Glass House: The Good Mother (2006) (V)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Steve Antin

Writers (WGA):

Brett Merryman (written by)
Wesley Strick (characters)

Release Date:

3 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

She makes Mommie Dearest look like an angel.

Plot:

One year after losing their son David, Eve Goode and her husband Raymond Goode adopt the orphan Ethan...

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Lake | Orphan | Sister | Sequel

Cast

Angie Harmon	...	Eve Goode
Joel Gretsch	...	Raymond Goode
Jordan Hinson	...	Abby Snow
Bobby Coleman	...	Ethan Snow
Jason London	...	Ben Koch
Tasha Smith	...	Caseworker
Tim Cooney	...	Policeman
Adam Tomei	...	Security Technician
Robert Merrill	...	Paramedic
Cyia Batten	...	Diane (as Cya Batten)

Also Known As:

Glass House: The Good Mother (Australia) (DVD title)
Glass Houses: The Good Mother (USA) (working title)
The Glass House 2 (Europe: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, terrorizing situations involving children, and language.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | South Korea:15 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Destination Films

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ben calls the house to check if Eve is actually there, and shortly after, as he approaches the house, he is wearing a watch on his wrist. When he discovers Raymond unconscious in the garage, a clear shot of Ben's arms shows that he is no longer wearing the watch.

Movie Connections:

References Mommie Dearest (1981)

The original's fare more entertaining

When a sequel is direct to video and ups the ante to a 'R' rating, shouldn't the audience hope for a more salacious and violent viewing experience? Unfortunately, with the perpetually stern and severe, though gorgeous, Angie Harmon starring, those hopes are laid to rest. Whereas the original was proud of its B-roots and had an excellent slimy, perverted performance from Stellan Skaarsgaard...this film actually wants the audience to take the plot of a grieiving mother gone overprotective gone crazy, seriously. The original had a PG-13 rating, and yet delighted in ingénue Leelee Sobieski's nubile, well-developed frame while providing its audience with delightful action and a propulsive narrative. In this poor sequel, we get a whiny prudish protagonist, very little violence, and stultefyingly lame tension. The original was set in that amazingly austere cold house, made of actual glass. "The Glass House 2: the Good Mother" instead employs its characters in an adobe-styled Spanish château, which leads me to the poor choice of cinematography. The allegiance to using a gold-hued tint to add Latina flair to the visuals was poor decision-making especially considering the milquetoast energies enemating from the acting crew. (There are white people still in Cali, y'know.) I like Joel Gretsch, but when Jason London has more inner force than any of the other talent, "Houston, we may have a problem."