![[box cover]](../../reviewimgs/g/glasshouse.jpg)
The Glass House
Leelee Sobieski stars in this glossy and taut but ultimately moronic thriller as Ruby, a rebellious teen whose life is unforgivingly shaken when her parents are killed in an auto wreck. Ruby and her younger brother are entrusted to the charge of family friends Terry and Erin Glass (Stellan Skarsgard and Diane Lane). The Glasses' slick, austere Malibu lifestyle is a far cry from Ruby's suburban comfort zone — but that's not the only reason she has trouble adjusting to her traumatic circumstances. The Glasses are creepy, and then some. It's business-as-usual for screenwriter Wesley Strick, who is used to building spiraling scenarios of suspicion and suspense, but too much of this one relies on occasions of sheer stupidity. If it weren't for the decent cast — Skarsgard is a natural heavy — and the evocative production design of the Glasses' chilly home furnishings, this would be pure Grade Z fare. Columbia TriStar's DVD of The Glass House features a great looking anamorphic transfer (2.35:1) with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. Includes a commentary with Strick and director Daniel Sackheim and one deleted scene, also with commentary. Trailer, keep-case.
—Gregory P. Dorr
