Home Room

An emotional picture that benefits from the extremely powerful performances of its stars.

Distinguishes itself from other such projects by dealing less with the event itself than its devastating aftershocks.

Ryan's heart is definitely in the right place and his film has good performances and flashes of talent. But, overall, it plays like the world's longest — over two hours -- after-school special.

The lead performances of Home Room go a long way toward camouflaging the severe flaws of this exceedingly earnest movie.

Feels like detention -- without the possibility of recess.

Writer-editor-director Paul F. Ryan makes the mistake of focusing on an ungainly and, finally, unplayable verbal match between two high schoolers.

Home Room is badly acted and, running well over two hours, often mind-numbingly ponderous. Depressed rather than hysterical, it's in every way less clever and more literal-minded than "Zero Day."