Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room” is a film so profoundly terrible that it transcends mere badness to become a cult phenomenon. Dubbed “the Citizen Kane of bad movies,” this 2003 disasterpiece is a bafflingly earnest attempt at drama that fails spectacularly on every conceivable level, yet manages to entertain with its sheer absurdity and unintentional hilarity.

From the very first scene, you know you’re in for something special. The plot, ostensibly about a love triangle between Johnny (played by Wiseau himself), his fiancée Lisa, and his best friend Mark, is so incoherent that it feels like it was pieced together from the remnants of several different scripts. Characters appear and disappear without explanation, subplots are introduced and then abandoned, and dialogue is delivered with all the finesse of a malfunctioning robot attempting Shakespeare.

The writing is a treasure trove of bizarre and inexplicable lines. “Oh hi, Mark,” uttered by Wiseau with a level of disinterest that’s both perplexing and fascinating, has become iconic. The film’s dialogue is peppered with non-sequiturs, awkward phrasing, and outright gibberish that makes it endlessly quotable. It’s as if Wiseau, who wrote the screenplay, has only a tenuous grasp on how humans actually communicate.

Acting in “The Room” defies description. Wiseau’s performance as Johnny is a masterclass in unintentional comedy. His strange accent, coupled with his unique brand of overacting, turns every scene into a surreal experience. The rest of the cast, including Greg Sestero as Mark and Juliette Danielle as Lisa, deliver their lines with a mix of confusion and indifference, creating a perfect storm of wooden performances that only add to the film’s charm.

Cinematography in “The Room” is equally baffling. The film is riddled with continuity errors, bizarre framing choices, and scenes that look like they were lit by someone who has never seen a light bulb before. Yet, these technical missteps add to the overall feel of the movie, making it an accidental masterpiece of bad filmmaking.

Editing in “The Room” is a fever dream. Scenes cut abruptly, often in the middle of dialogue, and transitions are jarring and nonsensical. The sex scenes, in particular, are laughably overlong and awkwardly choreographed, featuring inexplicable close-ups and recycled footage. It’s as if the editor was actively trying to make the film more disjointed and perplexing.

In conclusion, “The Room” is an unmitigated disaster that somehow coalesces into an endlessly entertaining experience. It’s a film that must be seen to be believed, a testament to the power of sheer determination and misguided passion. Wiseau’s magnum opus is not just a movie; it’s a cultural event, a shared experience of communal bewilderment and joy.

Scores (out of 5)

• Directing: 1/5 (but 5/5 for unintentional comedy)
• Writing: 1/5 (but 5/5 for quotability)
• Acting: 1/5 (but 5/5 for sheer entertainment)
• Cinematography: 1/5 (but 5/5 for unintentional artistry)
• Editing: 1/5 (but 5/5 for creating a dreamlike confusion)
• Overall Film: 1/5 and 5/5 (for being a perfect storm of so-bad-it’s-good)

Final Verdict

“The Room” is a gloriously awful cinematic trainwreck that has earned its place in film history as a cult classic. It’s a movie so bad that it’s brilliant, providing endless laughs and a unique viewing experience that defies conventional criticism.