A familiar tale of a quirky childhood is delivered with little in the way of freshness or truth. Still, the performances by Larson, Harrelson and Watts rescue it.
Though it's difficult not to get caught up in this tearjerker, thanks to fine performances from all involved, cheesy dialogue and platitudes hamper the final throes.
What we are left with is a family saga which is far more dispiriting than uplifting and which often makes very grim viewing.
An egregiously quirky drama in the Captain Fantastic/The Book of Henry mould.
Mixed messages dull the impact, but enjoyable nonetheless.
There is a fine line between free-spirited independence and bruising irresponsibility in The Glass Castle, a sentimental adaptation of Jeannette Walls’ bestselling memoir.
The film is structured in such a way that you consent to an insidious balance: loathing and loving Rex before finally giving him the benefit of the doubt. A rigged game, as Rex himself occasionally rants, and a shallow, treacly piece of work.
General release. Check local listings for show times.
RSS feed of Cinema reviews