All families have some dysfunction, like hogging the remote or putting an empty container of milk back in the fridge. But that’s nothing compared to the issues facing the Walls family in “The Glass Castle.” Deco’s family counselor Chris Van Vliet is here with a look.
From a lovable bartender on “Cheers” to a sociopathic murderer in “Natural Born Killers,” Woody Harrelson has played just about every type of character. But his role as an irresponsible alcoholic father in “The Glass Castle” may be his most haunting role yet.
Woody Harrelson (as Rex Walls): “Let’s go!”
It’s the call of the wild — and the call of the Walls family.
Woody Harrelson (as Rex Walls): “We ain’t like other people. We got a fire burning in our bellies.”
“The Glass Castle” tells the story of Jeannette Walls and her family, led by a smart but directionless alcoholic dad and an enabling artist mom.
Woody Harrelson (as Rex Walls): “You learn from living.”
That sounds great, until you realize that’s code for Jeannette and her siblings being dragged from town to town — and abandoned shack to abandoned shack — all throughout their childhood.
Woody Harrelson (as Rex Walls): “Welcome to 93 Little Hobart Street. Fifty bucks a week, and in two years, we’ll own her outright.”
At the head of the cast, Brie Larson, who plays adult Jeannette, and Woody Harrelson, who sells his kids on dreams of building them their “glass castle.”
Woody Harrelson (as Rex Walls): “All these walls are gone, replaced with three-inch glass, glass, glass, glass.”
Woody Harrelson: “There were a lot of great times that they had, even though there was a bit of misery as well.”
The movie is told over Jeannette’s life, so there are several sets of kids in the film, which could make it hard when your co-stars change from day to day.
Woody Harrelson: “It rarely works, but this is really seamless.”
And Naomi Watts, who plays the mom, said the casts made time to bond, Walls-style, but without the fear and alcohol.
Naomi Watts: “We would hang out together and have these picnics in the park on Sundays. It was really good times to be had.”
Brie Larson (as Jeannette Walls): “Being homeless in New York City does not count as a lifestyle choice.”
Jeannette and the kids kind of escape their parents’ grip, but at the end, we see why they come back.
Naomi Watts (as Rose Mary Walls): “You have the right to be angry. I know you love him. You will regret it if you don’t come home.”
But will it be enough for the audience to forgive a man they’ve spent two hours learning to dislike?
Woody says that doesn’t matter.
Woody Harrelson: “What’s cool is Jeannette was able to do that.”
Brie Larson: “That’s true.”
Woody Harrelson (as Rex Walls): “Can you honestly tell me that you’re happy right now?”
Brie Larson (as Jeannette Walls): “Yes, I am.”
“The Glass Castle” hits theaters this Friday, and even though it’s only August, Woody’s starting to get some award season buzz, so we’ll see.
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