Day 65 -- Home Room

NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO REVIEW TOMORROW. SO GO ENJOY ST. PATRICK'S DAY. THERE WILL BE TWO REVIEWS ON SUNDAY.

Released: September 5th, 2003
   
Starring: Busy Phillips, Erika Christensen, Victor Garber, Raphael Sbarge, Ken Jenkins
 
Writer/Director: Paul F. Ryan

Description: A high school shooting has repercussions on the town and students.

[Review may contain spoilers. Please watch movie before reading, unless you don't care. Most of these films have already been released for a while, so they should be readily available.]

***

Before 9/11, most of us had another tragedy that we knew where we were when we first heard about it: Columbine. I was on a school field trip to Washington D.C., and remember that the flags were at half-staff, but I had no idea why. I'm sure there were school shooting before and since, but except for Virginia Tech, none affected me as much.

"Home Room" was obviously a movie inspired by these events. The movie opens with the aftermath of a school shooting, in which the perpetrator didn't shoot at random, but rather, targeted specific students. For those looking for a movie about the events of a school shooting, you will be disappointed. A solid portion of the movie is dedicated to the unlikely bond formed by suspected "accomplice" Alisha (Phillips) and only surviving victim, Deanna (Christensen), and the forced police investigation by Det. Martin Van Zandt (Best Detective Name Ever!), played by Victor Garber.

The storytelling was fabulous as all three characters mention previously were portraying a different question that we have after these tragedies.  Alisha, the only witness to the massacre, is the 'what would happen if you saw classmates die in front of you?; Deanna, the only survivor, is the 'How do you recover after you almost died?', and Van Zandt, the local detective, is the 'who's to blame for this? How can we stop it?'. To their credit, each actor is marvelous in their respective roles. With that said, I am curious to see if a stronger actress, like Rachel McAdams, would have done better than Christensen, who is an average actress at best.

Despite her limitations, I think Busy Phillips was incredible in this film. She knew exactly when to make her character sarcastic, and when to bring out the emotion. She did miss on occasion, but did a great job not giving away the twist with Alisha. Even though she played the role well, I still imaged what the role could have been with a better actress. 

Even in a limited role, Garber was his classy self. The veteran actor, most known for "Alias" and "Titanic", brings a professionalism to every character he portrays, and the detective forced to find someone to blame needed the grounded and posh attitude that he gave it. He had to be sympathetic, not over-bearing, which a lesser actor could have easily done. Garber is one of the best character actor currently working, and should be recognized more.

The most impressive thing I found with this movie was the writing. It was almost perfect for the subject, as it was more about the effect of a situation like Columbine. They didn't shy away from a  sensitive subject, even though I thought they could have went further, and didn't over-dramatize the pain they were feeling. The only fault I found was the side story of Alisha losing her baby, it didn't seem to have any connection the main story. Also, it wasn't a major thing, but I wish they could have revealed why Deanna was targeted, unless I missed the implied reason.

"Home Room", while not an award-winning film, should be viewed by everyone that was in high school during Columbine. This, along with the school shooting episode of "One Tree Hill", should be required viewing for all high school students. It's a shame what our culture has become. Paraphrasing Det. Van Zandt: "When I was their age, I was teased. Then, one day I decided I had enough, and I used my fist to end it. Today, they use guns." It's sad but true.

Rating: 7/10 -- Great storytelling with some genius foreshadow moments. Solid acting from more or less unknown actors. It's the way this subject should be shown, and I wish there were more like it.