THE ROOM
US, 2003, 98 minutes, Colour.
Tommy Wiseau, Juliette Danielle, Greg Sestero, Philip Haldiman, Carolyn Minnot.
Directed by Tommy Wiseau.
The Room has made it to the list for many critics and for many audiences of one of the best of the worst ever films. It has become something of a cult film, appearing for years in late night shows in selected cinemas as well as having a hoarding in Hollywood for years and years. It is a film that people have talked about – and that the co-actor, co-producer, Greg Sestero, wrote a book about his experience, The Disaster Artist.
It was filmed in San Francisco and, often, very often, during the film there are cutaways to views of the city, many of them familiar, reinforcing the impression that the story is set in San Francisco. They serve as something of a relief as well!
The plot is fairly basic, a man is in love with his fiancee, has been with her for many years, seems to be sexually compatible (at least some of the sequences suggests this), but his fiancee has become bored, wants to get rid of him, is seductive towards his best friend who, without too much struggle, succumbs to the seduction and, despite some hand and heart-wringing, enters into an affair with her. She is completely self-absorbed, with arrogant narcissism, telling her friends that she deserves the best in life, that this is the be-all and end-all of life – but is not getting it.
Her friend tries to give her advice but is ignored. Her mother turns up frequently to have chats with her daughter, to give her advice, urging her to marry her fiance, then having to go…
One of the points is to ask whether the fiance will ever find out the truth, from the girl, from his best friend, from his potential mother-in-law.
While that might have been the basis for a successful film, the screenplay is very basic, with more than a touch of the ordinary, with something of the ridiculous. And, the acting is terrible, stilted, dialogue not well delivered, a lot of posing.
There are a number of subplots, especially the hero adopting a teenager who lives in the same apartment block, who is approving curiosity concerning the girl, wants to watch the lovemaking, and keeps intruding. The mother-in-law at one stage indicates that she has cancer – but that is soon forgotten. A psychologist friend also turns up to warn his friend but is ignored. And there is a famous scene when the four male leads are dressed up in tuxedos, going out onto the street for some moments of passing the football.
And the mystery is the writer-director-leading actor himself, Tommy Wiseau. He has an unusual accent and it is difficult to discern where he actually has come from. He has a somewhat sinister appearance, with the touch of the vampire. The other characters, in fact, look quite ordinary, Greg Sestero being handsome but more than a touch of wooden performance. Carolyn Minnot as the mother is probably the best of the cast.
The film tends to go on and on, repeating the situations, especially the conflict in the fiancee and the hero not suspecting anything. But, there is a showdown at a party, leading to what seems to be some kind of emotional and mental breakdown in the hero, so that he wildly kills himself.
There is no real reason to see the film – except to verify its reputation.
