Today’s Prayer Focus
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The Glass Castle

also known as “El castillo de cristal,” “Castelul de sticla,” “El Castillo de Cristal,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for mature thematic content involving family dysfunction, and for some language and smoking.
Moral Rating: not reviewed
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults (mature thematic content)
Genre: Biography Drama Adaptation
Length: 2 hr. 7 min.
Year of Release: 2017
USA Release: August 9, 2017 (NYC)
August 11, 2017 (wide—1,400+ theaters)
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Relevant Issues

Hardships involved for kids who must live with deeply dysfunctional, anti-authoritarian, bullheaded parents who make immoral decisions and extremely poor financial choices

Living an insecure, anti-establishment, nomadic, off-the-grid squatters’ life—constantly moving kids from one squalid place to the next

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Children deceived by parent into thinking they are living a glorious life of adventure

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A raging drunken father

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Eccentric, uncompromisingly bohemian artists

Selfishness

Neglect

A “would-be artist who would rather paint an imaginary paradise than face the demands of the real world. If she has canvas and pigment to slap on it, feeding her starving children is a pointless interruption.”

Living in squalor unnecessarily (Mom owns very valuable real estate)

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Mental illness

Nervous breakdowns

Family violence

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Children that most fend for themselves to survive and prosper

Molestation of children by a mother and grandmother

Growing up with mental and physical scars

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Both loving and hating one’s parents

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Overcoming personal difficulties through hardwork and determination


Difficulties in growing up in poverty

POVERTY—What does the Bible say about the poor? Answer

Poor in the Bible


What happens when a family follows a Godless Secular Humanist worldview?

Compare to the good FRUITS of a repentant, regenerate life that faithfully and humbly serves Christ…
• true love
• goodness
• righteousness

Living in spiritual darkness, instead of in the light of truth

Paradise or Pain? Why is the world the way it is?
Why is the world the way it is? Answer

Sin and the fall of man

The reality of dying in one’s sins—self-destroyed and without hope

Is Jesus Christ the answer to your questions?
Discover the good news that Jesus Christ offers
Click here to watch THE HOPE on-line!
Discover God’s promise for all people—told beautifully and clearly from the beginning. Discover The HOPE! Watch it on Christian Answers—full-length motion picture.
Featuring Brie LarsonJeannette Walls
Woody HarrelsonRex Walls, the father
Naomi WattsRose Mary Walls, the mother
Ella Anderson … Young Jeannette
Chandler Head … Youngest Jeannette
Max Greenfield … David
Josh Caras … Brian Walls
Charlie Shotwell … Young Brian
Iain Armitage … Youngest Brian
Sarah Snook … Lori Walls
Sadie Sink … Young Lori Walls
Olivia Kate Rice … Youngest Lori
Brigette Lundy-Paine … Maureen Walls, the youngest daughter
Shree Crooks … Young Maureen
Eden Grace Redfield … Youngest Maureen
A.J. Henderson … Grandpa Walls
See all »
Director Destin Daniel Cretton
Producer Ken Kao
Gil Netter
See all »
Distributor Distributor: Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Trademark logo.Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (Lionsgate)

Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “Tells the story of a successful young woman who was raised by dysfunctional and nonconformist parents. Her world gets turned upside down when they move to New York to be near her.

The film recounts Jeannette Walls’ unconventional upbringing which includes nomadic parents who stir their children’s imagination. The film is based on Jeannette Walls memoir of the same title. The New York Times Best Seller recounts the unconventional upbringing Walls and her siblings had at the hands of their deeply dysfunctional parents. Walls’ eccentric mother and alcoholic father would stir the children’s imagination with hope as a distraction to their poverty.”

  • Alcohol: Very Heavy
  • Swearwords: Heavy—“J*sus,” “Jes…,” “G*d d*mn” (12),“ h*ll” (12+), “d*mn” (8), “My G*d,” “Oh my G*d,” “Swear to G*d,” “sh*t” (10), “cr*p” (3), “a**” (8), “son of a b*tch” (2)
  • Sex and Nudity: Heavy—attempted rape; innuendos; inappropriate comments; kissing
  • Violence: Moderate
Volunteer reviewer needed for this movie

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


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Movie Critics
…tough and touching film, honest and heartfelt… an unconventional-family tale with heart and a strong performance by Woody Harrelson…
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
…Reflective and cumulatively poignant… …lays bare the utmost truth about families: You will eventually morph into your parents. …our parents are both a source of unconditional love and a shameful secret that can only be shared among kin… [4/5]
Tomris Laffly, Time Out
…affecting and never mawkish, despite a few heavy-handed lapses…
Sheri Linden, The Hollywood reporter
…a solid drama about family life… Larson turns in an engaging performance as a woman uncertain about just who she wants to be. But Harrelson comes close to upstaging her, imbuing Rex with a bold and intriguing complexity. …[3½/4]
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
…Harrelson is both the film’s rock and its millstone. …the film’s third-act reach for a redemptive arc plays hollowly… [3½/5]
Kimberley Jones, The Austin Chronicle
…[this] dramatized biography doesn’t always ring true… an honest-but-flawed misfire of a movie… [2½/4]
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
…The film’s onslaught of misery can look like a manipulative pile-on more than a candid assessment of strife. …
Jake Cole, Slant
…overall is very dark… this movie warrants extreme caution…
Ted Baehr, Movieguide
…in the case of “The Glass Castle,” it’s impossible not to just say it: You’re better off reading the book. …[2/4]
Sara Stewart, New York Post
…a far better book than movie… Brie Larson endures tough childhood, toothless script… Director…coasts over too much of the real-life horror Jeannette Walls captured in her memoir…
Claudia Puig, The Wrap
…the people—New York gossip columnist Jeannette Walls and her family—may as well be aliens, that’s how different the end-credits photos and footage [of the real family] seem from the movie itself. …it offers at best a fragmented portrait of how she was personally shaped by having a father as unique as Rex Walls…
Peter Debruge, Variety