TIL that 'The Room' is actually a genius film, not just a bad one

Last week at a buddy's place in Austin, he put on The Room and everyone was laughing at how awful it is. But I watched it again on my own three years ago, and I think people miss the point. Sure, the acting is terrible and the script is a mess, but Tommy Wiseau poured his whole heart into it without any Hollywood polish. That raw honesty makes it more entertaining than most big budget flops on purpose. Does anyone else think the hate for it is overdone and it's actually a pure example of outsider art?

3 comments

3 Comments

wright.jesse4d ago

Had a buddy who worked at a tiny theater in Portland that screened The Room once a month. People showed up in full costume, throwing plastic spoons, treating it like a midnight Rocky Horror thing. He swears there's a weird magic to it that you can't fake.

angelas784d ago

Oh man, THAT is EXACTLY what @olivia_hernandez was talking about with The FP! I read this article once about how The Room started as a legit drama but became this weird cult thing because of how sincere it is. Like, you can't fake that level of earnestness. The spoon-throwing and shouting at the screen is just an excuse to be part of something bigger than the movie itself. There's this real shared energy in a crowd that makes even the worst film feel like a masterpiece of weird human effort.

olivia_hernandez4d ago

Honestly, have you ever rewatched a movie with a group versus alone? I had the same thing happen with a weird indie flick called The FP. First time with friends, we tore it apart for being so cheesy and low budget. But then I watched it by myself a year later and realized the director was genuinely trying to make this insane dystopian dance battle movie with heart, not just a joke. It hit different when I wasn't looking for stuff to make fun of, and I actually started rooting for the characters.