Home Room (2003)

Six students lie dead at the hands of a fellow classmate. In the aftermath an unlikely bond is about to form. Alicia (Busy Philipps "Dawson's Creek") is a Goth misfit who hates the world and everyone in it and may know more about the shooting than she's telling. Deanna (Erika Christensen Swimfan) one of the injured is a classic overachiever confined to a hospital bed. Brought together by fate united by secrets they couldn't be less alike or need each other more.System Requirements:Running Time: 132 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: R UPC: 043396018952 Manufacturer No: 01895 Product Description

home room

like that it show the aftermath of the shooting and how the studtens deal with the shock and drama of the events that have unfoleded. January 6, 2007

Everyone has a story . . .

Of the 1200+ movies I've watched in the last two years dealing with children or teens, this one has to come somewhere in the top ten. We've had over 150 kids stay with us for varying lengths of time, and this movie reminded me of a discipline technique we used. If two kids were fighting, we'd put them on chairs with their knees a few inches apart. Then, they had to sit there and talk nicely to each other for a specified time. No matter how angry they were to start, in the end they'd be laughing and getting along.

Alica and Deanna were put in a similar situation. Both girls were hurting inside, one from the effects of the classroom shooting and the other from another psychologically tragic event. This movie is about how each girl had to first start to trust the other, then grow to understand each other. Of course, at first much is left hidden inside, but gradually they begin to talk and each begins to understand how the other is hurting. The more the viewer learns, the more he or she begins to care for even Alica, who escapes in a "Goth" world that alienates more typical teens.

As the two girls slowly reveal more and more of their stories, stories of hurting, they begin to heal. However, it is a very painful process, with many setbacks and misunderstandings along the way. But, that is the way emotional healing is. This is a very realistic cinematic depiction of psychological healing.

Finally, it is very refreshing to see a teen, Deanna, concerned with her character and values. For families concerned with traditional values, this is one of the best examples of that I've seen in a teen movie. Although curious about sex, Deanna still felt it was worthwhile to protect her virginity. The movie is rated R mostly for the language, but Deanna even called Alicia on that. She let Alicia know that she didn't not approve of the foul language or 'taking the Lord's name in vain." However, she was not perfect in this either - when she thought the detective had emotionally hurt Alicia she cussed a bit. Also, when Alicia, more because she was a rebel than a lesbian, kissed Deanna, Deanna recoiled in revulsion. Again, she showed concern for her reputation and traditional morality.

If you genuinely care about people as they are and not how you want them to be, what one would call empathy, then this is 131 minutes of very well-spent time. March 6, 2006

great movie!!

I caught this movie on OnDemand thanks to my sis and I watched it and LOVED it!!! I am not a huge fan of erika christensen . . . but she does a decent job in this movie. It has some "unexpected" plot lines and I ended up crying in the end!
I bought it because i liked it so much!! February 26, 2006

Incredible chemistry between the two actresses!

Alicia and Deanna have the same homeroom and it seems probably did nothing more than exchange glances every morning. Alicia(the goth girl) knew nothing about Deanna but she was one of these beautiful, rich, intelligent white girls that all of the teachers adored! Deanna knew nothing about Alicia but she was "in a world to herself" and she respected that. I will point out from a personal observation that Alicia has some of the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen!

Alicia goes to Deaana's hospital room to make their principal happy....they hardly do anything but exchange pleasantries.

Yet, Alicia keeps coming back day-after-day to this room. Alicia persuades Deanna to go outside for walks, talk about life and to quit feeling sorry for herself over the shootings.

To me, the most "moving" scene is when Alicia has spent the night with Alicia in her room. Deanna takes the remote from Alicia's hand and then opens her fingerless gloves to try one on after being told "no". The looks of both girls(without the other one knowing about the other) is incredible yet not a single word is ever said between them during this scene.

The "survivors" of the homeroom shooting come together several months later for "closure". Alicia's performance in here(which changes the lives of everyone in there forever) could have easily won her an Oscar!

To answer a previous post, I think Alicia cries at the end after receiving her diploma because nobody in the whole world(including herself) ever thought she could have done it!

January 9, 2006

Astonishingly Good

"Home Room" like "Zero Day" and "Elephant", was inspired by the recent wave of school shootings. But unlike the other two films, "Home Room" focuses on two survivors (not the shooters or those killed) in the aftermath of a shooting. Making it less exploitive and more useful because little effort is wasted in asking questions for which there are no answers.

Don't give up on this little film during the first 20 minutes, it is supposed to set up the real story but plays like a rejected "Hill Street Blues" episode. It is lame but bear with it, at least it pads the running length enough to get the film classified as a feature. I recommend skipping this entirely and just jumping ahead to the hospital scenes-there is nothing here that you can't pick up from the remainder of the film.

Like a lot of good little films this was creatively a one-man show as Paul F. Ryan was both the writer and the director. While this arrangement does not guarantee a good film, it is usually a good sign because it will mean a certain unity of construction and execution that is often lacking in big budget dramatic features. Because the script of "Home Room" is its real strength it is fortunate that the writer also executed the production and insured that his vision made it onto the screen.

Ryan takes a huge chance with an ending that tests the limits of the average viewer's sentimentality tolerance. He runs it right up to the edge but against all logic leaves you crying instead of cringing. Why the ending works is some combination of the audience need for a reward at the end of this kind of journey, the song (Sarah McLaughlin's "Sweet Surrender") he goes out on, and the amazing editing of the final few seconds.

The other strength of the film is the casting of Busy Phillips (Alicia) and Erika Christensen (Deanna) as the main protagonists. Although Phillips plays her standard alienated surly teen and Christensen her intelligent daughter of a good family, they both bring more intensity to their roles than ever before. The family life of both girls is more than satisfactory and of little interest to Ryan. What is happening here is all about the two of them despite a lame side story about a police detective wondering around town trying to tie Alicia to the lone shooter. If they ever re-cut and trim the film this side story should be condensed.

A story about two extremely disparate girls bonding and helping each other is hardly a novel idea and Ryan could have easily steered this film into cliché and predictability. But instead his script has them engaging in a fascinating and convincing sparring match, slowly chipping away at each other and sharing moments of vulnerability, only to retreat back inside themselves. Deanna's "I'm dying inside" line just tears you apart-I can't think of a moment in any other film that I felt as intensely as that one. She desperately needs a connection that Alicia just as desperately resists. Deanna only makes progress when she retreats. The viewer keeps expecting the group hug that never seems to happen.

Ultimately this not only generates a lot of suspense but leaves you admiring both characters and the two actresses who brought them to life.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child. October 11, 2005

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