If it were ever possible to so eloquently and vividly capture a single man’s ego on film, with such raw, poetic and deluded audacity, then I would say with utter confidence that Tommy Wiseau, a kind lazy-eyed man-child who straddles an odd line between Euro-trash and Ozzie Osbourne, has managed to accomplish just that. More to the point he has captured his own. Leading analysts have yet to discover if he’s actually conscious of this fact however.
For those of you who’ve never heard of the dubiously titled “The Room”, this 2003 melodrama about a love triangle between an engaged couple and the groom’s best friend puts even the most ambitious soaps to shame. Not because of its twists (since there is nothing really resembling a plot to begin with) but rather for its loopy, half-baked constitution. Almost infuriatingly non-sequitur and aimless, the substantial cult following that has accrued over the last few years is a testament to the near-monumental schlock value of its shoddiness. It’s rife with dead-end sub-plotting, stock footage and continuity slips. Not even Alcatraz can hold back the clichés that threaten to smother us in our own laughter. And for a budget of near seven million, you’d think that someone would have had the foresight to hire a script supervisor.
But if all of this sounds overly harsh then just you wait and see. I find it hard to imagine that our haplessly self-obsessed Wiseau, a man who has compared his debut film favorably with Tennessee Williams and who later asserted that the film was intended as a comedy all along, spent so much of his own money on this project. It’s a little mind-boggling and if you put forth the mental reasoning required to comprehend what exactly is going on here, it’s actually a bit frightening to witness the lengths to which some people will go to grab someone’s attention. If anything this is going to be studied for years to come. I feel as though all those millions could have been invested into something much more...well...beneficial to humanity. But then again, if his intentions really were to please an audience, regardless if it was at his expense or not, then maybe he won in the end after all.
Best absorbed when: A.) If you enjoy "trashy" movies. B.) You want to see Tommy’s butt. C.) Participatory cinema is your second religion (e.g. you like talking to the screen).
FUN TIP: Count the number of times “Wiseau” comes up on the credits before the movie actually starts!
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