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Friday, March 29, 2024
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WISEAU SERIOUS? - Wiseau wrote, directed, produced and starred in this 2003 film that critics deem the worst film ever made.

Cult classic ‘The Room’ draws fans to E Street Cinema for midnight screening, Q&A with star

Last weekend, E Street Cinema took a break from screening their normal fare of critically acclaimed indie films to show what’s been called “the Citizen Kane of bad movies” — “The Room.”

E Street periodically screens the cult classic, but devotees were treated to a special appearance by the movie’s writer, director, producer and star Tommy Wiseau.

“The Room” is a 2003 film that tells the highly melodramatic story of a love triangle between Wiseau’s character, his wife (Juliette Danielle) and her lover (Greg Sestero). The movie is characterized by its gaping plot holes and abysmal acting coupled with even worse dialogue, along with hilariously bad R&B slow jams that accompany the movie’s multiple sex scenes. Wiseau marketed “The Room” as a “dark comedy,” though it’s uncertain as to whether the movie’s humor is intentional or not. The film is shown at midnight screenings throughout the country, and “Room” buffs have developed their own traditions to accompany the movie’s eccentricities, most famously throwing spoons at the screen in a reference to the framed pictures of cutlery seen in the background of many scenes in the movie.

A man determined to squeeze every cent out of “The Room,” Wiseau took pictures and signed autographs before the screening and gave a characteristically wacky question-and-answer session before the screening. Wiseau, sporting his signature long black hair and sunglasses, declined audience requests to recite Shakespearean sonnets, as he has been known to do during past audience sessions.

In his bizarre Eastern European accent, Wiseau explained that the secret to living a happy life was “seeing ‘The Room’ as much as possible.” But he declined to answer most of the audience’s questions, shaking his head and repeating, “Next question please!” to the crowd’s chagrin. After he sang a warped rendition of “Happy Birthday” and swung a lucky audience member around in his arms, he ran off to the audience’s roars of applause.

As soon as “The Room” started, audience members launched into their commentary, screaming “Where are we?” every time the movie’s introduction showed a shot of San Francisco. The audience’s glee at the movie’s most absurd moments made “The Room” doubly enjoyable, as the crowd heckled Danielle for her un-dyed eyebrows and her mother for her casual and completely inexplicable claim of “definitely” having breast cancer. The theater fell silent to watch Wiseau gloriously stumble through the flower shop scene, erupting into cheers at the end. Two audience members tossed a football whenever the movie’s male characters played a random game of toss, sometimes beaning other unassuming crowd members. And throughout the movie, the crowd launched a constant volley of plastic spoons at the screen.

For “Room” devotees, the midnight screening is a golden chance to scream well-cultivated insults alongside hundreds of other fans. If you’ve never seen the classic of modern cinematic failure, don’t miss your chance to fall victim to the delightfully awful charms of “The Room” next time it comes to E Street.

mmcdermott@theeagleonline.com


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