The Amazing Cult Phenomenon That Is The Room

If you live in LA, you probably already know about The Room. Enigmatic writer/director/producer/actor Tommy Wiseau released the Shakespearean tragedy (later to term it a "black comedy") with a huge billboard on Highland Avenue in 2003, and since then legions of fans have discovered the gem (usually by watching a bootleg DVD at a friend's house) and turned it into a bona fide cult hit. Every month, about 100 people gather for screenings at the Sunset 5 Theater in Los Angeles, dressing up as their favorite two dimensional characters, yelling specific lines at the screen ("You are tearing me apart, Lisa!"), and getting cheeky with their questions during the masochistic Q&A with Wiseau that is part of every screening.

I discovered The Room after a friend's roommate arrived from LA, bringing with him a DVD and a legend about "the next Rocky Horror Picture Show." Usually, I try not to watch full-length movies just because they're bad, but The Room is different. Fans describe the film as "impossible to describe", "the best bad movie ever made", and finally resort to "you just have to see it and you'll understand."

Since my first viewing of The Room in January, I've screened the film for friends on five separate occasions, and everyone becomes immediately obsessed with Tommy Wiseau's absolute dedication to doing everything wrong that he could possibly do wrong as a writer, director, and actor. This week I'll be sharing clips, trivia and fan tributes from The Room in an effort to convince you that this convoluted, nonsensical story of a love triangle gone hilariously bad is worth an hour and a half of your time. First, the extended trailer for the self-described "best movie of the year":

Posted by Lindsay at 10:05 AM in Really Bad Movies
Tags: Juliette Daniel | The Room | Tommy Wiseau

9 Comments

the room is my favorite movie
i own it on dvd
i have yet to see it in a theater

Posted by: max at 04/08/08 10:37 AM | Reply
Score = 2

THIS MOVIE WAS SO TERRIBLE HOLY SHIT I WOULD RATHER TAKE A 2 HOUR SHIT THEN WASTE MY TIME AND ENERGY BILL HAVING MY TV PLAYING THIS MOVIE

Posted by: Ryan Block in reply to max's comment at 04/01/09 1:07 AM | Reply
Score = -3

So is Wiseau making a killing on DVD sales? Well, not a killing but more than negative $4 million?

Posted by: David at 04/08/08 10:48 AM | Reply
Score = 1

"The Movie Of The Year"? Wow, based on that pullquote alone, this is moving right to the top of my Netflix queue. That is, as soon as this film makes it to Netflix...

Posted by: Uncle Grambo at 04/08/08 10:48 AM | Reply
Score = 2

any drinking game suggestions?

Posted by: adrienne at 04/08/08 12:47 PM | Reply
Score = 1

take a drink every time there is a cut-away to a shot of san fransisco
take a drink every time mark says johnny is his "best friend"

Posted by: oh! it's max! at 04/08/08 1:59 PM | Reply
Score = 5

If you like the Room... check out Troll 2, Tales from the Quadead Zone and Black Devil Doll from Hell.

Posted by: kat at 04/09/08 5:45 PM | Reply
Score = 0

Thank you SO much for bringing up The Room. The first time I saw this at a friend's apartment, I almost dropped dead. I've been to the screening only once, but it was easily one of the most transcendent movie-going experiences of my life. If you have an opportunity to go -- GO.

Posted by: Rocket at 04/09/08 6:58 PM | Reply
Score = 1

A perfect drinking game for the room would be either to drink every time someone says, "don't worry about it," or every time johnny laughs his little laugh. :D

Posted by: Addison at 01/31/09 1:57 PM | Reply
Score = 1