Mike JM on Tommy Wiseau's THE ROOM

A month or so passes, and I don't think about the movie or the episode. Back in Cleveland for the summer, I am looking for something to do this weekend and I discover the Cleveland Cinematheque, part of the Cleveland Institute of Art. They specialize in showing indie, cult and foreign films during evenings. I saw Tokyo! Friday night, which was an incredible movie. A guy working the joint tells me about The Room, playing the following evening, and I was reminded of that episode. I had to see this, and seeing it on DVD or downloading it would not be the same as seeing a bad movie on the big screen with a bevy of film fans, loud laughter in stereo.

First, a Filipino film called Serbis plays, and that movie was okay. Not wonderful, not bad, but it was worth a look. After an intermission, conversation with a few fellow moviegoers, and a nice trailer reel of foreign trailers (and a vintage print of the Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid trailer from its first release) the movie begins and I have no idea what I'm in for. Before I begin the review, look at this clip. This clip alone gives us an idea of what to expect in the movie.


I assure you, this clip is not a joke. Here's another:


Not a minute in, and I'm already seeing it's flaws. The opening title sequence is already oddly paced. It's all exterior shots of San Francisco that last maybe two seconds then a title card with a black background. Then it's as if Wiseau figured "screw it" and put the title cards over the exterior shots. He should've kept it up. God knows we'll be seeing those shots again...and again...and again throughout the duration of the film. Finally, in what can be perceived as an act of narcissism, Tommy gives himself three individual name credits in a row. Most filmmakers who do all that stuff, it's usually "Written, Directed & Produced by (so-and-so)". And this is after he is credited among the Executive Producers. So he's a producer *and* an executive producer? Seriously? Some chuckles are heard in the room, but not as loud as the first line of dialogue. Our star enters his home with the horribly delivered "Hi, babe."

Corny soapy romance moments with Wissau's character, Johnny, and his girlfriend Lisa. The dialogue is so laughably bad, and we are not five minutes in...and there is a sex scene. A horrible, horrible, scary sex scene. It's played over horrible R&B music that would make the MTV crowd sick, and we have to see Wiseau and Juliette Danielle's oddly shaped nude bodies grinding for a good three minutes. Wow. We take the time off of focusing on the stiff acting and bad dialogue for laugh-inspiring visuals. What was once a sunny day in San Francisco becomes a rainy day. The method to create rain is appalling. It's clearly a hose squirting at a window. There is a combination of laughs and groans in disgust. Once it's over, the (ahem) story can continue...for another five minutes. But before we go there, let's get to the story.

Wiseau plays a successful banker. He lives with his fiance, supports a kid whose parents are dead, and hangs out with his best friend Mark. We know Mark is his best friend because it's said so in the dialogue about 50 to 60 times, at least. So, after night of (**gag**) hot...sex...Lisa is visited by her nagging mother. Lisa drops the bombshell on her mother and the audience: she doesn't love Johnny anymore. Why? Does he hit her? No. Does he cheat on her? No. Bad sex life? Not really. She just does what she wants to do. What the hell is this? The Hills? Jesus! She talks on the phone with Mark and this leads to another sex scene.

So the plot continues to develop, but there's a problem. Some of these scenarios come out of the blue and rarely come up ever again. A young man gets in trouble with a drug dealer. You'd expect this to come up again in some big, bad way. Dream on, moviegoers. Not happening. Mom has breast cancer, but we forget about that as she brings it up so nonchalantly. This movie has plot holes that you can land thirty planes on. Not only that, but this movie is written like a bad soap opera with A.D.D. In between these bits we are treated to an array of long panning shots of San Francisco used as transitions in between scenes, and the same piece of music.

It is not only the acting and writing that is a star of the show. The way the film is a source of laughter. Shots are out of focus. Yes, in the theater I thought it was just the projector, but then I noticed these shots went from crystal clear to blurry and back, and frequently. Some of the framing is off, too, as seen in the clip I posted earlier.

I just could not believe what I was watching. This was a really bad movie, but so bad that it's good. I see the appeal this film has with film fans across the country. Hell, I may be one of the many new fans this film is finding. There are bad movies that anger me and I curse their existence, but this movie is different. The film is so campy and smug that it's actually endearing and a fun film to watch. Wiseau says it was his intention to make the film the way it was, but many of us have called "bullshit" on this. One anonymous actor told Entertainment Weekly that it was solely an opportunity for Wiseau to present his acting abilities. Well, I'll give Wiseau this: he's taking lemons and making lemonade. He continues to host screenings and takes the laughs in stride...at least he appears to.

The screening I went to wasn't a packed house, but there was enough energy to make seeing this film an experience unlike any other. I would love to see the flick with a house full of people, many of whom who have seen the movie many many times. That would be an entirely different experience.

But what is it that attracts to many people, myself included? It's not just the ridiculous plot(s) or the shoddy acting. It's not just how smug and hilariously pretentious it is. It is the back-story, and mystery of it. Wiseau is very hush-hush on so many aspects: who he is, where he comes from, how he funded the movie, what his accent is and most importantly: is the campiness intentional? What's with the framed pictures of spoons? Why in the hell is this called The Room? He says very little about the film. Part of me seriously believes this guy is like Sacha Baron Cohen, except he stays in persona for a longer, more committed period of time. Either Wiseau is incredibly inept or he is the some incredible comic genius and we are all in on a brilliant prank. He could be the next Andy Kaufman. Since the film's release, he has produced a short documentary about the homeless, and produced the pilot to a sitcom...of which he is the star.

Whatever the case, The Room is a film many cannot help but love for any explicable reason. It's a film that has people talking. It's caught on with comedians, and landed Wiseau a spot on Tim & Eric Awesome Show- Great Job.

Seeing the film wasn't just a night out at the movies. It was an experience, and I love it when moviegoing becomes a real experience.

Interesting post-script to this: the Cinematheque was selling a copy of the poster for $10. The woman there was trying to convince me to buy it. Look at this:



All I could say was: "yeah that's what my girlfriend and I want to wake up to, this fall, in my dorm: Tommy Wiseau's drunken, fugly mug. The Kramer portrait frightens the girl enough."

Anyway, check out The Room, and see it with a group of people. Then watch it again alone. You're bound to find something new and hilarious that was drowned out in the laughter.

Well...good night, kids!

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