Film Review: The Room

I finally saw this much talked about film. Every one should see it who enjoys a good bad film. It may surpass Max Magician and the Legend of the Rings as the most stupid movie I've ever seen. What Tommy Wiseau has managed to accomplish here cannot be intentional. There is not a genius alive who could manage to pull off The Room. Wiseau's writing shows clearly how he doesn't have any insight into women, who are all reduced to stereotypes, and neither does he have a general psychological insight into any of his characters. All character reactions are seemingly linked to whatever core archetype Wiseau has assigned them and do not take into account the actual situations they find themselves in. Further, Wiseau seems to lack any knowledge of drug violence (which he still manages to write into the script, despite it being inconsequential to the plot!) or physical confrontation. When Mark nearly throws Peter off the roof of a building, the amends are made in form of a virtual "I'm sorry, brah! Buds again?" Can it get any better than that? Oh, yes it can... and does. Two characters who find their friend lying dead of a gunshot wound to the head, blood everywhere, ask him to "wake up." Has Wiseau ever met any real human beings, experienced any real dramatic situations? Does he understand life? Does he?

Wiseau also directs, and it looks like your typical made-for-cable attempt at a real heart gripping drama, completely with green screened shots of the city skyline. But when it comes to his acting, you seriously can't believe how badly delivered Wiseau's lines are. It sounds like he doesn't know the English language, but has simply memorized his lines based on trying to sound them out (see: Sukiyaki Western Django for more on this). All of the actors are below par, no question. But Wiseau really takes the cake when it comes to just recognizing this simple fact: The guy I see playing a lead role in this movie is NOT AN ACTOR. It's truly amazing.

Don't even get me started with the sex scenes -- I think there are four of them within the first half hour of the film, same girl all four times, same footage two of the times. I wish I could say that a genius concocted such a ludicrous scheme. I wish I was that genius.