The Room: A Film of Epic Proportions

Before I continue with this review, I would like to say that writing an article about a movie like The Room is a privilege and an honor.

The Room was written, directed and produced by Tommy Wiseau in 2003, a golden year for film that marked the release of cinematic gems such as Bad Boys II and Pokémon Heroes. Johnny, the main character, realized by lead actor Wiseau, is about to marry his girlfriend Lisa, Juliette Danielle. After some thought and discussion with her mom and friends, however, Lisa decides that she doesn’t love Johnny and instead loves his best friend, Mark, played by former model, Greg Sestero.

Besides the main plot of the story, there are also many subplots to the story involving myriad interesting characters. Lisa’s mother has breast cancer, which is mentioned once and never again. Danny, who has no father or mother biologically, but is figuratively a son to Johnny and Lisa, gets involved with drugs and an unsavory gang-banger. Lisa’s friends, Michelle and Mike, use Lisa and Johnny’s house to explore the human anatomy. None of these subplots are resolved, which adds another layer of depth to the film.

This movie has been constantly debated since its release. Many argue it’s just a poorly made drama, while others, specifically Tommy Wiseau, see the movie as a genius black comedy of sorts. No matter your personal perspective, it is obvious that the acting, scripting, and music are all terrible. The question boils down to what genre this movie fits into. Boiling down further, we realize that The Room is a genre within itself. Literally no other movie has ever been produced in over a century of cinema history that comes within miles of The Room’s romantic intensity and comedic ingenuity. If it’s supposed to be a drama, it’s hilarious because of how bad the movie is. If it’s supposed to be a black comedy then it is absolutely genius.

When I watched this movie my sides were splitting. When I watched it alone I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. When I watched it with friends, there was a constant giggle that sometimes escalated into roaring laughter.

But sitting on my couch, watching this movie, I realized that the characters were not acting their hearts out on the big screen just to make me laugh. They were teaching me. Through the different viewpoints of all the different characters, I started to learn lessons about life, whether it was the issues of drugs and alcohol, the ethics of cheating on a fiancé, or the balance between taking care of one’s self and considering other people. With every “Oh, hi” said by Johnny, the apparent foreigner whose accent is unidentifiable, I felt a little wiser inside.

Not only does the movie offer advice on ethical dilemmas, but it’s deep, which changes the very foundation of film in the space of two hours. Such questions of depth are: why on earth is the movie titled The Room? Do the insignificant subplots that deal with important subjects like breast cancer symbolize Lisa’s self-centered thoughts? Is the lack of resolution for these subplots a commentary on how life continues despite adversity? Does the fact that these subplots are not more explored represent different viewpoints from different people’s lives? The answers are up to interpretation and for the viewer to decide, which makes this movie simply great.

The Room has become a cult classic across America. Like all cult classics, there are people who hate it and people who love it. The people who hate it can be found on movie review sites, such as imbd.com. But others, such as senior Sam Priven, think that the film doesn’t deserve the 3 out of 10 stars that the Internet Movie Data Base gives it. “‘The Room’ is a heart-wrenching, yet thoughtful movie that forces one to reflect upon the trivialities of everyday life. Its quality and depth are only paralleled by the caliber of its actors. I’ve learned that ‘Oh, hi’ is an appropriate greeting in all situations, that a lot of weird people live in San Francisco and to never trust blondes,” Sam observes.

Obviously, The Room is a controversial movie in many respects. But at the end of the day, The Room is just a movie. A damn good movie. Once you see this masterpiece you will never love again.