Considered one of the worst films ever made since the year 2000, if not the history of film-making, I found this picture to be life-changing much in the same way as my first viewing of "Troll II" (1990). I knew what I was getting into when "The Room" boasted Producer, Director, Writer, and Starring credits for the same man, the epic Mr. Wiseau himself.
I consider "Troll II" to be a much worse film than "The Room", but "The Room" can stand on its own shaky merits very well, thank you. Shot simultaneously and inexplicably on 35mm film and high-definition video, "The Room" boasts a plotline that could be described as Tennessee Williams' classic stage play "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" shot as an homage to "American Beauty" (1999) by Ed Wood ("Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1959)). Featuring amateur actors spouting dialogue that sounds like it was generated from two computerized speech simulators talking to one another - and then dubbed poorly - the main dramatic tension from "The Room" comes from discovering just what crazy crap will happen next. Characters enter and exit the limited stage sets with no more introduction than "Oh, hi!". Creative differences among the cast and crew forced the premature firing of some of the actors. A few of the scenes are re-shot, others feature completely different actors placed into the roles mid-picture. If anything, "The Room" stands as a staggering monument to perseverance against all odds to see a cherished project through to the end.
Too bad that the theme of the film is the opposite of all that: Tommy Wiseau's character Johnny fatally shoots himself in the head after he loses patience with his two-timing future wife. Despite the primitive aspect of the film, the bizarre lovemaking sequences, the perplexing character development, and the actors' tendencies to call each other by their real names during the show, I found that I was drawn into the world of "The Room". I even drew a little sketch cartoon to explain what happens to Johnny in the afterlife. God can't hate a guy who loves football so much!
Posts
