"The Room" is hilarious as hell. Too bad it isn't a comedy (1/5)

Every year there are many great films released. But, for every great film released, there are also a plethora of bad films that make their way into the cinematic world. If there was ever a legendary bad filmmaker it would be Ed Wood. Once you see an Ed Wood film, you will know why he's seen as the Godfather of bad filmmakers. From horrendous special effects to non-existent acting, Wood's films have etched their own kind of legend in film lexicon. With that in mind, for as bad as Wood's films are, there was a certain charm and naivety to them that made them extremely fun to watch. Sure, the films were complete garbage, but with each scene you could see the love Wood possessed for the world of film. It's quite endearing for me to know that no matter how bad Wood's films were perceived, he just kept on making film after film. Now, he has his own place in history, a place that most directors don't even come close to achieving in their careers.

It's amazing to think that some of the worst films in the history of cinema are far more recognized than some of the best. Perhaps it's peoples obsession with seeing a train wreck in progress. Nonetheless, I must admit my interest was piqued when I heard about a terrible film titled "The Room". To get a taste of the film, I found a clip of it on Youtube. Upon my first viewing of the clip, I was quite embarrassed for all those involved. Then came the second viewing of the clip, and I honestly couldn't stop laughing. If two minutes of this movie was pure hilarity, then certainly the whole thing should be a wonderful mess! So, with my interest in watching a train wreck, I promptly added "The Room" to my Netflix queue and I patiently awaited its arrival. Finally, director/writer Tommy Wiseau's film landed in my mailbox and it was as horrible as it seemed. The film tells the tale of Johnny (Tommy Wiseau), who is seemingly living the perfect life. His job at a local bank is going extremely well, he's engaged to Lisa (Juliette Danielle), and above it all, Johnny has a great best friend he can confide in named Mark (Greg Sestero).

Oh, and did I mention that Johnny is a surrogate father of sorts to Denny (Phillip Haldiman), a college student that randomly drops into Johnny and Lisa's apartment from time to time? Johnny is living the good life, but like most lives in 'movie world', nothing is what it seems. Johnny's life begins to unravel when he loses a promotion at work, and Lisa becomes more reclusive. Unbeknownst to Johnny, Lisa is having an affair with Mark! Egads! If you think the plot of "The Room" is rather simple, think again. Wiseau doesn't let us off the hook as he fills his film with numerous subplots that he seemingly forgets moments after they're introduced. For example, at one point in the film, Denny is attacked by the ruthless drug dealer aptly referred to as 'Chris R.', whose unsettled debt with Denny sets the screen ablaze.



The scene, which lasts at least five minutes, pops up with the notion it would have some significance down the road, but once it's done, it is never mentioned again. Oddly enough (no it isn't) this happens with every other subplot Wiseau throws at us. Another example of a disappearing facet of the film occurs when a character vanishes halfway through the film with no explanation while a new character is  randomly introduced at the end. The problem with this is the fact that this new character behaves in such a way that he's been interacting with the characters all along, when he clearly hasn't been around. Of course, this is not the only problem found within Wiseau's script. The script also consists of contradictory dialogue, nonsensical motivations, and horrendous staging.

The latter part of the aforementioned list could rest on the shoulders of Wiseau as the director, as he awkwardly sets up the scenes. The more prominent examples where Wiseau struggles with staging, as both a writer and director, are the scenes revolving around male conversations and sex. The former, scenes revolving around male bonding, are the most interesting because they pose an interesting question: "Does Tommy Wiseau find  male bonding to be impossible when a football isn't being tossed around?" I kid you not, in nearly every scene where there are multiple males discussing a topic, they are playing catch with a football.



Who am I kidding? Sounds like every time I hang out with my friends. Just imagining a conversation without tossing the old pig skin around disturbs me. Speaking of disturbing, Wiseau does his best to make us gag and laugh with the three sex scenes (actually lets say two due to Wiseau recycling one sex scene later in the film).  Let's just say the sex scenes aren't flattering as they feature misaligned moaning, cheesy music, and weird body placements. If only laughter induced erections, but it doesn't.

Let's pump our brakes though. Sometimes great acting can elevate even the most ridiculous of material. Or, in the case of "The Room", sometimes the worst acting could unintentionally elevate the laughter to new heights. With Tommy Wiseau as the lead, he delivers the worst in spades.

 

As you will see in the clip posted above, Wiseau believes great acting is channeled through yelling and clenching one's fist in the most over the top manner. Ok, so maybe Wiseau was too busy turning his attention to the production side of things to focus on delivering the power of a Daniel Day-Lewis. With the shoddy green screen, the horrible dialogue synch, and haphazard editing, it appears that's not the case.



At times it feels like this film was assembled by either someone deaf, blind, or both. There are countless continuity errors that just made me wonder if Wiseau was honestly paying attention. Now, I realize that I'm criticizing the film at an aggressive level and some of you may wonder why I even bothered watching the film despite my expectations of a horrible film. It's quite simple actually. Tommy Wiseau, who handled the marketing of this film, had the audacity to say his film had the passion of Tennessee Williams upon its release. By making a statement like that, he simply implies his film is as serious and as dramatic as the work of Williams. Thus, I'm going to treat it like so. I say this despite Wiseau now proclaiming that the film is a black comedy. No, it isn't.

With that being said, I'm going to go ahead and recommend people to see this movie. If that's not a contradiction right there, I don't know what is. Yes, the film is horrendously bad and my rating reflects that, but as an experience, the film is very enjoyable. This is further demonstrated by the fact that "The Room" is finding its way into interactive midnight screenings. In many ways, it's this millenium's "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". Take a look at Ed Wood. Nobody watches his films for cinematic achievements. No, they come for the inevitable laughs that pour out from a bad, bad film. The same could be said for Wiseau's film, even though none of the laughs are intentional. Certainly I think "The Room" was a narcissitic platform for Wiseau, where as Wood's films seemed entirely out of love, but that doesn't detract from how awesomely bad it is. So, I say get a group of friends together, watch the film, and enjoy the shit fest that occurs. Hell, you could even make a drinking game out of it (i.e. drinking everytime a character uses the greeting "Oh Hi!"). Nonetheless, as a film "The Room" is painful, but as an experience, it may just be worth it.


"Oh, Hi!"-