“The Glass House” is a 2001 psychological thriller directed by Daniel Sackheim and starring Leelee Sobieski and Diane Lane. The film follows Ruby Baker (Sobieski) and her younger brother Rhett (Trevor Morgan) after their parents die in a car accident. The siblings are taken in by Erin and Terry Glass (Lane and Stellan Skarsgård), their parents’ wealthy friends. The Glasses appear to be a perfect family, living in a luxurious glass house, but soon Ruby begins to suspect that they have a darker side.
As Ruby delves deeper into the family’s secrets, she uncovers a web of lies and deceit. She discovers that the Glasses have a history of covering up crimes, and that they are involved in shady financial dealings. When Rhett falls ill under mysterious circumstances, Ruby realizes that she and her brother are in grave danger. She must find a way to escape the Glass house and expose the truth before it’s too late.
“The Glass House” was met with mixed reviews from critics, with some praising the performances of the cast and the film’s suspenseful atmosphere, while others criticized the plot and character development. Despite the mixed reception, the film was a commercial success, grossing over $23 million at the box office.
Cast
The cast of “The Glass House” includes:
- Leelee Sobieski as Ruby Baker
- Diane Lane as Erin Glass
- Stellan Skarsgård as Terry Glass
- Trevor Morgan as Rhett Baker
- Bruce Dern as Begleiter
- Kathy Baker as Nancy Ryan
- Michael O’Keefe as Dave Baker
- Gavin O’Connor as Mr. Abernathy
Leelee Sobieski and Diane Lane give standout performances as the lead characters, with Sobieski portraying the determined and resourceful Ruby, and Lane playing the manipulative and complex Erin. Stellan Skarsgård is also noteworthy as Terry Glass, the enigmatic and unpredictable patriarch of the family. Trevor Morgan is convincing as Rhett, the vulnerable and impressionable younger brother of Ruby. The supporting cast, including Bruce Dern, Kathy Baker, Michael O’Keefe, and Gavin O’Connor, also deliver solid performances in their respective roles. Overall, the cast brings depth and nuance to their characters, adding to the film’s suspenseful atmosphere.
Production
“The Glass House” was produced by Original Film and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film was directed by Daniel Sackheim and written by Wesley Strick. The film’s producers included Neal H. Moritz, Michael Douglas, and Billy Higgins.
The production of the film took place in various locations throughout California, including Malibu, Santa Monica, and Los Angeles. The glass house featured in the film was a real location, located in Malibu. The interior scenes of the house were filmed on a soundstage in Los Angeles.
The film’s budget was estimated to be around $30 million, and it grossed over $23 million at the box office. The film’s visual style, with its use of the glass house as a central location, was influenced by the work of modernist architects such as Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson.
The film’s original score was composed by Christopher Young, and the soundtrack also featured songs by artists such as Radiohead, PJ Harvey, and Massive Attack.
Overall, “The Glass House” was a well-produced film with a strong visual style and effective use of suspense. The film’s production values helped to create a tense and claustrophobic atmosphere, making it a memorable entry in the psychological thriller genre.
Reviews
“The Glass House” received mixed reviews from critics upon its release. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 25% approval rating based on 112 reviews, with an average rating of 4.5/10. The site’s consensus reads: “A transparently feeble thriller that must have been conceived with the aid of the Mr. Potato Head kit.”
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two out of four stars, writing that “The Glass House seems to be moving in one direction and then pulls off a final twist that is both unlikely and unnecessary.” Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised the performances of Sobieski and Lane, but criticized the film’s “silly plot contrivances and dim-bulb dialogue.” However, Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times wrote that the film “has a certain degree of tension and a more than serviceable cast.”
Despite the mixed reviews, “The Glass House” was a commercial success, grossing over $23 million at the box office. The film’s atmospheric setting, suspenseful moments, and strong performances by Sobieski and Lane have made it a cult classic among fans of psychological thrillers.
Where are they now?
Here’s a brief update on where the main cast members of “The Glass House” are now:
- Leelee Sobieski (Ruby Baker): After appearing in films such as “Joy Ride” and “Eyes Wide Shut”, Sobieski took a hiatus from acting in the mid-2000s to focus on her personal life. She returned to acting in 2009, and has since appeared in a number of independent films and television shows.
- Diane Lane (Erin Glass): Lane has continued to have a successful career in Hollywood, appearing in films such as “Unfaithful”, “Under the Tuscan Sun”, and “Man of Steel”. She also received critical acclaim for her performances in the films “A Walk on the Moon” and “Paris Can Wait”.
- Stellan Skarsgård (Terry Glass): Skarsgård has continued to have a prolific career in both Hollywood and his native Sweden, appearing in films such as “Good Will Hunting”, “Mamma Mia!”, and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. He has also received critical acclaim for his roles in the Swedish films “Breaking the Waves” and “The Hunt”.
- Trevor Morgan (Rhett Baker): Morgan has continued to act in films and television shows, with recent credits including the television series “Grey’s Anatomy” and the film “The Sixth Friend”.
- Bruce Dern (Begleiter): Dern has continued to act in films and television shows, with recent credits including the films “Nebraska” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and the television series “Big Love” and “The Blacklist”.
- Kathy Baker (Nancy Ryan): Baker has continued to act in films and television shows, with recent credits including the television series “The Ranch” and the films “The Age of Adaline” and “The Ballad of Lefty Brown”.
Overall, the cast of “The Glass House” has continued to have successful careers in the entertainment industry, with many of them still active in the field today.
Fun facts
- The glass house featured in the film was a real location, located in Malibu, California. It was designed by architect Pierre Koenig and was originally built in 1957.
- Leelee Sobieski was only 18 years old when she filmed “The Glass House”, but she had already gained critical acclaim for her previous roles in films such as “Deep Impact” and “Eyes Wide Shut”.
- The film was originally intended to be directed by M. Night Shyamalan, but he dropped out to work on “Signs”.
- “The Glass House” was the first feature film for director Daniel Sackheim, who had previously worked as a television director on shows such as “The X-Files” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”.
- Stellan Skarsgård, who played Terry Glass in the film, is the father of actors Alexander, Bill, and Gustaf Skarsgård.
- The film’s original score was composed by Christopher Young, who also composed the scores for horror films such as “Hellraiser” and “The Grudge”.
- The film was shot in just 40 days, with most of the filming taking place at the glass house location in Malibu.
- The film’s ending was reshot after the original ending was deemed too dark by test audiences.
- The film was released on September 14, 2001, just three days before the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
- Leelee Sobieski and Diane Lane would later reunite onscreen in the 2013 television movie “Killing Kennedy”, in which they played Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and her mother, Janet Auchincloss.
Box office
“The Glass House” was released in the United States on September 14, 2001, and grossed over $5 million in its opening weekend. The film went on to gross over $23 million in the US and Canada and an additional $7 million internationally, for a worldwide total of over $30 million.
Despite mixed reviews from critics, “The Glass House” was a commercial success and exceeded its estimated budget of $30 million. The film’s success at the box office was likely due in part to the popularity of Leelee Sobieski and Diane Lane, as well as the film’s effective marketing campaign.
Overall, the box office performance of “The Glass House” was respectable for a mid-budget psychological thriller released in the early 2000s. While it didn’t break any records or set any new standards, it was a profitable venture for the filmmakers and a solid addition to the genre.
