Since I just proclaimed my deep and long-standing love of bad movies, I figure it’s a fine time to write about The Room, as I attempt to catch up on the films I’ve seen in the past few weeks…
We’ve all heard the phrase “worst movie ever made” casually thrown around in conversation. Thousands of films are made every year, and most of them are terrible. But the true mantle is hard-won. People told me Troll 2 was the worst movie ever made; I saw it and loved it. It was so bad that it was perfect. I watched Deathbed, mistaking it for Death Bed: The Bed That Eats, which I now want to see as well. There’s something wrong with me.
If you live in Los Angeles, you’ve probably heard about The Room, as it’s turning into a cult midnight-movie of Rocky Horror proportions. Not that I would know, since I’ve never seen it. (I knoooooow. I have to see it, right? You can’t believe I’ve never seen it? Neither can I.) I do know that both films require audience participation, which is fun if everyone knows what to say. Give it 5-10 years, and if The Room is still screened regularly, it will be a superfun interactive event.
The Room just may be the real Worst Movie Ever Made, to the point where if I had seen it at a museum of modern art, I would not have been shocked at all. The film defies all logic of film-making, while still actively attempting to make a narrative, dramatic film. The writer/director/actor/producer/driving force behind the film Tommy Wiseau maintains the mistakes were deliberate and all the bad acting/writing/editing/everything was on purpose, but this is disputed by mostly everyone. If it’s true, the man is a genius. (He isn’t.) If it’s not (it’s not), it just might be the reigning champion. Either way, congratulations are in order. I won’t say anything more.
