Leelee-Sobieski Movie Reviews

It's a good thing Drew Barrymore has [somewhat] recovered from her early 90s "wildchild" phase and gone back to being that sweet little geeky girl we came to love a long time ago.

"Never Been Kissed" is just one of those sweet but geeky movies in which Ms. Barrymore, despite her well-known wild streak, is a perfect fit. It's not a deep, complicated movie, but a cute, sappy, first-date-on-a-Friday-night movie.

Barrymore plays Josie Gellar, a copy editor with the Chicago Sun-Times who was forced into going undercover as a high school student. The problem is, of course, she was a geek 10 years earlier as a real student, and quickly finds she isn't much better socially now. Until her brother, played by David Arquette, sneaks in and joins her. Her brother was a popular student and re-established himself as part of the lemming-like in-crowd. And along the way she falls in love with her English teacher, played by Michael Vartner.

Now, as a recently retired journalist, I worked at the local high school a lot. Once, I was even told by a teacher to get to class. Needless to say, high school wasn't that long ago for me.

As a newspaper flick, this is awful. Most copy editors despise the thought of being a reporter, most don't have their own office, most don't attend offical meetings, and most don't have assistants.

The high school half is better, especially illustrating the shallow nature of high school "coolness," drawn with a colorful character cast.

I recommend this movie as a date-movie only. And on a cool side note, I once interviewed a guy who was an extra in this movie.

Drew Barrymore just brings every movie that she stars into life, to hell with what the critics say. Drew's performance as Josie Gellar or as they called her in high school "Josie Grossie" was very believable. Watching her in the movie playing a girl who was always trying to desperately to fit in, in high school but never could and always was the butt of someone's joke. All grown up Josie is now successful and working as a reporter, she is given an assignment by her boss wonderfully played by Gary Marshall to do a story undercover, the catch: she is going back to high school. Hoping to redeem herself, Josie tries to be cool and fit in with everyone, but instead looks like a fool.She soon meets a nice guy, who happens to be her english teacher and soon their friendship turns into more than a friendship. The rest of the story is pretty much Hollywood formula romance, but it is still an enjoyable film. There are also some amazing supporting performances by John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon as Josie's coworkers Gus and Anita, David Arquette as Josie's brother Rob, Jessica Alba and Michael Vartan as Josie's teacher and love interest. Never Been Kissed is a great movie, and is something I can relate to, growing up in elementary and junior high I was never the popular one, but then I realized now that it doesn't matter if you're popular or what people think about you. As long as you have confidence in yourself, it doesn't matter what other people think. This movie does not only have good laughs, but a great message as well. Never Been Kissed proves that being a nerd is such a cliched word, that we all are nerds in our own way and that it isn't always the popular ones that find true love in the end.

Never Been Kissed is a great comedy/drama. It not only keeps the audience on the edge of their seats but also keeps them laughing throughout the whole film as well. Drew Barrymore is amazing in her role as Josie Gelid. Josie Gellar is a "Chicago Sun Times" reporter, who is given an assignment to go back to High School undercover and try to fit in with the popular kids. Problem is Josie was always a nerd in High School who was always picked on and made fun of.

Josie Gellar goes in as an undercover reporter and is just reminded of her past, being the biggest nerd in school, until her brother, played by David Arquet, steps in and Josie is having the time of her life with the "popular kids". Watch how Josie falls in love, and desperately wishes to receive her first kiss. See what happens when she blows her position as an undercover reporter. This is an amazing comedy with great actors, and an awesome script. A great date movie with an awesome message which is just to have confidence in yourself and just about anything can happen.

Kristofferson and Hershey are well cast as the disenchanted American writer and his wife, who flee America in protest of the war in Vietnam, and seek intellectual Nirvana in France. Determined to mold their children into something better than themselves, they remain in Paris until, as Kristofferson's character puts it, the children "are in danger of becoming like the other spoiled Eurotrash teens."

Sobieski and Bradford do an excellent job of translating teen angst into something visual enough to watch, and visceral enough to feel. It is never made clear if Anthony Costanzo is the love interest of the brother or the sister, but I imagine the truth lies somewhere in between. There are a lot of parts to this story that remain untold, and characters that are carefully developed, and then casually discarded.

I'm almost sad that I invested my time and imagination on such a half-completed project. Maybe one day I'll get around to reading the book, but until then, I'll just have to wonder if the problem was with the writer, or with the director.

This is not your typical Merchant/Ivory period film with lavish scenery. The settings go from France to America and don't take the focus away from the characters. There is just enough to show you the change that the characters have to experience. One of the central themes appears to be alienation.

Although we see quite a bit of all the characters, the main character is Channe played by Leelee Sobieski. Throughout the story, we are watching her adjust to her surroundings. At the beginning, her parents adopt a young French boy, and we see here reaction to this new sibling. We watch her handle her friendship with a flamboyant young boy who begins to embarrass her a bit later. After the family moves to America, she tries to adjust to a new lifestyle in a small town. In all, I believe Ms. Sobieski does a fine job.

For the other actors, I really thought Kris Kristofferson did a fine job as the father, a writer and war veteran.

I would recommend watching this film.

I saw this film in a small art house and didn't know what to expect. The movie is long, but it's one of those films that you sit through and can't realize the time and don't care. The young Leelee Sobieski character (Chane) was a smartly written role that only she could pull off. The film starts out with american ex-patriots who spend there time in France while writer Kris Kristofferson and family spend time as discontented americans partying and finding culture in there life. The relationship of the entire family is a telling portrait of people looking for something to cling to and realizing that they have each other. They grow; and we grow with them through the looking glass of the dark theather that takes us away and we want to stay!!!

Kristofferson and Hershey are well cast as the disenchanted American writer and his wife, who flee America in protest of the war in Vietnam, and seek intellectual Nirvana in France. Determined to mold their children into something better than themselves, they remain in Paris until, as Kristofferson's character puts it, the children "are in danger of becoming like the other spoiled Eurotrash teens."

Sobieski and Bradford do an excellent job of translating teen angst into something visual enough to watch, and visceral enough to feel. It is never made clear if Anthony Costanzo is the love interest of the brother or the sister, but I imagine the truth lies somewhere in between. There are a lot of parts to this story that remain untold, and characters that are carefully developed, and then casually discarded.

I'm almost sad that I invested my time and imagination on such a half-completed project. Maybe one day I'll get around to reading the book, but until then, I'll just have to wonder if the problem was with the writer, or with the director.

This is not your typical Merchant/Ivory period film with lavish scenery. The settings go from France to America and don't take the focus away from the characters. There is just enough to show you the change that the characters have to experience. One of the central themes appears to be alienation.

Although we see quite a bit of all the characters, the main character is Channe played by Leelee Sobieski. Throughout the story, we are watching her adjust to her surroundings. At the beginning, her parents adopt a young French boy, and we see here reaction to this new sibling. We watch her handle her friendship with a flamboyant young boy who begins to embarrass her a bit later. After the family moves to America, she tries to adjust to a new lifestyle in a small town. In all, I believe Ms. Sobieski does a fine job.

For the other actors, I really thought Kris Kristofferson did a fine job as the father, a writer and war veteran.

I would recommend watching this film.

I saw this film in a small art house and didn't know what to expect. The movie is long, but it's one of those films that you sit through and can't realize the time and don't care. The young Leelee Sobieski character (Chane) was a smartly written role that only she could pull off. The film starts out with american ex-patriots who spend there time in France while writer Kris Kristofferson and family spend time as discontented americans partying and finding culture in there life. The relationship of the entire family is a telling portrait of people looking for something to cling to and realizing that they have each other. They grow; and we grow with them through the looking glass of the dark theather that takes us away and we want to stay!!!

Max (Menno Meyjes, 2002)

Menno Meyjes (Empire of the Sun, Ricochet) steps behind the camera for the first time to direct his own controversial script. Like most controversial scripts, this one got built up a lot more than it should have by people who probably haven't even seen the blasted thing.

The story centers on Max Rothman (John Cusack), a wealthy Jewish art dealer not long after the end of World War I, before the massive German depression kicks in. He is a staunch modernist, but modern art isn't selling too well in a Germany that just got its head handed to it on a platter, and Rothman is looking for a new angle. He meets a young, promising artist by the name of Adolf Hitler (Noah Taylor, from Almost Famous). Rothman and Hitler develop a testy friendship of opposites, with Rothman's libertinism and Hitler's asceticism grating against one another mercilessly, but the two men have a grudging respect for one another, and Rothmann has a genuine desire to help Hitler's career (if, one thinks, only for Rothman's impending success as an art dealer).

The story of the making of Max is a tale of Hollywood political correctness run roughshod over creativity. The film was originally to be produced by Amblin Entertainment, but Spielberg-though he thought the script a brilliant one-pulled out at the last minute because of fears of a backlash from the Jewish community. With production at a standstill, Cusack immediately forewent his salary because of his belief in the viability of the film. (In the end, it was produced by an international conglomeration of companies, including Film Council UK (Formula 51, Bend It Like Beckham) and Canadian producers Alliance (eXistenZ).) It is also a tale of how even unwelcome publicity is publicity, and by the time Max was finished, many people expected the best thing since sliced bread.

Max is a good film. About that there can be no doubt. But it is not a great film. While it doesn't, as Spielberg so euphemistically put it, "dishonor the memories of holocaust survivors," it doesn't exactly tread much controversial ground, either; if the struggling artist had been anyone but Adolf Hitler, Max would likely have opened unheralded, played arthouses for a few weeks, and been seen afterwards only by hardcore fans of one of the movie's stars. The ideas in it are wonderful ones, and there is much that deserves criticism by those who are better at such things than me (for example, Rothman's constant exhorting that Hitler must find his distinct voice in art, and the wonderfully ironic resolution of that statement not long before the film's climax), but the film itself is just not quite the equal of all that. It ends up with the same general feel of 2001's In the Bedroom; a lot of great stuff that just doesn't gel quite right. ***

Max Rothman (John Cusack) is an art dealer and World War I veteran in post-war Germany. In 1918, he makes the acquaintance of another veteran and aspiring artist by the name of Adolf Hitler (Noah Taylor). Hitler is a good draftsman, but is never able to convey any meaning or feeling in his paintings. Nonetheless, Rothman sees Hitler's anger, frustration, and self-doubt and encourages him to reveal those emotions in his artwork. Ultimately, Hitler finds that he cannot, but that politics is the perfect vehicle for his feelings. Defeat in WWI and the humiliation of the treaty of Versailles have left a void in the German psyche that radical new political movements exploit to their advantage. And Adolf Hitler comes to believe that Politics is the new Art.

"Max" is a fictional film. Max Rothman did not exist. But Adolf Hitler was, in fact, an aspiring artist of apparently little talent before there was any such thing as a Nazi. "Max" proposes a scenario of what might have transpired if Hitler had been befriended by a perceptive, sympathetic art dealer, who, nonetheless, understood the marketplace for art and the shortcomings of Hitler's paintings. Why make a mostly fictitious movie about a very real and very loathed historical figure? "Max" places Adolf Hitler in the context of post-WWI Germany and shows us why his ideas found a substantial audience. More importantly, the character of Max Rothman is able to comment directly on Hitler's personal failings and idiosyncrasies, while providing an example of how Germans who were more saddened than angry at the nation's difficulties were dealing with the situation. "Max" allows us to see Hitler through the eyes of someone who understands him, is repulsed by him, but at the same time pities him. Rothman can say to Hitler what we might say to him had we known him at that time in his life. And Hitler can say what he might have said, given what we know of him, in response. This film is an interesting way of illuminating Adolf Hitler's character and motivations. "Max" elucidates the personal -not political- reasons for his actions. And all motivations are ultimately personal. John Cusack is particularly good here, successfully expressing Rothman's intelligence, charm, and resignation to life's realities. Noah Taylor effectively conveys Adolf Hitler's extreme emotional needs. Highly recommended.

"Max" is, no doubt, an important film. The exploration of monstrosity through humanity, and how self-expression can be a gift and a blessing or a tool used to attain power is potent throughout the film. Though it does tend to drag a little and the script is, at times, terribly unnatural, the acting and ending make up for most of these flaws.

Cusack is very good as Max Rothman, Jewish art dealer with an arm destroyed in his service during World War One. As has been said, Taylor is excellent -- haunting and oddly sad, portraying a tortured young Hitler before he truly and completely believed his own drivel. Though both actors come off as false or awkward during rare moments, this is hardly a fault of their own -- this is the fault of false or awkward screenwriting.

The other main fault, along with the screenwriting, has to do with a dragging mid-section, where everything seems very drawn out. However, keep your interest focused here and you will be repaid with a stunning ending.

That is, in my opinion, the best part of the movie -- heavy on symbolism and real-life foreshadowing of the horror we all know is now bound to follow... Despite the fact that I knew throughout the film that Hitler was doomed to become an evil man and a source of unspeakable terror, It felt like I was holding out for another outcome. This film tangles possibility in one's face, and then switches it with the cold reality that we've all learned in history books, and this switch makes for a sobering and emotional finale.

Anyway. If you're open to a fresh (if fictionalized) look on this era of history and if you're willing to stand some bad dialogue and slow pacing to get to some great acting and an intesne ending, then this movie should not disappoint you.

"Jungle 2 Jungle" is a highly underrated comedy starring Tim Allen. It's a feel good family film and it's also very funny.

Disney's DVD treatment of this personal favorite is a huge disappointment though. For starters, the packaging says "1.33:1 Fullscreen." Well, it's NOT. It's actually in 1.85:1 widescreen...which would be GREAT, but it's non-anamorphic. (Disney seems to be the ONLY studio still putting out non-enhanced letterbox transfers). The packaging also lists the wrong running time, and the film seems to have been put on two layers but still occupy under 5 GB.

The video transfer could be better, but it's the audio portion that loses serious points. You see, even though this film was released in theaters with a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, the DVD only contains a Dolby 2.0 Surround audio track. Most unfortunate, as the film has a very nice 5.1 Dolby Digital track on the anamorphic-but-PAL Region 4 (Australia) DVD, even the laserdisc did.

And of course most troubling is the lack of extra features. While I would have been shocked at a Tim Allen/John Pasquin commentary, including the very cool trailer wouldn't have killed them. Nope, not even a trailer is here to be found, and there is some really good making-of material available on this film - location footage, interviews with the cast and crew, B-Roll Footage. Disney included it on their CD-ROM presskit, but nothing is here on the DVD.

Very unfortunate that I waited nearly six years for this to come to DVD, and this is the best Disney could do. If it wasn't such an enjoyable film, it'd have gotten even less points. But, at least it's widescreen, despite the packaging and Disney's site info. Shame that they couldn't have put even a little bit of effort into making this DVD nice.

I am a HUGE TIM ALLEN fan. This movie was good, it was not a good as the Santa clause 1 or 2. BUT.. it was good. I was just watching it cause it was on tv and.. Dominic Keating ... wa sin this movie. He is on enterprise (current startrek!!)

Tim Allen, Martin Short and others shine in "Jungle 2 Jungle", one of the greatest Disney family films ever. The story is enjoyable, the scenery is great, the acting is top-notch, and overall, the film is hilarious. The whole family will enjoy this movie. Can't wait for a DVD release.

What would you do if all life on Earth would inevitably be destroyed in a few weeks?

By chance on a star-lit night in Arizona, a young astronomer, Leo Beidermann (Elijah Wood), makes the gut-wrenching discovery of an enormous comet on a path that would lead to a direct contact with the earth. Morgan Freeman is the President of the United States, whose responsibility is to address the nation with the heart-stopping E.L.E incident, an Extinction Level Event. Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) is a reporter who adds to the large scale storyline of the countdown to doomsday as humanity fights for their chance to survive.

Directed by Mimi Leder ('The Peacemaker') and accompanied by a highly talented cast also featuring Robert Duvall, Vanessa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell with music by James Horner, 'Deep Impact' explodes with an "eye-opening blast of a movie experience" (Jeff Craig, Sixty Second Preview). It is ultimately compelling, bursting with suspense, heartwarming, and unforgettable.

Recommended for any audience over 14 years, it is a tale where although oceans rise and cities fall, hope will always survive, making 'Deep Impact' a must-see movie.

Deep Impact is a compelling story of 4 people, Jenny Lerner, a low-rate reporter for MSNBC (Tea Leoni), Leo Biederman, an average teenager who discovers the comet (Elijah Wood), President Tom Beck of the United States (Morgan Freeman), and Spurgen Tanner, the last Astronaut who walked on the moon, who, with a team of young astronauts, has been sent to stop the comet (Robert Duvall). The story of these four develop quite nicely, as it starts out with Leo in astronomy club, and when his teacher asks what an object is in the sky, he does not know. This of course, is the comet. It is sent to a lab, where it is found. From then the story shifts gears to Jenny, and remains with her until the president tells the world of the event. From then it is to Spurgen Tanner, and in some brief glimpses throughout the movie, President Tom Beck. The ideas and progression of the story is amazing. The directing is superb. The action is wonderfully done. It is a must see movie.

This is a film that could easily have gone sour. We could have had inordinate focus on the young folks or a lot of political hokum about we are all one happy family or - more likely - the majority of the movie could be spent on the impact and awful aftermath.

Great opening, good build up. Tea Leoni seems made for the part of striving newswoman and her very drive opens up a secret that is as somber as it is news-worthy. Slowly the tension rises as we wonder who will be saved (the random drawing is great) and who is condemned to perish. Several things separate this from the usual run (say ARMAGEDDON).

First, our heroine does not survive but goes out in a tender scene with dad. Second, the asteroid does hit and does destroy a large part of the Earth. Third, we are left with a feeling of hope instead of despair and even a sense of pride. This one deserves an "A".

What would you do if all life on Earth would inevitably be destroyed in a few weeks?

By chance on a star-lit night in Arizona, a young astronomer, Leo Beidermann (Elijah Wood), makes the gut-wrenching discovery of an enormous comet on a path that would lead to a direct contact with the earth. Morgan Freeman is the President of the United States, whose responsibility is to address the nation with the heart-stopping E.L.E incident, an Extinction Level Event. Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) is a reporter who adds to the large scale storyline of the countdown to doomsday as humanity fights for their chance to survive.

Directed by Mimi Leder ('The Peacemaker') and accompanied by a highly talented cast also featuring Robert Duvall, Vanessa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell with music by James Horner, 'Deep Impact' explodes with an "eye-opening blast of a movie experience" (Jeff Craig, Sixty Second Preview). It is ultimately compelling, bursting with suspense, heartwarming, and unforgettable.

Recommended for any audience over 14 years, it is a tale where although oceans rise and cities fall, hope will always survive, making 'Deep Impact' a must-see movie.

Deep Impact is a compelling story of 4 people, Jenny Lerner, a low-rate reporter for MSNBC (Tea Leoni), Leo Biederman, an average teenager who discovers the comet (Elijah Wood), President Tom Beck of the United States (Morgan Freeman), and Spurgen Tanner, the last Astronaut who walked on the moon, who, with a team of young astronauts, has been sent to stop the comet (Robert Duvall). The story of these four develop quite nicely, as it starts out with Leo in astronomy club, and when his teacher asks what an object is in the sky, he does not know. This of course, is the comet. It is sent to a lab, where it is found. From then the story shifts gears to Jenny, and remains with her until the president tells the world of the event. From then it is to Spurgen Tanner, and in some brief glimpses throughout the movie, President Tom Beck. The ideas and progression of the story is amazing. The directing is superb. The action is wonderfully done. It is a must see movie.

This is a film that could easily have gone sour. We could have had inordinate focus on the young folks or a lot of political hokum about we are all one happy family or - more likely - the majority of the movie could be spent on the impact and awful aftermath.

Great opening, good build up. Tea Leoni seems made for the part of striving newswoman and her very drive opens up a secret that is as somber as it is news-worthy. Slowly the tension rises as we wonder who will be saved (the random drawing is great) and who is condemned to perish. Several things separate this from the usual run (say ARMAGEDDON).

First, our heroine does not survive but goes out in a tender scene with dad. Second, the asteroid does hit and does destroy a large part of the Earth. Third, we are left with a feeling of hope instead of despair and even a sense of pride. This one deserves an "A".

What would you do if all life on Earth would inevitably be destroyed in a few weeks?

By chance on a star-lit night in Arizona, a young astronomer, Leo Beidermann (Elijah Wood), makes the gut-wrenching discovery of an enormous comet on a path that would lead to a direct contact with the earth. Morgan Freeman is the President of the United States, whose responsibility is to address the nation with the heart-stopping E.L.E incident, an Extinction Level Event. Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) is a reporter who adds to the large scale storyline of the countdown to doomsday as humanity fights for their chance to survive.

Directed by Mimi Leder ('The Peacemaker') and accompanied by a highly talented cast also featuring Robert Duvall, Vanessa Redgrave and Maximilian Schell with music by James Horner, 'Deep Impact' explodes with an "eye-opening blast of a movie experience" (Jeff Craig, Sixty Second Preview). It is ultimately compelling, bursting with suspense, heartwarming, and unforgettable.

Recommended for any audience over 14 years, it is a tale where although oceans rise and cities fall, hope will always survive, making 'Deep Impact' a must-see movie.

Deep Impact is a compelling story of 4 people, Jenny Lerner, a low-rate reporter for MSNBC (Tea Leoni), Leo Biederman, an average teenager who discovers the comet (Elijah Wood), President Tom Beck of the United States (Morgan Freeman), and Spurgen Tanner, the last Astronaut who walked on the moon, who, with a team of young astronauts, has been sent to stop the comet (Robert Duvall). The story of these four develop quite nicely, as it starts out with Leo in astronomy club, and when his teacher asks what an object is in the sky, he does not know. This of course, is the comet. It is sent to a lab, where it is found. From then the story shifts gears to Jenny, and remains with her until the president tells the world of the event. From then it is to Spurgen Tanner, and in some brief glimpses throughout the movie, President Tom Beck. The ideas and progression of the story is amazing. The directing is superb. The action is wonderfully done. It is a must see movie.

This is a film that could easily have gone sour. We could have had inordinate focus on the young folks or a lot of political hokum about we are all one happy family or - more likely - the majority of the movie could be spent on the impact and awful aftermath.

Great opening, good build up. Tea Leoni seems made for the part of striving newswoman and her very drive opens up a secret that is as somber as it is news-worthy. Slowly the tension rises as we wonder who will be saved (the random drawing is great) and who is condemned to perish. Several things separate this from the usual run (say ARMAGEDDON).

First, our heroine does not survive but goes out in a tender scene with dad. Second, the asteroid does hit and does destroy a large part of the Earth. Third, we are left with a feeling of hope instead of despair and even a sense of pride. This one deserves an "A".

I thought this film would be like Hand That Rocks The Cradle. Obviously it was just a reason to give LeeLee a starring role. The best actors are the insane couple. LeeLee is stiff and under acts the entire film. The director gets an A for effort, but this film is nothing different. The Glass House is all right for a movie to catch on late-night cable. But I wouldn't spend any money on it. I bought the movie when it first came out on video and have sense tossed it in the trash. Not exciting enough to keep watching. Save your time and energy for Joy Ride if you're a LeeLee Sobieski fan.

After an impressive number of supporting movie roles, the lovely Leelee Sobieski takes center stage in this impressive psychological thriller, delivering a performance I found both wonderful and, most importantly, believable. While the plot may not be all that original and unpredictable, I found The Glass House to be an absorbing, suspenseful movie that never relented in its building psychological intensity. Anyone who sets out to hurt a character played by Leelee gets my full attention and disdain, but the evil husband and wife responsible for all the villainy espoused in this film do an excellent job of deserving all the disgust I felt for them.

While Miss Sobieski looks a tad older than the sweet sixteen age of her character Ruby Baker, her natural sweetness and vulnerability make her quite convincing as a normal young teenager whose life is thrown into chaos when her parents are killed in an automobile accident. Ruby and her eleven-year-old brother Rhett (Trevor Morgan) go to live with Terry and Erin Glass (played quite impressively by Stellan Skarsgard and Diane Lane), their former neighbors and designated custodians. Their new home is an impressive, unique structure with many glass walls and an ultra-modern interior design. Rhett settles in quite well, but Ruby is uncomfortable from the start. Early on, she realizes that the Glasses are not the perfect couple they purport to be. At first, she attempts to rationalize her problems, ascribing her difficulty adjusting to her new life as a natural reaction to her grief over the loss of her parents and the social dislocation she feels upon moving to a new city and attending a new school. Little things continue to happen, however, and she soon finds herself seeking help from her parents' estate lawyer. When she learns that her parents' estate adds up to four million dollars, she finally begins to suspect her guardians of having somehow played a part in her parents' deaths and to fear that she and her brother are in grave danger as long as they remain in the house.

I thought the ending played out very well. There was one important plot point which I did not expect (along with a few that I did), and the suspense that had been building up consistently throughout the movie reached its peak at just the right time. I don't find any real absurdity to the ending - slightly clichéd: yes, but absurd: no. I think Sobieski is just wonderful and quite convincing in her role of what is a pretty typical teenaged girl forced to deal with a terrifying, almost hopeless situation. The film succeeds as well as it does, in my opinion, because Lane and Skarsgard give strong performances of their own opposite Sobieski's. The end result is a suspenseful triumph that I found refreshingly thrilling and convincing.

The glass house is a great suspense story and it's very entertaining .
You never get bored. The actors act very well too, particularly Trevor Morgan.
The story: 16 year old Ruby and her 11 year old brother (Rett)'s parents die in a car accident after going out to a restaurant. Their parents long time friends, Mr. and Mrs. Glass, take the children in as their own and become their legal guardians.
The Glass's house and the Glass's themselves seem great at first glance, but suddenly strange occurrences begin to happen and Ruby begins to uncover the horrible truth behind the Glasses and the deaths of her parents.
The truth lies deep in the glass house.
If you're looking for a good chill watch this movie, I highly recommended it.

My three-star rating is, I think, a tad generous, but it seemed more fair than two, because this movie does have some real suspense. It seems that every young actress that starts out innocent these days must soon get corrupted (or fade into oblivion). Wasn't Leelee Sobieski so lovably sweet and innocent in DEEP IMPACT? Then her innocence acquired a put-upon edge in NEVER BEEN KISSED. Still good and likeable. But after that came the seemingly obligatory squandering of innocence. For Leelee that lurid rite of passage was exceptioally harsh and gratuitous, in a bit part disjunct from the rest of the movie in EYES WIDE SHUT. Ever since then her characters seem to have an inexorable element of sniveling brat, too potent to be completely eclipsed by heavy plot elements making her a put-upon character, whether playing a terminally ill girl in HERE ON EARTH or playing a victim of a plot most sinister in the present movie. The movie title is a double entendre; Glass is both a prominent material in the title house's construction and the name of it's residents. Mr. Glass is played by Soren Starsgaard, who, if not in danger of becoming typecast already, certainly is after this movie. He's a relative of Leelee's character and becoms her guardian after her parents die in a car crash. At first at least, Mr Glass seems a put-upon character. Early on we see him being beaten up by obviously unsavory characters, loan sharks as it turns out. How then do we want to see the movie develop from this point? Well, for me, not exactly as it in fact does develop. There may be overkill in some characterizations. And what looks like the developing plot tensions may end up so eclipsed and overwhelmed as to be forgotten. That's not exactly what I wanted. A little bit more of things being what they seemed in the right places would have made it more to my liking. But if your tastes are somewhat different and those objections matter little or none to you, you might find this a quite satisfying thriller as it builds up to a taut climax.

After an impressive number of supporting movie roles, the lovely Leelee Sobieski takes center stage in this impressive psychological thriller, delivering a performance I found both wonderful and, most importantly, believable. While the plot may not be all that original and unpredictable, I found The Glass House to be an absorbing, suspenseful movie that never relented in its building psychological intensity. Anyone who sets out to hurt a character played by Leelee gets my full attention and disdain, but the evil husband and wife responsible for all the villainy espoused in this film do an excellent job of deserving all the disgust I felt for them.

While Miss Sobieski looks a tad older than the sweet sixteen age of her character Ruby Baker, her natural sweetness and vulnerability make her quite convincing as a normal young teenager whose life is thrown into chaos when her parents are killed in an automobile accident. Ruby and her eleven-year-old brother Rhett (Trevor Morgan) go to live with Terry and Erin Glass (played quite impressively by Stellan Skarsgard and Diane Lane), their former neighbors and designated custodians. Their new home is an impressive, unique structure with many glass walls and an ultra-modern interior design. Rhett settles in quite well, but Ruby is uncomfortable from the start. Early on, she realizes that the Glasses are not the perfect couple they purport to be. At first, she attempts to rationalize her problems, ascribing her difficulty adjusting to her new life as a natural reaction to her grief over the loss of her parents and the social dislocation she feels upon moving to a new city and attending a new school. Little things continue to happen, however, and she soon finds herself seeking help from her parents' estate lawyer. When she learns that her parents' estate adds up to four million dollars, she finally begins to suspect her guardians of having somehow played a part in her parents' deaths and to fear that she and her brother are in grave danger as long as they remain in the house.

I thought the ending played out very well. There was one important plot point which I did not expect (along with a few that I did), and the suspense that had been building up consistently throughout the movie reached its peak at just the right time. I don't find any real absurdity to the ending - slightly clichéd: yes, but absurd: no. I think Sobieski is just wonderful and quite convincing in her role of what is a pretty typical teenaged girl forced to deal with a terrifying, almost hopeless situation. The film succeeds as well as it does, in my opinion, because Lane and Skarsgard give strong performances of their own opposite Sobieski's. The end result is a suspenseful triumph that I found refreshingly thrilling and convincing.

The glass house is a great suspense story and it's very entertaining .
You never get bored. The actors act very well too, particularly Trevor Morgan.
The story: 16 year old Ruby and her 11 year old brother (Rett)'s parents die in a car accident after going out to a restaurant. Their parents long time friends, Mr. and Mrs. Glass, take the children in as their own and become their legal guardians.
The Glass's house and the Glass's themselves seem great at first glance, but suddenly strange occurrences begin to happen and Ruby begins to uncover the horrible truth behind the Glasses and the deaths of her parents.
The truth lies deep in the glass house.
If you're looking for a good chill watch this movie, I highly recommended it.