There are movies that are bad (Chipwrecked, 2011), movies that are really bad (Battlefield Earth, 2000), and finally, movies that are so god awful they’re actually good. And that brings us into this issue’s spotlight: Tommy Wiseau’s The Room (2003).
The Room is about a banker named Johnny (Wiseau) who is dating a woman named Lisa, who is sleeping with Johnny’s best friend Mark. Johnny and Lisa live next to a boy named Denny who buys drugs occasionally and is supposed to be retarded (although you’d never guess). Lisa’s mom comes over very often to talk to her about stuff. If you think this film sounds boring and generic, it also contains such gems as: random scenes of the actors playing football, casual discussion about breast cancer, and poor imitations of a chicken. The catch: this is supposed to be a serious film.
Here is a movie that amazes me. Like Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space (1956), The Room is absolutely, incredibly, yet also hilariously bad all the way through. But whereas Ed Wood’s movie had a budget of $60,000, The Room cost a whopping 6 million. I’m here to tell you that this is worth every penny. I was first introduced to this film by The Nostalgia Critic, my favorite online reviewer. While watching the movie for the first time, I literally laughed so hard my sides ached for days afterwards. The plot is idiotic, the dialogue more so, and Tommy Wiseau’s acting, which is slightly dubbed over at times, is by far the worst ever put on screen (and if you don’t believe me check this out the “The Room – Hi Mark” clip on YouTube ). Tommy Wiseau gives us an unforgettable film with some of the best scenes in movie history:
Johnny: Oh hi Claudette!
Claudette: Oh!
Johnny: Bye!
Ed Wood’s movies crashed and burned and he ended up directing porno films. Tommy Wiseau, fortunately, has had far better luck. He travels around the world attending sold-out midnight showings of his movie, doing Q & A sessions, quoting Shakespeare, and giving acting advice. I recently attended one of these midnight showings in Toronto, and met Tommy Wiseau in person. I used to wonder what kind of a person could possibly come up with a movie like The Room. The answer is: the kind of person who wears six belts. It was a glorious experience. Do yourself a favour and go watch this movie.
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