry and Erin Glass (Stellan Skarsgård and Diane Lane), after their parents die in a car crash. As time passes, Ruby begins to suspect that her parents' wreck was not an accident, but that they were actually murdered by Terry in order to get his hands on the children's $4m trust fund.

A hackneyed plot loaded with implausible situations and predictable outcomes ensures that The Glass House never achieves the edge-of-the-seat atmosphere it aims for. As the film approaches its final act, the level of preposterousness goes off the chart, Terry becoming an indestructible killing machine who survives certain death to return for one more attempt at killing meddling teenager Ruby.

Still, Sobieski does look mighty fine in that swimsuit...

Standard But Entertaining Teenage Thriller.

[drownsoda90 · 6/10 · 11 March 2007]

"The Glass House" is another standard but fairly entertaining thriller. The story revolves around Ruby Baker (Leelee Sobieski, "Joy Ride"), whose parents die in a horrible car accident. Scarred from the incident, Ruby and her brother, Rhett (Trevor Morgan), move in with their previous long-time neighbors and friends, Terry and Erin Glass (Stellan Skarsgaard and Diane Lane), in their luxurious glass home located in the hills on the California coast. Things seem normal enough at first, although Ruby isn't used to their kind of lifestyle - the Glasses can buy them literally anything they want. Rhett has a new Playstation and plenty of games, and Ruby is given a brand new Mac laptop, just to name a few of the items they've received. But the more time she spends at the house, she begins to realize that things aren't all cop-acetic, and that Terry and Erin aren't quite as friendly as they may appear, and that they might be holding a dark secret related to Ruby.

While it is an admittedly predictable teenage thriller, "The Glass House" still manages to be consistently entertaining despite it's clichés and shortcomings. The storyline isn't anything too original - teen moves in with seemingly-friendly adoptive parents who may have ulterior motives. The same type of thing has been done before, so in that respect this film doesn't offer much of anything new. Is it clichéd? Yes, it surely is. Despite that though, it does have some nice touches to it and is never uninteresting at all. The way the story begins to unfold is predictable, and I knew what was going to happen next before it even happened, but I was still interested and entertained with it. But a large majority of films are predictable - doesn't mean they can't be enjoyable though.

There is some nice cinematography in the movie, and the glass house itself is really an amazing set piece. Reflections, lightness, and darkness are all used in conjunction with the glass walls, and create an eerie atmosphere for the movie at appropriate times. The movie does lack real scares, but it's more of a thriller than anything so I suppose that's irrelevant. Just don't go in expecting it to be a full-blown horror movie, because it's not at all. The cast is led by Leelee Sobieski, and she is good enough to carry the film. Stellan Skarsgaard and Diane Lane play the two-sided foster parents, who are both friendly and menacing, as their characters should be. There are a few other familiar faces in the cast as well, including Trevor Morgan as Rhett, and Kathy Baker as a counselor/social worker. The acting in the film is overall pretty good. The movie's conclusion, as is a lot of other things in this film, is predictable, but it's satisfying as well so I can't really complain too much about it.

The bottom line is, if you're tired of the typical "teen thrillers" out there, then you'll probably want to skip "The Glass House". But if you don't mind movies of this type (or if you enjoy them), it's a very entertaining one and is worth a look. I'll rate it just one point above average because I personally enjoyed it despite it's predictability. 6/10.

This "Glass House" deserves stones thrown at it

[pyewacket · 1/10 · 18 September 2001]

Truly awful. "The Glass House" has the air of something that has been sitting on the shelf for a while and is now being "snuck" into theatres. The script has so many holes in it, it could pass for Swiss cheese. The dialogue is pretty cheesy as well. Unfortunately, some very talented people get wasted here. Leelee Sobieski, normally an impressive young talent, plays one note here -- no, not even one note, one-half. Stellan Skarsgaard's American accent impresses, if not his acting, and Diane Lane seems to be in despair. Kathy Baker looks unrecognizable from the leading lady of "Picket Fences," but Trevor Morgan has some nice moments as Sobieski's younger sibling. I'd say "wait for the video" but it won't even be worth it then.

Not too bad of a thriller

[jacksonblueman6 · 8/10 · 14 September 2001]

I was dragged to this, and I wasn't exactly looking forward to it. First of all, it is PG-13, and I knew that it was probably aiming at teenage girls. To my surprise it wasn't bad at all. It had really good acting, and the guy who played Terry Glass was awesome. The scenery and house were both awesome, yet sort of creepy. See it if your girlfriend or date drags you to it, and put up a fight, so that you can pick the next movie. And if you just want to see a decent movie in a time of wannabe slasher movies, see it.

An entertaining film

[Tigerlover7 · 6/10 · 15 July 2006]

I don't usually add films to my personal collection that don't have some uniqueness to them. They either have to be staring a name actor that I recognize or by a director who's films I've previously enjoyed. While I enjoy films that have more of a plot or a more surprising ending than this one, I found myself on the edge of the couch several times. I added this film to my collection because of the following reasons. The beauty of the house itself was enjoyable and I found it be a nice little thriller with exciting scenes that made me jump. While the acting wasn't anything to write home about, it wasn't bad. I found the film to have a little of the Alfred Hickcock type of suspense. The scenes shot in the atrium area with the misters going off were suspenseful and wonderfully detailed. If you put aside the critical part of your personality and just enjoy it as a thriller and fun entertainment, I don't believe you will feel let down.

I hated this movie

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 1/10 · 3 February 2004]

Ah, The Glass House, this is the movie I've tried to forget, I got dragged to the movie theater with my friends to see this, I just knew that I wasn't going to get into it. I feel bad because I always say to people even if you have a gut feeling that a movie is going to be bad, just try to have an open mind and enjoy the film. My main problem though? I can't stand Leelee Sobieski, seriously, ever since I saw Heaven on Earth, her face just, I can't describe it, she annoys the heck out of me. But I did decide rather than just complain through the whole movie, I would just try to sit and see maybe if the film could have been worth the watch at least, well, I was wrong.

After losing their parents, Grace and Dave, in a car accident, Ruby and Rhett Baker are placed under the guardianship of Erin and Terry Glass, former neighbors/parents' best friends and childless couple who live in a large glass house in Malibu. Life is great for both siblings at first. However, Ruby soon discovers that her new foster parents are after the siblings' $4 million trust fund. Ruby discovers that the car her parents died in was a BMW loaned from the Glass' company and suspects that Mr. Glass was responsible for their deaths. Mrs. Glass watches an old home video of her and Ruby on a beach, happy and healthy. Then, overwhelmed with guilt, she overdoses and dies. Ruby wakes up the next morning with Mrs. Glass' dead body lying next to her. Shocked to find his wife dead, Mr. Glass traps Ruby and Rhett in the basement. Eventually, the two escape. After a brutal car accident due to Mr. Glass tampering with his own car in the same fashion as he did with the kids' parents.

Honestly, this movie is just a waste of time, it's a very mediocre thriller that is, well for me at least, is just very predictable. The acting is lame as well as the story; but I will compliment the set, if you want me to give this movie a positive comment, there ya go. It's just a weak script, bad cast, and I can't wait to get this bad taste out of my mouth from this stupid movie, just writing this comment is making my health deteriorate. I have to stop, I'm sorry, just stay away from this movie, plant a tree, watch paint dry, that's much more useful then watching this movie.

1/10