What do you get when one man decides to pour his entire soul, and his savings (around six million dollars), into a movie that does absolutely everything wrong? That’s right: The Room (2003).
This bizarre creation by Tommy Wiseau (writer, director, producer, and lead actor) has been the ultimate example for over twenty years of how a disaster can turn into a masterpiece. Or, as fans call it, "The Citizen Kane of bad movies”.
If you know this quote, you might have already seen The Room. If not: get ready for ninety minutes of uncontrolled chaos. The story (if you can call it that) revolves around Johnny, a mysterious banker whose fiancée Lisa is cheating on him with his best friend Mark. Sounds like a classic melodrama? In The Room, it’s something completely different.
The dialogues are bizarre: characters talk past each other, react with the wrong emotions, and say things like, “Anyway, how’s your sex life?” after serious conversations. Plot points are introduced and then immediately forgotten. For example, Lisa’s mother suddenly and casually says, “I definitely have breast cancer,” and then the subject is never mentioned again. And Tommy Wiseau’s acting, with his strange laughs, odd accent, and emotional outbursts, feels like he’s from another planet.
This might be the biggest mystery of all. Tommy Wiseau is the man behind The Room: writer, director, producer, and lead actor, but no one really knows who he is. He claims to be from New Orleans, but his accent sounds more Eastern European. His age? Unknown. His past? Unclear. What we do know is that he somehow managed to raise around six million dollars to make his dream movie. Where the money came from? According to him, from a clothing empire where he sold T-shirts and leather jackets. Others suspect inheritance, real estate… or something even stranger.
Wiseau made the film because, in his own words, he wanted to tell a timeless drama about love, betrayal, and human misunderstanding, something in the style of Tennessee Williams. What he delivered, however, was a movie that completely spiraled out of control, but still carries the heart of a sincere attempt. And maybe that’s exactly what makes The Room so irresistible: it was made by someone who truly believed he was creating something great. And in a bizarre way… he succeeded.
One of the most famous “what-the-hell” moments in The Room is the use of stock photos of spoons. In several scenes, Johnny’s apartment is decorated with picture frames containing inexplicable photos of silver spoons. Why? Nobody knows. But fans have turned this into a tradition: every time a spoon appears on screen, throw a plastic spoon at the screen and shout, “Spoon!” At cult screenings, hundreds of spoons literally fly through the air, one of many rituals that turn The Room into a collective experience. You don’t watch this movie quietly. You live it, shout with it, and throw spoons with it. It’s cinema... totally derailed. And that’s why it’s legendary.
In 2017, the bizarre story of The Room gained a new dimension with the film The Disaster Artist. Based on the book by Greg Sestero (who played Mark in The Room), the movie—starring James Franco as Tommy Wiseau, offers a hilarious and touching behind-the-scenes look at the production, full of bizarre scenes, incomprehensible choices, and the unique friendship between Tommy and Greg.
The Disaster Artist shows how a dream, no matter how strange, can come to life—and how The Room despite everything became a one-of-a-kind phenomenon in film history. Want to know the full story behind this cult classic? At Concordia, we’re screening The Disaster Artist before the showing of The Room on Tuesday, July 29. That way, you’ll be fully prepared for the ultimate The Room experience!
So, ready to throw plastic spoons, shout along with bizarre dialogue, and laugh at incomprehensible film choices?
Come join us on Tuesday, July 29 at Cinema Unfiltered!
