The Room

[CMonster]

Two days ago I watched The Room...again. The number of times I have watched it can't be counted on one hand (not sure about two). I've watched it with Rifftrax and without. I've seen it in the middle of the day when fully awake and late at night when I was on the verge of sleep. Yet ever time I see this film, I can't help but stare in utter fascination. Tommy Wiseau has achieved something no other person would dare to claim, making the perfect bad movie.

I have seen plenty of bad movies (Troll 2, Rabid Grannies, Vegas In Space, etc.) and have loved all of them in their own special way (except Vegas in Space). Yet The Room exceeds all of them. Any movie can be campy and intentionally bad, like a Troma film, but to accomplish what The Room did takes really earnest effort to make a masterpiece. I've read how Wiseau made money for the film budget: he bought leather jackets from Korea and sold them for profit. He made enough to spend over 6 MILLION dollars on the film. He had enough money to simply retire for the rest of his life. Instead he reached for the stars.

Ultimately, what killed the film was Tommy himself. Much like George Lucas with the Star Wars prequels, Tommy had control. There was no studio to answer to. No producers to tell him to quit while he was ahead. It allowed him to work his magic.

Every time I watch The Room something new makes me laugh. Every thing from the endless establishing shots, to the set, to the dialogue, and every cliche that was simply tossed in. Lisa slowly gets 'less beautiful' in every scene. I think she must have been a starving actress and part of the budget went to feeding the cast and she just ate to much every day. The quotable quotient is through the roof. You could quote The Room in pretty much every situation you find yourself in. Got cancer? The Room covers it. How about a drug problem? Also covered. Getting in lots of arguments? Keep your stupid comments in your pocket. Do you have a chicken?

I legitimately urge everyone to not only watch this movie, but to do so at group functions with people who have never seen it. Popping people's Room cherry has really been one of the most consistent forms of entertainment I've ever come across. It is a glorious combination of acting, cinematography, music, set, directing, writing, symbolism, and producing that I don't think will ever be matched. The Room does not have a single redeeming quality other than its own terribleness.

If you don't like The Room, I must call into question your ability to laugh or feel any sort of emotion. I say this is a must see to give you a perspective on every other film that you see. I implore you to share it with others if you have seen it because every reaction to The Room I've ever seen give me belief and hope for human intelligence and rationality.

[MmzHrrdb]

If film is about technical talent, then it fails.

If film is about soliciting emotion from the viewers, then I agree, it's amazing in that regard.


The House that Bleeds on Alex or whatever it's called is what happens when you try to make a film like The Room on purpose, do not watch it.


Also, everyone who didn't know the film existed and then raged on it after Channel Awesome don't understand life and need to keep their stupid comments in their own pockets.

[MmzHrrdb]

The Room: The Game on the other hand is a fitting tribute

[ShogunRua]

If you don't like The Room, I must call into question your ability to laugh or feel any sort of emotion.

If you watch "The Room" more than once, I must call into question whether you have a life.

Anyways, I realize your post was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but I've never understood this cult around purposely watching bad films.

Yeah, I've seen a couple myself out of morbid curiosity; in almost every case, they were boring in addition to being bad. There were a few unintentionally funny parts that would make for a good 4-minute Youtube video, but stretched out to 100 minutes, it's as dreary as can be.

Ultimately, with so many masterpiece films and books in existence, why the fuck would anyone waste their life watching the shit?

If everyone suddenly stopped writing books and making movies today, and I lived to be 100, I STILL wouldn't manage read all the great books and films out there. So why devote time to something you know will suck?

Because watching a bad film doesn't occur in a vacuum; instead, it means one less good film you will watch during the course of your life.

[CMonster]

The Room does not consist of a few unintentionally funny parts that could fit into a 4 minute youtube video. Every bit of symbolism, every attempt at drawing emotion from the audience, every single scene, every single character, maybe even every single shot has something laughable in it. Some movie need repeat viewings. Every time I rewatch a Coen brothers film I notice something new to enjoy. Every time I watch The Room I notice something new to mock. Not only have I doubled over in laughter every time I've seen this film, but it also is like How Not to Make A Shitty Movie 101. I may have a morbid sense of humor and find watching terrible movies hilarious, you probably don't need to see The Room more than once; however, I've found the spattering my movie watchings with unbelievably terrible films enhances the enjoyment of fantastic films (old and new) and gives me a good comparison tool when other people enjoy shit films (Transformers). I also said every time I have seen The Room, I have popped someones Room cherry which hopefully does the same for their perspective on film as it did for mine.

[Pickpocket]

Tommy Wiseau is great. I also love The Room and don't understand any backlash it gets. It's such a lovable and quotable movie that you have to be a pretty big snob to not appreciate it on some level.

If you don't like The Room, I must call into question your ability to laugh or feel any sort of emotion.

Agreed

[Tripwyre]

Anyways, I realize your post was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but I've never understood this cult around purposely watching bad films.

It's because they're funny? I get much more enjoyment out of watching Troll 2 than I do most actual "comedies". While I happen to prefer Troll 2 to The Room, they offer the same sort of thrill -- they are astoundingly bad to the point where I can't help but howl with laughter, and seeing them with a sold out crowd at a midnight screening is one of the greatest film-going experiences one can have.

Because watching a bad film doesn't occur in a vacuum; instead, it means one less good film you will watch during the course of your life.

You're over-thinking things. First of all, I do not always WANT to watch a great film. Secondly, it's more likely that it's one less tepidly mediocre film I will watch in my lifetime -- because that's really what the majority of films that get made and released are. Purposefully watching The Room with friends (because it is a wonderful experience and we all laugh a LOT) means I didn't watch Transporter 3, or The Hangover Part II, or any number of bland, banal and utterly forgettable Hollywood fare. You can take the snobbish opinion that I should never watch those things in the first place, but it's a matter of taste, isn't it? Or rather, feeling. What do I *feel* like watching. The answer, more often than perhaps it should be, is something truly, inspiringly terrible, because unintentional comedy is often the very best kind.

[TrixRabbi]

Ultimately, with so many masterpiece films and books in existence, why the fuck would anyone waste their life watching the shit?
...

Because watching a bad film doesn't occur in a vacuum; instead, it means one less good film you will watch during the course of your life.

Even if this is true, what does it matter so long as you enjoy it? Films like Troll 2 and The Room are hilarious, and maybe it just takes a certain sense of humor to get. But nothing is a waste of time if you're enjoying it. I understand that it's not your cup of tea, but it's something that other people find funny.

Also, you have to watch these kinds of movies with friends, a lot of friends. Everyone starts yelling at the screen and it's a ton of fun.