First before I start with my comment I have to say I oddly have NEVER seen Angie Harmon (who plays the mother/wife Eve Goode) act. but WOW, I WAS IMPRESSED and will look for her in future.

Looking amazingly like Ali MacGraw in Love Story she was beautiful yet calculating, creepy and just plain deranged. A perfect female villain ala Fatal Attraction meets Psycho meets The Stepford Wives. Things begin innocently enough with a mysterious disappearance of a little boy, the son of seemingly loving parents but before long we sense not all is right with this mother. Lets just say she loves her cleaning supplies!

We next meet two children who have apparently just lost their parents and (although a little unclear in the plot) are Fostered by the mourning parents "the Goodes" (clever title juxtaposition). Before long Eves evil ways start to show (the dish washing scene is particularly disturbing) the Teenage girl clashes with the tight "house rules" and as her little brother begins to mysteriously get sick the rebellious protective sister's suspicion begins.

WARNING ****PROBABLY CONTAINS BIG SPOILERS*****

Based on characters created by Wesley Strick (who wrote the screenplay for "Cape Fear" and "Arachnophobia") I was intrigued to research Munchausen's Syndrome or Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy. the disease we find the creepy lead character "may" have.

Background on the disease: From 1972 to 1985, all 9 children of Marybeth Tinning of Schenectady, N.Y. died in infancy. At first, friends and physicians assumed they were victims of "crib death" or an inexplicable genetic flaw. As the deaths continued, suspicion mounted against the mother, who was always alone when her babies were stricken. It's oddly more common than people are aware. basically Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy is where women kill their own children for the attention they receive.

This was a pretty good film but i have to say a few things frustrated me - number 1 - why would hubby played by the handsome Joel Gretsch go along and seemingly "cover" his wife's psychotic behavior as if he was almost an accomplice and 2, why the Caseworker (played by a very likable Tasha Smith) did not pick up the fact apparently "several" kids have died or gone missing under the care of this couple.

Enjoyable enough it will be worth watching as a Movie of the Week on Television someday. 7 out of 10 stars.

I rent a lot of movies. I find some unexpected gems, a lot that get categorized as idle entertainment, and some that make me curse myself for renting movies in the first place. This movie solidly fits into the idle entertainment category, as I could see the end result taking shape way too early in the viewing process. Without giving away anything, the one thing that stands out in this movie is the acting of Jordan Hinson. She was cast as what she is...a teenager. But throughout the entire movie, she goes above and beyond what (I would think) would normally be expected, and delivers an outstanding performance. I think she was the true star of the movie, though you have to look at the fine print on the back of the DVD to find her name. If you want to see a diamond in the rough, look here. She makes the movie worth viewing.

"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-)