Glass House, The MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +1 1/2 Content: -1

When their parents are killed in a car wreck, 16-year-old Ruby (Leelee Sobieski) and her 11-year-old brother Rhett (Trevor Morgan) are taken in by designated guardians, Terry and Erin Glass (Stellan Skarsgard and Diane Lane). Moving from their Los Angeles valley suburb to the fabulous Glass house in Malibu takes quite an adjustment. Ruby finds the glass walls and lack of privacy even more disturbing. Rubys school study of Shakespeares Hamlet also plants seeds of doubt about her parents accident. Her suspicions seem confirmed when she learns of her parents large estate and Terrys debt to a loan shark. When Terry and Erin seem to fool other adults, Ruby must try to break the Glass facade. Although it begins with an air of mystery, the story quickly becomes a fairly standard escape plot. Teens may identify with the young star, but THE GLASS HOUSE may reflect poorly with older crowds.

Like many teens, Ruby seems disrespectful of adults, parents in particular, when around her peers. However, she expresses initial trust of her parent’s lawyer and a social worker. Her father corrects Ruby when she uses the term ‘sucks,’ but other crude terms and a few strong profanities are scattered through the dialogue. Despite the voyeuristic possibilities of a glass house, nudity and sex scenes are avoided. When Terry takes her to dinner and leans toward her in the car, Ruby imagines a seduction attempt, but he only reminds her about the safety belt. A few bloody scenes are shown as Ruby watches a horror film and a Driver’s Ed film invokes images of her parent’s car wreck. Bloody injuries from a car wreck are also shown. A successful doctor, Erin is caught abusing prescription drugs and loses her medical license, while Terry frequently drinks from a vodka bottle. Although largely devoid of major objectionable content, using God’s name in vain and some unneeded obscenities sullies THE GLASS HOUSE.

Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232