The Room (film)
Encyclopedia
The Room is a 2003 independent
drama film starring Tommy Wiseau
, who also wrote, directed, and produced the feature. In addition to Wiseau, the principal cast includes Juliette Danielle
, Greg Sestero
, Philip Haldiman, Kyle Vogt, Carolyn Minnott, and Robyn Paris. Although the film is ostensibly about the melodrama
tic love triangle
between an amiable banker (Wiseau), his fiancée (Danielle), and his conflicted best friend (Sestero), much of the action in the film is actually concerned with a series of unrelated subplot
s involving friends and family of the main characters.
The film has been dubbed "the Citizen Kane
of bad movies" and one of the worst films ever made. Originally only shown in a limited number of California theaters, the film quickly developed a cult following
for the unintentional humor provided by the film's various technical and narrative flaws. Although Wiseau promotes the film as a black comedy
, audiences have generally viewed it as a poorly made drama, a viewpoint supported by some of the film's cast. Within a decade of its premier, the film was selling out showings around the United States
and had inspired a video game, book, and traveling stage show.
) is a successful banker who lives in a lavish San Francisco townhouse with his beautiful fiancee, Lisa (Juliette Danielle
). They share an intense relationship characterized by constant, passionate lovemaking, which appears to occupy a majority of their time. Despite this idyllic existence, Lisa has inexplicably become dissatisfied with her life, and one afternoon confides to her best friend Michelle (Robyn Paris) and her mother Claudette (Carolyn Minnott) that she finds Johnny boring. Although Michelle advises her to be grateful for what she has, and her mother counsels her that financial stability is more important than happiness, Lisa decides to have an affair with Johnny's best friend, Mark (Greg Sestero
). Although he is initially hesitant, Mark ultimately gives in to Lisa's advances, triggering an affair that continues through the remainder of the film, even though Mark appears reluctant at the outset of each sexual encounter and repeatedly tries to break off their relationship. Lisa, meanwhile, having come to the realization that she "wants it all," decides to stay with Johnny for financial support and the material goods he can provide her. As the wedding date approaches and Johnny's clout at his bank slips, Lisa alternates between glorifying and vilifying Johnny to her family and friends, both making false accusations of domestic abuse and defending Johnny against criticisms. Meanwhile, Johnny, having overhead Lisa confess her infidelity to her mother, attaches a tape recorder to their phone in an attempt to identify her lover.
Against the backdrop of Lisa and Mark's affair, numerous subplot
s involving secondary characters begin to develop, which make up the majority of the film: Denny (Phillip Haldiman), a neighboring college student whom Johnny financially supports and "loves like a son," has a mysterious run-in with a drug dealer named Chris-R (Dan Janjigian), whom Johnny and Mark apprehend and take to the police. Denny also lusts after Lisa, ultimately confessing his attraction to Johnny; once Johnny tells Denny that Lisa loves him as her friend, Denny resolves to propose to his girlfriend. Johnny takes on a mysterious client at his bank whose identity he is sworn to protect. Claudette experiences real estate problems, bemoans failed relationships, and informs Lisa that she has breast cancer
. Michelle and her boyfriend, Mike (Mike Holmes), begin breaking into Johnny and Lisa's home to have sex. Peter (Kyle Vogt), a psychologist friend of Johnny's and Mark's, alternates between defending Lisa and assessing her as a psychopath, ultimately resulting in Mark trying to murder him. Each of these subplots receive only brief exposition
, and none are ever resolved.
At Johnny's surprise party, Steven (Greg Ellery), a previously unseen friend of Lisa's and Johnny's, catches Lisa kissing Mark while the rest of the guests are outside. Johnny announces to the guests that Lisa is pregnant, only for Lisa to tell Steven and Michelle that she lied about it in order to "make things interesting." At the end of the evening, Lisa flaunts her affair in front of Johnny, who physically attacks Mark.
After the party, Johnny locks himself in the bathroom, prompting Lisa to make plans to finally leave him for Mark. Johnny finally comes out of the bathroom and retrieves the cassette recorder he attached to the phone, and listens to an intimate call between Lisa and Mark. Claiming that all of his friends have betrayed him, Johnny destroys his apartment and then kills himself with a handgun
. Denny, Mark, and Lisa discover his body sometime later. Mark and Denny blame Lisa for Johnny's death, with Mark declaring he doesn't love Lisa. Denny asks to be left alone with the body, but Lisa and Mark instead decide to stay and comfort one another as the sound of sirens grows louder.
in 2001. Wiseau then adapted the play into a 500-page book, which he was unable to get published. Frustrated, Wiseau decided to adapt the play/novel into a film, which he would then produce himself in order to maintain total control over the project. Wiseau has been secretive about exactly how he obtained the funding for the project, but he did tell Entertainment Weekly
that he made some of the money by importing leather jacket
s from Korea. He eventually amassed $6 million, all of which was spent on production and marketing. Wiseau has claimed that the reason the film was relatively expensive was because many members of the cast and crew had to be replaced, and each of the cast members had several understudies.
According to Greg Ellery, Wiseau came to the Birns and Sawyer film lot, rented a studio
, and bought a "complete Beginning Director package," which included the purchase of a brand new film camera." Wiseau, confused about the differences between 35 mm film
and high-definition video
, decided to shoot the entire film in both formats with two cameras
.
s, yet nearly the entire cast of The Room had never before been in a full-length film. For example, The Room was the first film in which Carolyn Minnott had ever appeared. Greg Sestero, who had been friends with Wiseau for some time before production began, had limited film experience and had only agreed to work with Wiseau as part of the production crew. On the first day of filming, Wiseau fired the actor originally hired to play Mark, and Sestero agreed to fill in. He would later admit to being uncomfortable filming his sex scenes, the reason that he was allowed to keep his jeans on while shooting them.
Greg Ellery has claimed that Juliette Danielle was 18 years old and just "off the bus from Texas" when shooting began; Ellery also claims that on the first day of shooting, "the cast watched in horror" as Wiseau jumped on Danielle and immediately began filming their "love scene". Wiseau has claimed that Danielle was originally one of three or four understudies
for the Lisa character, and was selected after the original actress left the production.
Kyle Vogt, who played Peter, told the production team at the outset of filming that he only had a limited amount of time to dedicate to the project. Not all of his scenes were filmed by the time his schedule ran out, and he left the production despite the fact that Peter was to play a pivotal role in the then-unfilmed climax. His lines in the last half of the film were given to Ellery, whose character is never introduced, explained, or addressed by name.
, one anonymous cast member claimed that the script contained "stuff that was just unsayable. I know it's hard to imagine there was stuff that was worse. But there was." Greg Sestero maintains that Wiseau was adamant characters say their lines the way they were written, but that several cast members managed to slip in ad libs that ended up in the final cut of the film. Wiseau overdubbed many of his own lines for unknown reasons, with the new dialogue not matching up to the movements of his character's mouth.
Much of the dialogue is repetitious, especially that of Johnny, whose speech is partially composed of a series of catchphrases: He begins almost every conversation in the film with the salutation, "Oh, hi!" and ends many conversations by saying "That's the idea." Almost every male character in the film has dialogue discussing Lisa's physical attractiveness, including an unnamed friend of Johnny's whose only line of dialogue in the film is "Lisa looks hot tonight." Additionally, despite the significant amount of dialogue regarding Johnny and Lisa's forthcoming wedding, no character ever uses the words "fiance" or "fiancee", only referring to Johnny as Lisa's "future husband" or Lisa as Johnny's "future wife."
lasted six months. It was mainly shot on a Los Angeles soundstage, but some second-unit
shooting was done in San Francisco. The film employed over 400 people, and Wiseau is credited as an actor, an executive producer
, the writer, producer, and director. Wiseau had a number of problems with his behind-the-camera team, and replaced the entire crew twice. Some people had multiple jobs on the film; for example, in addition to playing the role of Mark, Greg Sestero also worked as a line producer, assistant to Tommy Wiseau, and helped with casting
.
article, veteran script supervisor
Sandy Schklair announced that he now desires credit for directing The Room. Schklair told EW shortly after being hired on as script supervisor, Wiseau became too engrossed with his acting duties to properly direct the film; Schklair claims that Wiseau then asked him to "tell the actors what to do, and yell 'Action' and 'Cut' and tell the cameraman what shots to get." The script supervisor also claims to have had a conversation with Wiseau in which he refused to give up the title of "Director", but asked Schklair to "direct [his] movie." The story is corroborated by at least one of the film's actors, who requested anonymity for the story.
Wiseau has dismissed Schklair's claims: "I will never give this guy credit. He did not direct the movie. He was hired as a script supervisor. If he was my assistant, so be it. But direct? I don’t think so."
music professor Mladen Milicevic
, and also features four R&B
slow jam
s, all of which are only used during the film's many love scene
s. The songs are "I Will" by Jarah Gibson, "Crazy" by Clint Gamboa, "Baby You and Me" by Clint Gamboa with Bell Johnson, and "You're My Rose" by Kitra Williams & Reflection. "You're My Rose" is also reprised during the end credits
. The soundtrack was released by Wiseau's TPW Records on July 27, 2003.
Clint Gamboa would later become a contestant on American Idol
during its 2011 season.
The Portland Mercury
has pointed out that a number of "plot threads are introduced, then instantly abandoned". One of the most notable examples of this is in an early scene, when halfway through a conversation about planning a birthday party for Johnny, Claudette off-handedly tells Lisa: "I got the results of the test back. I definitely have breast cancer." The issue is casually dismissed and never revisited during the rest of the film. In addition, the audience never learns the details surrounding Denny's drug-related debt to Chris-R or what led to their violent confrontation on the roof.
In perhaps the most infamous example, the principal male characters congregate in an alley behind Johnny's apartment to play catch with a football while wearing tuxedos. When Mark arrives, he is revealed to have shaved his beard, and the camera slowly zooms in on his face while dramatic music plays on the soundtrack. Nothing that is said or occurs during the game has any impact on the plot, and no explanation is given for why the men are playing football in tuxedos; the scene ends abruptly with the men deciding to return to Johnny's apartment after Peter trips while trying to catch the ball. Wiseau received enough questions about the scene that he decided to address it on a Q&A segment featured on the DVD release; rather than explaining the scene, though, Wiseau only states that playing football without the proper protective equipment is fun and challenging. Greg Sestero has been questioned about the significance of Mark's shaving, though his only response has been "if only you knew".
The character of Denny has received a great deal of attention from fans for the contrast between his bizarre personality and lack of backstory. Though he is apparently in college, fans have questioned whether he is a fully functioning adult, due to his ignorance of social norms: In the film's opening minutes he jumps into bed with Johnny and Lisa, apparently unaware that they are about to have sex, and tells them, "I just like to watch," seemingly oblivious to the sexual connotations of the statement. When asked about Philip Haldiman's portrayal of Denny, Wiseau stated: "I think he brought a lot stuff. One thing was he's really retarded
a little bit." When asked if Denny was written that way, Wiseau says he did so "Indirectly, so he's confused."
described Wiseau's speaking voice in the film as "Borat trying to do an impression of Christopher Walken
playing a mental patient." The Guardian
called the film a mix of "Tennessee Williams
, Ed Wood and R. Kelly
's Trapped in the Closet
".
The film currently holds an approval rating of 31% on Rotten Tomatoes
, based on 16 reviews.
Fan reaction has been much more positive, as audiences have embraced the film's various flaws, resulting in a cult phenomenon: Since its release, the film has screened, typically at midnight showings, throughout the United States, Canada, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, including once a month showings at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theater in Hollywood. Fans interact with the film in a similar fashion to The Rocky Horror Picture Show
; audience members dress up as their favorite characters, throw plastic spoons (a reference to an unexplained framed photo of a spoon on a table in Johnny's living room), toss footballs
to each other from short distances, and yell insulting comments about the quality of the film as well as lines from the film itself.
, followed by Netflix
in 2009. The Room is notably absent from Blockbuster's list of available films. The Room has not been made available for digital download
.
The DVD's special features include an interview with Wiseau, who is asked questions by an off-screen Greg Sestero
. Wiseau sits directly in front of a fireplace
, with a mantel
cluttered by various props from the film: the candelabra
from Johnny and Lisa's sex scenes, Denny's football, Denny's basketball (from a deleted scene), the red roses Johnny brings to Lisa, and Johnny's clock radio; next to him sits a large framed theatrical poster for the film. Wiseau fails to answer several of the questions, instead offering apparently unintentional non sequiters. Wiseau's dialogue throughout the interview, like in the film, is heavily dubbed.
Among the outtakes included on the DVD is an alternate version of the Chris-R scene, set in a back alley; instead of tossing a football, Denny is playing basketball, and attempts to get the drug dealer to "shoot some H-O-R-S-E" with him to distract him from the debt.
Another bonus feature on the DVD is a more than half hour-long fly on the wall
-style documentary about the making of The Room. The documentary includes no narration, very little dialogue, only one interview (with cast member Carolyn Minnot), and consists largely of clips of the crew preparing to shoot.
In September 2010, Newgrounds
owner Tom Fulp
released a Flash game
tribute, in the form of a 16-bit styled adventure game played entirely from Johnny's point of view. The game's artwork was provided by staff member Jeff "JohnnyUtah" Bandilin, with music by animator Chris O'Neill.
Book
In May 2011, it was announced that Greg Sestero
signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster
to write a book based on his experiences making the film. Sestero will author the book along with Tom Bissell
, who wrote a Harper’s Magazine piece on The Room in 2010. The book is set for publication in January 2013.
Play/Reading
On June 10, 2011, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
presented a live play/reading based on the original script for the movie. Wiseau reprised his role of Johnny and was joined by Greg Sestero playing the role of Mark. The production incorporated improvised scenes, dialogue, and new characters, such as Travis, Claudette's neighbor and lover. On September 16 and 17, 2011, two additional performances of the "The Room: Live" were presented. Most of the same cast reprised their roles. Travis was given a larger part, singing an original song titled "You Are Tearing Me Apart," and a new character, Scott, Denny's friend (originated by Stephen Hock), was added. Wiseau stated that all of the new scenes are canon to The Room mythology.
has run the movie several times since 2009 as part of their April Fool's Day programming.
On June 18, 2009, a RiffTrax
for The Room was released, featuring commentary by Michael J. Nelson
, Bill Corbett
, and Kevin Murphy
of Mystery Science Theater 3000
fame.
On his 2009 DVD, My Weakness is Strong, comedian Patton Oswalt
parodied The Room with a fake infomercial
, playing a character named Alfan Golenpaul that mimicked Wiseau's odd accent and black stringy hair. Golenpaul advises criminals to launder money
in his movies with names like The Hallway, The Kitchen, etc., all of which are shown with the same shadowed font. Oswalt also doctored images of billboards advertising the faux-films, referencing The Rooms well-known Hollywood billboard. The spoof also features a cameo
from Jon Hamm.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
drama film starring Tommy Wiseau
Tommy Wiseau
Tommy Wiseau is a screenwriter, director, producer, executive producer, and actor. He is the founder of the film production company Wiseau Films. Wiseau is best known for his film The Room which has been described as "one of the worst movies ever made" and has gained cult film status...
, who also wrote, directed, and produced the feature. In addition to Wiseau, the principal cast includes Juliette Danielle
Juliette Danielle
Juliette Danielle is an American actress.- The Room :Danielle is best known as the female lead in Tommy Wiseau's cult film The Room in which she plays protagonist Johnny 's scheming future wife, Lisa.The film was initially a notable failure, garnering abysmal reviews and exceedingly low box...
, Greg Sestero
Greg Sestero
Greg Sestero is a French-American actor and model. He is best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film The Room.-Personal life:...
, Philip Haldiman, Kyle Vogt, Carolyn Minnott, and Robyn Paris. Although the film is ostensibly about the melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
tic love triangle
Love triangle
A love triangle is usually a romantic relationship involving three people. While it can refer to two people independently romantically linked with a third, it usually implies that each of the three people has some kind of relationship to the other two...
between an amiable banker (Wiseau), his fiancée (Danielle), and his conflicted best friend (Sestero), much of the action in the film is actually concerned with a series of unrelated subplot
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
s involving friends and family of the main characters.
The film has been dubbed "the Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
of bad movies" and one of the worst films ever made. Originally only shown in a limited number of California theaters, the film quickly developed a cult following
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
for the unintentional humor provided by the film's various technical and narrative flaws. Although Wiseau promotes the film as a black comedy
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
, audiences have generally viewed it as a poorly made drama, a viewpoint supported by some of the film's cast. Within a decade of its premier, the film was selling out showings around the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and had inspired a video game, book, and traveling stage show.
Plot
Johnny (Tommy WiseauTommy Wiseau
Tommy Wiseau is a screenwriter, director, producer, executive producer, and actor. He is the founder of the film production company Wiseau Films. Wiseau is best known for his film The Room which has been described as "one of the worst movies ever made" and has gained cult film status...
) is a successful banker who lives in a lavish San Francisco townhouse with his beautiful fiancee, Lisa (Juliette Danielle
Juliette Danielle
Juliette Danielle is an American actress.- The Room :Danielle is best known as the female lead in Tommy Wiseau's cult film The Room in which she plays protagonist Johnny 's scheming future wife, Lisa.The film was initially a notable failure, garnering abysmal reviews and exceedingly low box...
). They share an intense relationship characterized by constant, passionate lovemaking, which appears to occupy a majority of their time. Despite this idyllic existence, Lisa has inexplicably become dissatisfied with her life, and one afternoon confides to her best friend Michelle (Robyn Paris) and her mother Claudette (Carolyn Minnott) that she finds Johnny boring. Although Michelle advises her to be grateful for what she has, and her mother counsels her that financial stability is more important than happiness, Lisa decides to have an affair with Johnny's best friend, Mark (Greg Sestero
Greg Sestero
Greg Sestero is a French-American actor and model. He is best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film The Room.-Personal life:...
). Although he is initially hesitant, Mark ultimately gives in to Lisa's advances, triggering an affair that continues through the remainder of the film, even though Mark appears reluctant at the outset of each sexual encounter and repeatedly tries to break off their relationship. Lisa, meanwhile, having come to the realization that she "wants it all," decides to stay with Johnny for financial support and the material goods he can provide her. As the wedding date approaches and Johnny's clout at his bank slips, Lisa alternates between glorifying and vilifying Johnny to her family and friends, both making false accusations of domestic abuse and defending Johnny against criticisms. Meanwhile, Johnny, having overhead Lisa confess her infidelity to her mother, attaches a tape recorder to their phone in an attempt to identify her lover.
Against the backdrop of Lisa and Mark's affair, numerous subplot
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
s involving secondary characters begin to develop, which make up the majority of the film: Denny (Phillip Haldiman), a neighboring college student whom Johnny financially supports and "loves like a son," has a mysterious run-in with a drug dealer named Chris-R (Dan Janjigian), whom Johnny and Mark apprehend and take to the police. Denny also lusts after Lisa, ultimately confessing his attraction to Johnny; once Johnny tells Denny that Lisa loves him as her friend, Denny resolves to propose to his girlfriend. Johnny takes on a mysterious client at his bank whose identity he is sworn to protect. Claudette experiences real estate problems, bemoans failed relationships, and informs Lisa that she has breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. Michelle and her boyfriend, Mike (Mike Holmes), begin breaking into Johnny and Lisa's home to have sex. Peter (Kyle Vogt), a psychologist friend of Johnny's and Mark's, alternates between defending Lisa and assessing her as a psychopath, ultimately resulting in Mark trying to murder him. Each of these subplots receive only brief exposition
Exposition
Exposition may refer to:*Exposition *Exposition *Trade fair*Exposition , the debut album by the band Wax on Radio...
, and none are ever resolved.
At Johnny's surprise party, Steven (Greg Ellery), a previously unseen friend of Lisa's and Johnny's, catches Lisa kissing Mark while the rest of the guests are outside. Johnny announces to the guests that Lisa is pregnant, only for Lisa to tell Steven and Michelle that she lied about it in order to "make things interesting." At the end of the evening, Lisa flaunts her affair in front of Johnny, who physically attacks Mark.
After the party, Johnny locks himself in the bathroom, prompting Lisa to make plans to finally leave him for Mark. Johnny finally comes out of the bathroom and retrieves the cassette recorder he attached to the phone, and listens to an intimate call between Lisa and Mark. Claiming that all of his friends have betrayed him, Johnny destroys his apartment and then kills himself with a handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
. Denny, Mark, and Lisa discover his body sometime later. Mark and Denny blame Lisa for Johnny's death, with Mark declaring he doesn't love Lisa. Denny asks to be left alone with the body, but Lisa and Mark instead decide to stay and comfort one another as the sound of sirens grows louder.
Cast
- Tommy WiseauTommy WiseauTommy Wiseau is a screenwriter, director, producer, executive producer, and actor. He is the founder of the film production company Wiseau Films. Wiseau is best known for his film The Room which has been described as "one of the worst movies ever made" and has gained cult film status...
as Johnny - Juliette DanielleJuliette DanielleJuliette Danielle is an American actress.- The Room :Danielle is best known as the female lead in Tommy Wiseau's cult film The Room in which she plays protagonist Johnny 's scheming future wife, Lisa.The film was initially a notable failure, garnering abysmal reviews and exceedingly low box...
as Lisa - Greg SesteroGreg SesteroGreg Sestero is a French-American actor and model. He is best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film The Room.-Personal life:...
as Mark - Phillip Haldiman as Denny
- Carolyn Minnott as Claudette
- Robyn Paris as Michelle
- Mike Holmes as Mike
- Dan Janjigian as Chris-R
- Kyle Vogt as Peter
- Greg Ellery as Steven
Production
The Room originated as a play, completed by Tommy WiseauTommy Wiseau
Tommy Wiseau is a screenwriter, director, producer, executive producer, and actor. He is the founder of the film production company Wiseau Films. Wiseau is best known for his film The Room which has been described as "one of the worst movies ever made" and has gained cult film status...
in 2001. Wiseau then adapted the play into a 500-page book, which he was unable to get published. Frustrated, Wiseau decided to adapt the play/novel into a film, which he would then produce himself in order to maintain total control over the project. Wiseau has been secretive about exactly how he obtained the funding for the project, but he did tell Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
that he made some of the money by importing leather jacket
Leather jacket
A leather jacket is a type of clothing—a jacket-length coat—usually worn on top of other apparel, and made from the tanned hide of various animals. The leather material is typically dyed black, or various shades of brown, but a wide range of colors is possible...
s from Korea. He eventually amassed $6 million, all of which was spent on production and marketing. Wiseau has claimed that the reason the film was relatively expensive was because many members of the cast and crew had to be replaced, and each of the cast members had several understudies.
According to Greg Ellery, Wiseau came to the Birns and Sawyer film lot, rented a studio
Sound stage
In common usage, a sound stage is a soundproof, hangar-like structure, building, or room, used for the production of theatrical filmmaking and television production, usually located on a secure movie studio property.-Overview:...
, and bought a "complete Beginning Director package," which included the purchase of a brand new film camera." Wiseau, confused about the differences between 35 mm film
35 mm film
35 mm film is the film gauge most commonly used for chemical still photography and motion pictures. The name of the gauge refers to the width of the photographic film, which consists of strips 35 millimeters in width...
and high-definition video
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
, decided to shoot the entire film in both formats with two cameras
Movie camera
The movie camera is a type of photographic camera which takes a rapid sequence of photographs on strips of film which was very popular for private use in the last century until its successor, the video camera, replaced it...
.
Casting
Wiseau has claimed in many interviews that while casting the film, he selected his group of actors from amongst "thousands" of head shotHead shot
A head shot is a photographic technique where the focus of the photograph is a person's face. Headshot is essentially the same as portrait. However, headshot is an image that portrays people as they are and is more of a "mug shot", however simple or stylized it might be. Whereas, a portrait will...
s, yet nearly the entire cast of The Room had never before been in a full-length film. For example, The Room was the first film in which Carolyn Minnott had ever appeared. Greg Sestero, who had been friends with Wiseau for some time before production began, had limited film experience and had only agreed to work with Wiseau as part of the production crew. On the first day of filming, Wiseau fired the actor originally hired to play Mark, and Sestero agreed to fill in. He would later admit to being uncomfortable filming his sex scenes, the reason that he was allowed to keep his jeans on while shooting them.
Greg Ellery has claimed that Juliette Danielle was 18 years old and just "off the bus from Texas" when shooting began; Ellery also claims that on the first day of shooting, "the cast watched in horror" as Wiseau jumped on Danielle and immediately began filming their "love scene". Wiseau has claimed that Danielle was originally one of three or four understudies
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
for the Lisa character, and was selected after the original actress left the production.
Kyle Vogt, who played Peter, told the production team at the outset of filming that he only had a limited amount of time to dedicate to the project. Not all of his scenes were filmed by the time his schedule ran out, and he left the production despite the fact that Peter was to play a pivotal role in the then-unfilmed climax. His lines in the last half of the film were given to Ellery, whose character is never introduced, explained, or addressed by name.
Script
The original script was significantly longer than the one used during filming, and featured a series of lengthy monologues; it was edited on-set by the cast and script-supervisor, who found much of the dialogue incomprehensible. Speaking to Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, one anonymous cast member claimed that the script contained "stuff that was just unsayable. I know it's hard to imagine there was stuff that was worse. But there was." Greg Sestero maintains that Wiseau was adamant characters say their lines the way they were written, but that several cast members managed to slip in ad libs that ended up in the final cut of the film. Wiseau overdubbed many of his own lines for unknown reasons, with the new dialogue not matching up to the movements of his character's mouth.
Much of the dialogue is repetitious, especially that of Johnny, whose speech is partially composed of a series of catchphrases: He begins almost every conversation in the film with the salutation, "Oh, hi!" and ends many conversations by saying "That's the idea." Almost every male character in the film has dialogue discussing Lisa's physical attractiveness, including an unnamed friend of Johnny's whose only line of dialogue in the film is "Lisa looks hot tonight." Additionally, despite the significant amount of dialogue regarding Johnny and Lisa's forthcoming wedding, no character ever uses the words "fiance" or "fiancee", only referring to Johnny as Lisa's "future husband" or Lisa as Johnny's "future wife."
Filming
Principal photographyPrincipal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
lasted six months. It was mainly shot on a Los Angeles soundstage, but some second-unit
Second unit
In film, the second unit is a team that shoots subsidiary footage for a motion picture. Its work is distinct from that of the first unit, which shoots all scenes involving principal actors...
shooting was done in San Francisco. The film employed over 400 people, and Wiseau is credited as an actor, an executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, the writer, producer, and director. Wiseau had a number of problems with his behind-the-camera team, and replaced the entire crew twice. Some people had multiple jobs on the film; for example, in addition to playing the role of Mark, Greg Sestero also worked as a line producer, assistant to Tommy Wiseau, and helped with casting
Casting (performing arts)
In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
.
Directorial credit dispute
In a February 14, 2011 Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
article, veteran script supervisor
Script supervisor
A script supervisor is a member of a film crew responsible for maintaining the motion picture's internal continuity and for recording the production unit's daily progress in shooting the film's screenplay...
Sandy Schklair announced that he now desires credit for directing The Room. Schklair told EW shortly after being hired on as script supervisor, Wiseau became too engrossed with his acting duties to properly direct the film; Schklair claims that Wiseau then asked him to "tell the actors what to do, and yell 'Action' and 'Cut' and tell the cameraman what shots to get." The script supervisor also claims to have had a conversation with Wiseau in which he refused to give up the title of "Director", but asked Schklair to "direct [his] movie." The story is corroborated by at least one of the film's actors, who requested anonymity for the story.
Wiseau has dismissed Schklair's claims: "I will never give this guy credit. He did not direct the movie. He was hired as a script supervisor. If he was my assistant, so be it. But direct? I don’t think so."
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was written by Loyola Marymount UniversityLoyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
music professor Mladen Milicevic
Mladen Milicevic
Mladen Milicevic is a composer of experimental music, sound installations, and film music. He is a Professor and the Chair of the at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles....
, and also features four R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
slow jam
Slow jam
A slow jam an umbrella term for music with R&B and Soul influences. Slow jams are commonly R&B ballads or down tempo songs. The term is most commonly reserved for soft-sounding songs with heavily emotional or romantic lyrical content. This definition has led to intense debate over whether...
s, all of which are only used during the film's many love scene
Sex in film
Sex in film refers to the presentation in motion pictures of sexuality and sex acts, including love scenes. Sex scenes have been depicted in film since the silent era of cinematography. Many actors and actresses have exposed parts of their bodies or dressed and behaved in ways considered sexually...
s. The songs are "I Will" by Jarah Gibson, "Crazy" by Clint Gamboa, "Baby You and Me" by Clint Gamboa with Bell Johnson, and "You're My Rose" by Kitra Williams & Reflection. "You're My Rose" is also reprised during the end credits
Closing credits
Closing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
. The soundtrack was released by Wiseau's TPW Records on July 27, 2003.
Clint Gamboa would later become a contestant on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
during its 2011 season.
Inconsistencies and narrative flaws
While the film is rife with continuity errors and many other major cinematic drawbacks, there are several plots, subplots and character details whose inconsistencies have been noted by critics and audiences.The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury
The Portland Mercury is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Portland, Oregon. It serves to chronicle the ever-changing Portland music scene, and generally includes interviews, commentaries, reviews, and concert dates...
has pointed out that a number of "plot threads are introduced, then instantly abandoned". One of the most notable examples of this is in an early scene, when halfway through a conversation about planning a birthday party for Johnny, Claudette off-handedly tells Lisa: "I got the results of the test back. I definitely have breast cancer." The issue is casually dismissed and never revisited during the rest of the film. In addition, the audience never learns the details surrounding Denny's drug-related debt to Chris-R or what led to their violent confrontation on the roof.
In perhaps the most infamous example, the principal male characters congregate in an alley behind Johnny's apartment to play catch with a football while wearing tuxedos. When Mark arrives, he is revealed to have shaved his beard, and the camera slowly zooms in on his face while dramatic music plays on the soundtrack. Nothing that is said or occurs during the game has any impact on the plot, and no explanation is given for why the men are playing football in tuxedos; the scene ends abruptly with the men deciding to return to Johnny's apartment after Peter trips while trying to catch the ball. Wiseau received enough questions about the scene that he decided to address it on a Q&A segment featured on the DVD release; rather than explaining the scene, though, Wiseau only states that playing football without the proper protective equipment is fun and challenging. Greg Sestero has been questioned about the significance of Mark's shaving, though his only response has been "if only you knew".
The character of Denny has received a great deal of attention from fans for the contrast between his bizarre personality and lack of backstory. Though he is apparently in college, fans have questioned whether he is a fully functioning adult, due to his ignorance of social norms: In the film's opening minutes he jumps into bed with Johnny and Lisa, apparently unaware that they are about to have sex, and tells them, "I just like to watch," seemingly oblivious to the sexual connotations of the statement. When asked about Philip Haldiman's portrayal of Denny, Wiseau stated: "I think he brought a lot stuff. One thing was he's really retarded
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
a little bit." When asked if Denny was written that way, Wiseau says he did so "Indirectly, so he's confused."
Reception
The film is cited as one of the worst films ever made. Variety, one of the few publications to print a review of The Room during its original release, reported it was "a self-distributed directorial debut so hopelessly amateurish that auds reportedly walked out during its two-week run in July 2003". IFC.comIndependent Film Channel
The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...
described Wiseau's speaking voice in the film as "Borat trying to do an impression of Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
playing a mental patient." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called the film a mix of "Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
, Ed Wood and R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
's Trapped in the Closet
Trapped in the Closet
"Trapped in the Closet" is a series of songs by American contemporary R&B singer R. Kelly. The song set consists of 22 chapters, which were released from 2005 to 2007. The first five chapters of the set are included on his seventh studio album TP.3 Reloaded, with the first chapter being released as...
".
The film currently holds an approval rating of 31% on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 16 reviews.
Fan reaction has been much more positive, as audiences have embraced the film's various flaws, resulting in a cult phenomenon: Since its release, the film has screened, typically at midnight showings, throughout the United States, Canada, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, including once a month showings at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theater in Hollywood. Fans interact with the film in a similar fashion to The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
; audience members dress up as their favorite characters, throw plastic spoons (a reference to an unexplained framed photo of a spoon on a table in Johnny's living room), toss footballs
Football (ball)
A football is an inflated ball used to play one of the various sports known as football.The first balls were made of natural materials, such as an inflated pig bladder, sometimes inside a leather cover...
to each other from short distances, and yell insulting comments about the quality of the film as well as lines from the film itself.
Home media
In December 2005, The Room was released on DVD. It is only available for rental at select video rental shops via direct distribution from Wiseau Films. The first video rental service to carry The Room was GreenCineGreenCine
GreenCine is an online DVD rental service similar to Netflix. Based in San Francisco, California, with its distribution center in the Los Angeles area , it has a collection of over 30,000 titles as well as over 9,000 video on demand titles...
, followed by Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
in 2009. The Room is notably absent from Blockbuster's list of available films. The Room has not been made available for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
.
The DVD's special features include an interview with Wiseau, who is asked questions by an off-screen Greg Sestero
Greg Sestero
Greg Sestero is a French-American actor and model. He is best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film The Room.-Personal life:...
. Wiseau sits directly in front of a fireplace
Fireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
, with a mantel
Fireplace mantel
Fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and can include elaborate designs extending to the ceiling...
cluttered by various props from the film: the candelabra
Candelabra
"Candelabra" is the traditional term for a set of multiple decorative candlesticks, each of which often holds a candle on each of multiple arms or branches connected to a column or pedestal...
from Johnny and Lisa's sex scenes, Denny's football, Denny's basketball (from a deleted scene), the red roses Johnny brings to Lisa, and Johnny's clock radio; next to him sits a large framed theatrical poster for the film. Wiseau fails to answer several of the questions, instead offering apparently unintentional non sequiters. Wiseau's dialogue throughout the interview, like in the film, is heavily dubbed.
Among the outtakes included on the DVD is an alternate version of the Chris-R scene, set in a back alley; instead of tossing a football, Denny is playing basketball, and attempts to get the drug dealer to "shoot some H-O-R-S-E" with him to distract him from the debt.
Another bonus feature on the DVD is a more than half hour-long fly on the wall
Fly on the wall
Fly on the wall is a style of documentary-making used in filmmaking and television production. The name derived from the idea that events are seen candidly, as a fly on a wall might see them...
-style documentary about the making of The Room. The documentary includes no narration, very little dialogue, only one interview (with cast member Carolyn Minnot), and consists largely of clips of the crew preparing to shoot.
Other media
Video gameIn September 2010, Newgrounds
Newgrounds
Newgrounds is an American entertainment and social media website. Founded on July 6, 1995 by Tom Fulp, the site primarily hosts Adobe Flash animations and games, but also features a music-oriented page, along with an art portal...
owner Tom Fulp
Tom Fulp
Thomas Michael "Tom" Fulp is the co-owner of video game company The Behemoth, and the creator and administrator of Newgrounds, a popular website for sharing Flash files...
released a Flash game
Browser game
A browser game is a computer game that is played over the Internet using a web browser. Browser games can be created and run using standard web technologies or browser plug-ins. Browser games include all video game genres and can be single-player or multiplayer...
tribute, in the form of a 16-bit styled adventure game played entirely from Johnny's point of view. The game's artwork was provided by staff member Jeff "JohnnyUtah" Bandilin, with music by animator Chris O'Neill.
Book
In May 2011, it was announced that Greg Sestero
Greg Sestero
Greg Sestero is a French-American actor and model. He is best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film The Room.-Personal life:...
signed a book deal with Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
to write a book based on his experiences making the film. Sestero will author the book along with Tom Bissell
Tom Bissell
Tom Bissell is a journalist, critic, and fiction writer, originally from Escanaba, Michigan and currently based in Portland, Oregon.-Life:...
, who wrote a Harper’s Magazine piece on The Room in 2010. The book is set for publication in January 2013.
Play/Reading
On June 10, 2011, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
AFI Silver
The AFI Silver is a three-screen movie theater complex in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C. in the United States of America. It plays both art-house and mainstream movies...
presented a live play/reading based on the original script for the movie. Wiseau reprised his role of Johnny and was joined by Greg Sestero playing the role of Mark. The production incorporated improvised scenes, dialogue, and new characters, such as Travis, Claudette's neighbor and lover. On September 16 and 17, 2011, two additional performances of the "The Room: Live" were presented. Most of the same cast reprised their roles. Travis was given a larger part, singing an original song titled "You Are Tearing Me Apart," and a new character, Scott, Denny's friend (originated by Stephen Hock), was added. Wiseau stated that all of the new scenes are canon to The Room mythology.
In popular culture
The cable network Adult SwimAdult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
has run the movie several times since 2009 as part of their April Fool's Day programming.
On June 18, 2009, a RiffTrax
RiffTrax
RiffTrax are downloadable audio commentaries featuring comedians Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett heckling films in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a TV show in which Nelson was the head writer, and later the host. The RiffTrax are sold online and delivered by digital...
for The Room was released, featuring commentary by Michael J. Nelson
Michael J. Nelson
Michael John Nelson is a U.S. comedian and writer, most famous for his work on the cult television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's 11-year run, and spent half of that time playing the on-air host, also named Mike Nelson...
, Bill Corbett
Bill Corbett
Bill Corbett is an American writer and performer for television, film and theatre. He was a writer and performer on the cult television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 , for which he voiced the robot Crow T. Robot during the show's later seasons on the Sci Fi Channel and played the character...
, and Kevin Murphy
Kevin Murphy (actor)
Kevin Wagner Murphy is an American actor and writer best known as the voice and puppeteer of Tom Servo on the Peabody Award-winning comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000.- Early career :...
of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
fame.
On his 2009 DVD, My Weakness is Strong, comedian Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt
Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor. He is best known for portraying Spencer Olchin in the popular sitcom The King of Queens, voicing Remy from the film Ratatouille and Thrasher from the Cartoon Network original series Robotomy.-Early life:Oswalt was born...
parodied The Room with a fake infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
, playing a character named Alfan Golenpaul that mimicked Wiseau's odd accent and black stringy hair. Golenpaul advises criminals to launder money
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
in his movies with names like The Hallway, The Kitchen, etc., all of which are shown with the same shadowed font. Oswalt also doctored images of billboards advertising the faux-films, referencing The Rooms well-known Hollywood billboard. The spoof also features a cameo
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
from Jon Hamm.