Movie Review: The Glass Castle
THIS is the story of Jeannette Walls, a journalist and author whose nomadic childhood was chronicled in a book that stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for five years, and has now been turned into a movie.
The eldest of three sisters and a brother, successful columnist Jeannette (Larson) is on the verge of getting married to an accountant.
But, as she prepares to start a new chapter in her life, she began to recollect her past and reconnect with her family.
Throughout her childhood, her family, led by her eccentric and alcoholic father Rex (Harrelson), never took root and moved from state to state.
Her mother, Rose Mary (Watts), who is a painter, likes to throw caution to the wind, while like-minded dad Rex usually talks his way through everything, and even loses jobs due to his drinking.
The Glass Castle is a dysfunctional, paint-by-numbers family drama, complete with all the cliches, tropes, and predictability that come with it.
You know exactly what you are going to get from this movie ... and that is all right. I still find the movie entertaining.
It is like watching a Japanese live-action superhero show, you know the ones where the hero is going to transform and do his/her finishing move, but you still watch it every week. It's comforting, like chicken soup.
It also helps that Larson, Harrelson, and Watts have given great performances. Points also go to the child actors that play young Jeannette and her siblings.
The Glass Castle is one of those movies that has everything going for it. It is based on a best-selling book, has a stellar cast, a story that is appealing to all, and by all accounts, should be a hit.
At the same time, it also lacks surprises, does not push the envelope nor does it add anything new or notable to the moviegoing experience in general.
If you can't enjoy a movie unless it has scares, action scenes, or an arthouse sense of drama, skip The Glass Castle.
For everyone else, this movie is a safe bet if you are looking for an enjoyable time.