As The Disaster Artist looms in the view of audiences looking forward to seeing James Franco and his all-star cast taking on the story of what's possibly the best worst movie ever, it's a good time to look back at the film that inspired it all. So naturally, Tommy Wiseau's The Room is a safe target for the Honest Trailer treatment in preparation for The Disaster Artist's arrival. You can see how this modern midnight movie classic fares under such a lethal lens below:
If you couldn't guess, the rundown of The Room's truly awful pedigree basically runs down the entire checklist that has made Wiseau's film a fan participation dream. The random pictures of spoons, Lisa's mother nonchalantly proclaiming she has breast cancer, the gratuitously weird sex scenes... all of it is on display and mocked appropriately. Even the film's endless cavalcade of characters entering scenes, exiting scenes and sometimes doing both in the same shot is pointed out for the audience to see.
Of course, the most damning criticism of The Room is the fact that Tommy Wiseau takes up so much time including moments that do nothing for the film, yet at the same time the film sets up plot lines that go absolutely nowhere. The two biggest offenders in that respect are the previously-mentioned plot point where Lisa's mother announces she has breast cancer, as well as a dramatic drug deal that involves a gun, a rooftop and a rather convincing villain. Both are moments that could have gone somewhere, but sadly were discarded for moments like Tommy buying flowers and Tommy setting up an answering machine to record Lisa and Mark's tryst.
But quite possibly the funniest, yet most accurate description of The Room comes from this very video, courtesy of Screen Junkies, as the film is given the title of "the real life version of [The Producers'] Springtime For Hitler." For a film that should have fallen flat on its face on all accounts, Tommy Wiseau's film definitely lives up to the infamous reputation that such a label would give it. With The Room becoming a popular midnight movie, one of the internet's favorite meme havens and the inspiration for The Disaster Artist itself, the film's legacy quite arguably exceeds its artistic quality.
If you've never seen The Room, you can see how the film has earned its stripes as a bad movie classic. But if you have seen The Room, then it's only going to make you laugh by inspiring memories of the film's various moments of infamy. Either way, if you or someone you know is even thinking of seeing The Disaster Artist, this video is required viewing. The background of the even stranger reality surrounding the actual film's production makes the finished product seem all the nuttier.
The Room is available on DVD, and that's pretty much it. Meanwhile, The Disaster Artist hits New York and Los Angeles this Friday, with a full roll-out coming next week. Or, if you just want to avoid the subject of Tommy Wiseau and his film altogether, you can see what else is coming down the line courtesy of our 2017 release schedule.
