The Room: Creating Community Through Absurdity
Amidst the gaudy, star-studded advertisement landscape of Hollywood, one billboard stuck out the most between 2003 and 2008. Looking up at the sign, you would meet Tommy Wiseau’s cynical scowl, a phone number to RSVP, and the reason behind it all printed large: The Room.
Released in 2003, The Room follows successful banker Johnny, played by director-writer-producer Tommy Wiseau, as he navigates his fiance Lisa’s affair with his best friend, Mark. Or at least, that was the intent. Within 99 minutes, the film thrashes from football in tuxedos to absurd eroticism to complete dismissals of subplots. At one point, Lisa’s mother reveals a breast cancer diagnosis that is never mentioned again. Even with iconic quotes like “oh, hi Mark” and “you’re tearing me apart, Lisa,” the script remains a cocktail of bizarre sentiments by its characters and perpetual greetings that lead nowhere. There are unsynced voiceovers, unprovoked violence, and spoons. Lots of spoons. All factors considered, The Room received scathing reviews during its release and the title of “one of the worst movies ever made.”
By 2008, it became a word-of-mouth phenomenon amongst celebrities, and two adaptations later, The Room now harbors a cult following that emerged from the reverence of the same qualities that initially repulsed audiences. This shift in reception can be traced to the context of the film’s production provided after its release. Greg Sestero, who plays Mark, released his book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made, recalling the behind-the-scenes events while shooting The Room. When James Franco adapted the book into the film The Disaster Artist in 2017, Tommy Wiseau and his work’s candid weirdness once again became a subject for headlines and social media. The nebulosity of his thick accent and signature look of stringy black hair and sunglasses only furthered the intrigue for a generation accustomed to pristine celebrities who reveal minute details to their followers. The stark contrast of a figure with an unknown age versus the familiarity of unceasing, blue-check Instagram stories strikes a chord for those who prefer the mystery harnessed to fame.
Though The Room’s shift from box office defeat to a worldwide inside joke does not stem from Wiseau’s original intent for a serious film, there is something to say about a community formed through an homage to absurdity. The Room remains unaware of its idiosyncrasies through a cast of characters unfamiliar with the social cues of reality; it exists within a dimension where Mark can threaten to push a man over a ledge and then continue the conversation without acknowledgment of the possible murder attempt. And in an era of Hollywood where films take themselves too seriously or regurgitate pseudo-woke Twitter commentary, The Room’s outright ridiculous nature is a breath of fresh air from that sort of suffocation. Though Wiseau and the film’s self-delusions invited a slew of one-star ratings at its premiere, the same delusions amassed an eclectic community who share regard for unadulterated phantasms. After the release of The Disaster Artist, The Room opened in 600 theaters worldwide for its original cult following and a new generation of admirers. The iconic display of Wiseau’s frivolous oblivion returns to the SLC Theater on April 15th at midnight. Here’s a list of a few classic antics at its screenings:
● Hurling plastic spoons when the camera pans to the framed pictures of spoons in Lisa’s apartment
● Yelling “cause you’re a woman” to react to its blatant sexism
● Mocking Mark’s laugh that he delivers at inappropriate moments
● Vocalizing your repulsion during any of its sex scenes
● Singing along to “You Are My Rose” and lifting one’s phone flashlight
Written by Jasmine Hur
Art by Mia Hernandez
