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romero8181
Reviews
Home Room (2002)
What a great movie!!! One of my favorites!
I first heard about "Home Room" one night when I was reading an on-line list of The Most Disturbing Movies. I had saved about 5 movies on that list to my Netflix instant queued including this one. When I finally got to it on my list, I was expecting a violent bloody thriller, since most of the movies on that list included Last House on the Left, The Human Centipede, Martyrs, and The Lost. I couldn't have been more wrong. This was a great, emotional, sad, and intense drama about the aftermath of a school shooting. I enjoyed it so much that after streaming it on Netflix, I literally went to my computer and ordered the DVD. I don't know how I had never heard of this movie until 9 years after its release.
The movie is about Deanna (Erika Christensen), a smart popular girl who is injured during the shooting and is in the hospital recovering. Not only is she recovering physically, but emotionally too. She still has nightmares and flashbacks of the incident. Alicia (Busy Philipps) is a goth-like loner with an attitude who also was in the room the shooting took place. The police have questioned Alicia due to the fact that she was friends with the shooter. When the principal forces Alicia to visit Deanna in the hospital, both of their lives begin to change. Even though they have nothing in common, they begin to form a bond and realize that they both do have something in common; they both are lonely and appreciate each other's company.
The scenes with both Alicia and Deanna are very powerful. Christensen and Philipps do an extraordinary job of acting and its so believable. This, I believe, is both actresses best work in any of their films. I am not ashamed to say that I get very emotional every time I watch this movie; especially the ending. The most frustrating part about it all, is that hardly anybody even knows about this movie. I didn't until a month ago. I was happy to read such positive reviews on this film. Its a movie that will stay with you for a long time in a positive way. I read in the Trivia section that Richard Roeper wrote about this movie in his book, so I purchased his book and he made some great points about this film. It truly is a "Lost Film" that should have gotten more recognition. I think it should be re-released with more advertising. Its a shame that independent films don't always get the attention they should. The acting in "Home Room" is better than the acting in most of the films released the same year. I hope these positive reviews help spread the word about how great this movie is. I only wish I had watched it sooner. Definitely one of my favorites!