The Room: Best/Worst/Best Vanity Project Ever

June 1, 2006 12:03 PM

The Room: The Movie.Triple-threat (actor/writer/director) Tommy Wiseau made his cinematic debut in 2003 with the The Room (see trailer and various scenes), "a blend between a softcore porn flick and a Tennessee Williams stageplay." Wiseau ("who's not just one of the most unusual looking and sounding-with an unidentifiable Eastern European accent-leading men ever to grace the screen, but a narcissist nonpareil whose movie makes Vincent Gallo's "The Brown Bunny" seem the apotheosis of cinematic self-restraint...may be something of a first: A movie that prompts most of its viewers to ask for their money back-before even 30 minutes have passed." - Variety), allegedly raised $6 million outside Hollywood to cover production and marketing costs of the self-described "black comedy about love, passion, betrayal and lies" (see various rough dress rehersals). Audience members, including comedian David Cross, have been "marveling at the bizarre editing, bad bluescreen, uncomfortably explicit sex scenes and, of course, the enigma of Wiseau himself" as the film played monthly for years in Los Angeles. Available on DVD, diehard "roomies" swear by the theatrical experience, shout out their own commentary, hurl spoons at the screen and singalong to the soundtrack. Some call it "The Rocky Horror of the New Millenium" and stage "Room" parties. If you look at the marketing campaign or survived a screening you might see The Room as "a seminar on how NOT to make a movie." [Inspired by Boing Boing]
posted by boost ventilator (28 comments total)

Oh, and I found a dubious myspace account too.

The best/worst/best title was previously held by Things (1989), which will also have a special place in my heart: "Every once and a while along comes an obscure bargain basement shot-on-video horror that's so utterly awful and inept it makes me giddy with delight and has me rolling on the floor in hysterics, this one takes the cake."
posted by boost ventilator at 12:06 PM on June 1, 2006

eek. 'more inside?'
posted by Thoth at 12:08 PM on June 1, 2006

Your post reads like liner notes on another dvd advertising this one. Is this whole post a quote? And yeah, way too much realestate without a paragraph break or better: as 'more inside'.
posted by peacay at 12:23 PM on June 1, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

oh, hi doggie.
posted by c at 12:25 PM on June 1, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

This is what happens when you complain about one link posts...
posted by Orange Goblin at 12:26 PM on June 1, 2006 [2 favorites has favorites]

This guy apparently has a great deal of money to blow, because he's had billboard ads up in Hollywood for at least 3 years - I think before that even, before the movie was released. The ads feature Mr. Wiseau's face... which isn't very pleasant to look at, I'm afraid.

I seem to recall some late-night cable TV ads, too, in which we see a few short scenes from the film; everyone else in the film seems to be young and unusually attractive. Wiseau stands out pretty starkly against them. The "standout" line is "You're tearing me apaaart, (name of love interest female character)!" Gripping cinema!

I'm not surprised it turns out to be a bizarre mess... but that guy has some kind of "charaaaasma," it seems.

Weird stuff.
posted by zoogleplex at 12:33 PM on June 1, 2006

Touché, Orange Goblin.
posted by wsg at 12:36 PM on June 1, 2006

Your post reads like liner notes on another dvd advertising this one.

Really? Are liner notes are really going overboard with hyperlinks nowadays? Also good eye on the quotes...I placed them between quotation marks and everything.

I was going with the rough two paragraph rule and I can't even begin to contemplate the irony of creating a bad post about a bad movie. Since it felt like I was hit with a hammer when I watched the actual, I think you guys are getting off pretty light with having to scroll your life away.

Isn't it "meta" to have people more worried about the medium than the actual message? I should at least get points for keeping that reality alive. Especially if people end up coming back to a thread they are not interested in for spite.
posted by boost ventilator at 12:37 PM on June 1, 2006

[meandering post]

FOCUS!
posted by sonofsamiam at 12:39 PM on June 1, 2006

i'm hoping this post will convince my friends that we should include this in our regular "terrible, terrible movie nights"!! (recently screened: superbabies 2: supergeniuses and leonard part vi.)
posted by armacy at 12:49 PM on June 1, 2006

boost ventilator writes "Also good eye on the quotes...I placed them between quotation marks and everything."

Yeah I saw them. Still reads like an advert. A blurb. A set piece. With quotes. The only thing that would seem perhaps out of place without links is the "(see...)". Anyway, I was just sayin' is all. It was a critique of the post not a job evaluation. If someone serves me a beautiful lobster in a restaurant wrapped in old newspaper I'll tell them they should adjust the medium because I like the message on a plate.
posted by peacay at 1:06 PM on June 1, 2006

I hear ya...it's just that I was serving you a turd and metafilter has always been pants-optional.
posted by boost ventilator at 1:25 PM on June 1, 2006

Why does the David Cross link to some Postcards From Nerd Island blog? Is that his pseduonymous blog?
posted by dontoine at 1:43 PM on June 1, 2006

The blog entry notes that he was at that particular show.
posted by maledictory at 1:48 PM on June 1, 2006

No. He attended a screening. Search for "David Cross" on that page.
posted by boost ventilator at 1:48 PM on June 1, 2006

Since it felt like I was hit with a hammer when I watched the actual, I think you guys are getting off pretty light with having to scroll your life away.

Yes, I'm sorry we made you watch this movie.
Metafilter: I think you guys are getting off pretty light with having to scroll your life away.
posted by Sibrax at 2:20 PM on June 1, 2006

If the guy is 1% as good as he thinks he is, we're talking about the next Orson Welles. Check this amazing visual FX, on the movie's website...

Regular movie makers don't dare that much.
posted by cardoso at 2:57 PM on June 1, 2006

Some kinda big newspaper.
posted by Wolfdog at 3:00 PM on June 1, 2006

*nails pants on*
posted by nj_subgenius at 4:44 PM on June 1, 2006

heh. I drive past this billboard daily and I giggle a bit almost every time. After the NPR story I've vowed to finally catch a screening!
posted by scody at 7:24 PM on June 1, 2006

This movie is indeed unintentionally hilarious. If you live in L.A., try and catch a screening. It totally freed me from the horror of the billboard. I guess it's like actually hearing out loud the song that you've been humming in your head for a week. Sort of an exorcism.
posted by Kloryne at 7:58 PM on June 1, 2006

I dunno. Some things can't be un-seen. That dude's face hovering over Highland Ave. (or is it La Brea? I think it's Highland, near the AutoZone where I go a lot) disturbs me.
posted by zoogleplex at 8:19 PM on June 1, 2006

It's Highland. Yeah, I know... but it somehow makes it easier.
posted by Kloryne at 9:58 PM on June 1, 2006

Anyone know what to make of this (besides being glad I didn't add this to the actual post, that is)?

Tommy Wiseau also co-directed a half-hour documentary called Homeless in America (IMdb) a couple years ago featuring Charles Oakely, John Larroquette and Apollonia from Purple Rain fame. The other director, Kaya Redford, appeared in Emmanuelle vs Dracula and was an associate producer on a romantic comedy called Hotties.
posted by boost ventilator at 6:23 AM on June 2, 2006

My favourite quote:

If you think I'm tired now, wait until you see me tomorrow

posted by boost ventilator at 7:52 AM on June 2, 2006

all that cutting and pasting and linking and still only 26 comments
posted by spunk at 6:40 PM on June 3, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Weird, eh? I post about a three-year-old movie on MeFi and it's still looks like I am ahead of my time.
posted by boost ventilator at 8:16 PM on June 3, 2006

Size Matters | MeTa

[even more inside] the room & tommy wiseau
posted by boost ventilator at 11:09 AM on June 6, 2006