Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Glass House

Play trailer Poster for The Glass House PG-13 Released Sep 14, 2001 1h 46m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
21% Tomatometer 86 Reviews 39% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
After the parents of Ruby (Leelee Sobieski) and her younger brother, Rhett (Trevor Morgan), are killed in a car crash, their parents' best friends, Erin and Terry Glass (Diane Lane, Stellan Skarsgard), become their guardians. The children hear promises of a world of opulence and California fun -- all they have to do is move into the Glasses' gated house. Before very long, though, Ruby suspects that Erin and Terry may not be the ideal guardians they seemed to be.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Glass House

The Glass House

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Due to obvious plot twists and foreshadowing, The Glass House fails to thrill. By the end, it degenerates into ludicrousness.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (86) Critics Reviews
Empire Magazine Rated: 1/5 Dec 30, 2006 Full Review Jane Crowther BBC.com Despite a great cast and glossy direction, it's as empty, transparent, and characterless as the titular abode. Rated: 2/5 Jan 21, 2002 Full Review Susan Stark Detroit News Rated: 2/4 Oct 30, 2001 Full Review Paul Lê Bloody Disgusting Much of its story is as transparent as the titular location. However, fans of The Glass House can agree this inflated teen-mystery has a confounding lived-in quality that keeps them coming back for more. Rated: 3/5 Jul 20, 2023 Full Review Joe Leydon The Moving Picture Show The Glasses live in a glass house - get it? Hey, I warned you: Subtle, this movie ain't. Sep 12, 2021 Full Review Kaleem Aftab The List There are only a couple of intriguing moments before this long-winded film reaches its inevitable, dull conclusion. Rated: 2/5 Apr 16, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+) audience reviews
John C I loved it! I was just waiting and waiting for her to catch the SOB till the bitter end. Great cinematography, glossy in makeup, fantastic views of the ocean and the house itself is creepy as hell. Who in their right mind would have a house made of glass?! Suspenseful and great cast. LeeLee Sobieski did a great job of holding the movie up on her own. It's too bad it didn't do well because of 9/11. NOBODY went to the movies when it was released for fear of more terrorist attacks. Give it a chance, you'll like it for the revenge drama that it is. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/03/24 Full Review Bruno V Filme bem excêntrico na época em que foi lançado. Só que a trama fica muito forçada durante o filme, tipo que poderia ser mais natural. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Remember when Leelee Sobieski read that 9/11 poem on The Tonight Show? Well, this movie has also been claimed as a victim of that attack, as its box office wasn't what was expected, so everyone instantly used that date as a scapegoat — not just Mariah Carey, who for years has used it to defend the bombing of Glitter. Ruby Baker (Sobieski) and her brother Rhett (Trevor Morgan) have become orphans and placed in the care of their former neighbors, Dr. Erin Glass (Diane Lane) and Terry Glass (Stellan Skarsgård). For Rhett, it works out pretty well, because he can play video games all night. But for Ruby, it means watching Dr. Glass shoot up and Mr. Glass continually insinuate that they're all alone if you know what I mean. The estate and trust fund lawyer Alvin Begleiter (Bruce Dern) is called in, but even a social worker is fooled. Meanwhile, Terry is paying off loan sharks with the kids' inheritance instead of putting them through private school. And for some reason, Ruby is still dumb enough to allow him to write one of her papers, which he plagiarizes, because she has no idea what gaslighting or being a junior quasi-giallo heroine entails. Things get worse — Dr. Glass fatally overdoses, the loan sharks come to get their money or kill everyone, Chris Noth shows up — and Rita Wilson refused to even be credited for being in it. Director Daniel Sackheim produced and directed four episodes on the third season of True Detective, as well as plenty of other TV shows, so he's recovered nicely. Writer Wesley Strick also wrote Wolf, The Saint, Doom, the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Final Analysis, yet people allowed him to keep writing movies. Maybe it's because he also wrote Arachnophobia and Cape Fear, right? Perhaps most importantly, the sequel — Glass House: The Good Mother — has none of the actors or characters from this movie or even the house. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Minh N interesting concept. steady decline as it goes on. but still not bad. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/06/22 Full Review tim s After their wealthy parents die in a suspicious car crash, sixteen year old Ruby Baker ( LeeLee  Sobieski ) and her younger brother are sent to live with their parents best friends. Pre arranged with their late parents and the family lawyer ( Bruce Dern ), the children are placed in the care of Erin ( Diane Lane ) and Terry Glass. ( Stellan Skarsgard )  What unfolds is a simple thriller where a drug addict and bankrupt control freak conspire to take control of the large trust fund left to the children. A number of twists and turns, as subtle as a sledgehammer,  result in Ruby overhearing various aspects of their guardians plot and finding ways to escape from the Glass's before she and her brother are disposed of. "The Glass House" does have some good moments from a very strong cast which also includes Kathy Baker and Chris Noth. Unfortunately these good moments are outweighed by a weak story, the convenient ways Ruby discovers what is unfolding and the cast constantly explaining their actions throughout. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member An interesting conspiracy thriller, a hidden skeleton in the closet. Sometimes this kind scares you more than ghosts. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Glass House

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Vertical Limit 49% 41% Vertical Limit Watchlist TRAILER for Vertical Limit Hush 12% 34% Hush Watchlist TRAILER for Hush Domestic Disturbance 23% 37% Domestic Disturbance Watchlist TRAILER for Domestic Disturbance The Skulls 9% 43% The Skulls Watchlist Swimfan 15% 32% Swimfan Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis After the parents of Ruby (Leelee Sobieski) and her younger brother, Rhett (Trevor Morgan), are killed in a car crash, their parents' best friends, Erin and Terry Glass (Diane Lane, Stellan Skarsgard), become their guardians. The children hear promises of a world of opulence and California fun -- all they have to do is move into the Glasses' gated house. Before very long, though, Ruby suspects that Erin and Terry may not be the ideal guardians they seemed to be.
Director
Daniel Sackheim
Producer
Neal H. Moritz
Screenwriter
Wesley Strick
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Columbia Pictures, Original Film
Rating
PG-13 (Language|Drug Content|Sinister Thematic Elements|Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 14, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 8, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$18.0M
Runtime
1h 46m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
Most Popular at Home Now