"Glass House: The Good Mother" (2006)

Directed By: Steve Antin

Starring: Angie Harmon, Joel Gretsch, Jordan Hinson, Bobby Coleman, & Jason London

MPAA Rating: "R" (for some violence, terrorizing situations involving children, and language)

In 2001, a sleek and stylish thriller, starring Leelee Sobieski and Diane Lane, named "The Glass House" opened to mediocre reviews. Its box-office gross was equally mediocre…so you can imagine my surprise when I heard that a straight-to-video sequel would be made. Now, I liked "The Glass House" due to its great casting, its slick appearance, and its intriguing concept, but it just wasn't the type of movie that warranted a sequel. Then I learned that it would have no connections to the original and that it was basically a sequel in name only and any hope I had (not much) fell off the face of the earth. It would take a lot to make this sequel worthwhile…and that "lot" came in the form of Angie Harmon. Harmon is a phenomenal actress and completely aced her twisted and complicated role. While the movie as a whole is patchy, Harmon makes it work…somehow.

Abby (Hinson) and Ethan (Coleman) Snow just recently lost their parents and need a place to live and guardians to care for them. Eve (Harmon) and Raymond (Gretsch) Goode just lost their son and are not ready to stop being parents. Thus, it seems as though they are perfect matches and, for a little while, they are. However, soon Abby becomes annoyed by Eve's overbearing attitude and the two begin a series of arguments that reaches its peak with Eve slapping Abby. Soon, everything spirals out of control and Ethan falls seriously ill. Eve refuses to take Ethan to the hospital, demanding that she be able to care for her at home. Abby realizes that this is not the first time Eva and Ray have adopted children that have fallen ill, but she refuses to let her younger brother end up like the other children…all of whom did not escape the Goode family.

The performances in "Glass House: The Good Mother" are okay. Angie Harmon blew me away, but her performance really is the only one that did so. Harmon was just phenomenal. Joel Gretsch was a mixed bag here. At times, he seemed dead on with his performance. At others, he was just a little flat. Overall, it was an okay performance--nothing spectacular, but just adequate enough (for a straight-to-video film, that is). Jordan Hinson was also a little uneven, giving an emotional performance in some scenes and a dull performance in others. It seems to be a trend with this movie for the actors and actresses to give patchy performances. Jason London seems to be settling very comfortably into the straight-to-video market. It's unfortunate, because I saw promise from him in "The Rage: Carrie 2" (he and Emily Bergl were the only good thing about that horrendous movie). Here, I can still see the promise, it's just almost completely wasted on a nothing part. It's so unfortunate.

"Glass House: The Good Mother" displays excellent cinematography and a glossy, stylized direction that brings a certain elegance and beauty to the film. Angie Harmon gives a great performance and the concept is far creepier than that of the original. However, the plot is stretched a little too thin in many places and the movie becomes quite redundant. We get that Eve is crazy and we know that Abby hates her. There was no need to keep hammering it into the audience's brains. Also, the ending was just so…disappointing. It was cheesy, clichéd, and didn't fit the rest of the movie. It just seemed tacked on. Overall, "Glass House: The Good Mother" is an okay movie, good for a straight-to-video movie, but not amazing. Somehow, it does work, though, and that is enough…I guess.

Final Thought: "Glass House: The Good Mother" is an okay straight-to-video film, though nothing great.

Overall Rating: 5/10 (B-)

One year after losing their son David, Eve Goode (Angie Harmon) and her husband Raymond Goode (Joel Gretsch) adopt the orphan Ethan Snow (Bobby Coleman) and his teenager sister Abby Snow (Jordan Hinson) and bring them to their mansion nearby a lake. Abby faces difficulties of adaptation in her new home, and she confronts Eve, who proves to be deranged and unstable. When Ethan gets sick, Abby tries to contact their friend, detective Ben Koch (Jason London), and she realizes that her brother and she are trapped in the house.

"The Good Mother" is predictable, full of clichés, but still a reasonable B-movie. The story has a tense beginning, but there is no previous development of the characters Abby and Ethan Snow or Ben Koch. The viewer does not know who they are or their relationship. The attitude of Abby when she moves to her foster house is totally ungrateful and unfair with her stepparents that gives a magnificent room in a wonderful house, triggering the insanity of Eve. It is difficult to understand teenagers most of the times, but there is no explanation for the feelings of Abby when she moves to the Goode's house without a previous development of her character. In the end, the forgettable "The Good Mother" is an enjoyable entertainment. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Casa de Vidro 2" ("The House of Glass 2")

Glass House: The Good Mother is about a couple who adopt children and kill them. Harmon does a great job as a Munchausen by Proxy mom that gets her adopted kids sick and then nurses them to death. The husband seems OK, but loves his wife so much he lets her get away with the killings and even helps her at times. Their hands are full when they get a little boy and his teenage sister who are good friends with a cop. They go quickly from an idyllic lifestyle to caged kids as Harmon takes control of every part of the kid's life. Triple locked doors and social workers who couldn't tell their butts from a hole in the ground. Things get worse from there as the young brother gets sick and doesn't get better.