The Glass Castle | Rotten Tomatoes

The Glass Castle

PG-13

Released Aug 11, 2017

2 hr. 7 min.

Biography

Drama

TRAILER

for The Glass Castle: 'Dream' Trailer

List

52%

165 Reviews

Tomatometer

70%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Based on a memoir, four siblings must learn to take care of themselves as their responsibility-averse, free-spirit parents both inspire and inhibit them. When sober, the children's brilliant and charismatic father captured their imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Meanwhile, their mother abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want to take on the work of raising a family.

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Premiered Apr 16

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Critics Consensus

The Glass Castle has an affecting real-life story and a hard-working cast in its corner, but they aren't enough to outweigh a fundamentally misguided approach to the material.

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Rosana B

Tudo lindo e colorido entretanto revoltante e irresponsável… Alguém comentou que não havia motivo suficiente para Jean odiar o pai, mas deixar quatro crianças passar fome, viver em lugar insalubre e precário por opção (ela descobre que os pais tinham uma terra avaliada em U$ 1 milhão), com mãe esquizofrênica e pai alcoólatra, ambos irresponsáveis e que deixaram marcas irreparáveis nas crianças… Até que elas cresceram bem demais, uma linda e triste biografia, pais tóxicos existem e muito...

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/14/24

Full Review

Vitoria F

The facts in this film are so extreme that it even scares us when we remember that they are real. Still, the story is beautiful, especially the redemptive ending. The entire cast was magnificent, I just thought the makeup failed a little when it came to making the parents older. Without wrinkles, they looked as old as their adult children.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/23/24

Full Review

Jamie M

Very painful to watch and yet a testament to the power of some people to persevere despite awful circumstances.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/24

Full Review

Pompatus P

a heartwarming film Brie Larson and Woody Harrelson did a fantastic job as always

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/13/23

Full Review

Samara G

Good to watch Brie Larson's performance, the story is okay, but it shows clearly how some people should absolutely NOT be parents. Not everyone is fit for being so. The movies at times tries to lighten things up, but it didn't convince me otherwise.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/28/23

Full Review

Steve D

Solid acting and not much else.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/02/23

Full Review

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Destin Daniel Cretton

Director

Brie Larson

Jeannette

Woody Harrelson

Rex

Max Greenfield

David

Sarah Snook

Lori

Naomi Watts

Rose Mary

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The Glass Castle: 'Dream' Trailer

1:00

The Glass Castle: Trailer 1

2:19

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

It's misery porn at its most prettily dishonest, but against all odds, Harrelson, Brie Larson and a gaggle of talented child stars render it soapishly watchable.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 13, 2017

Full Review

Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

Larson is the weak link here as the adult Jeannette, a born-again neoliberal in an 80s power suit, failing to integrate her rich, boring boyfriend into her unconventional family.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 8, 2017

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Woody Harrelson gives a performance of borderline unwatchable hamminess in this really tiresome film, which sentimentally neutralises parental abuse into a supposedly fascinating angel/devil split.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 6, 2017

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

It’s depiction of the dark side of Janet Walls’ painful childhood is clear-eyed, visceral, and hard to watch. But it badly undersells a significant part of this profoundly penetrating true story.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 21, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Neither a faithful adaptation nor a film that leaves you feeling good about its manipulations.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 22, 2022

Full Review

Anni Glissman

Mediaversity Reviews

Despite addiction being one of the main themes of the film, The Glass Castle fails to adequately address the issue.

Rated: C-

Sep 10, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Based on a memoir, four siblings must learn to take care of themselves as their responsibility-averse, free-spirit parents both inspire and inhibit them. When sober, the children's brilliant and charismatic father captured their imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Meanwhile, their mother abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want to take on the work of raising a family.

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Executive Producer: Mike Drake
Screenwriter: Destin Daniel Cretton, Andrew Lanham
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Gil Netter, Lionsgate
Rating: PG-13 (Mature Thematic Content|Family Dysfunction|Smoking|Some Language)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 11, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 24, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $17.2M

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