The Room

For other uses, see The Room.

The Room
Directed by	Tommy Wiseau
Written by	Tommy Wiseau
Produced by	Tommy Wiseau
Starring	Tommy Wiseau Julliette Danielle Greg Sestero Philip Haldiman Carolyn Minnott Robyn Paris
Distributed by	Wiseau-Films
Release date	2003
Running time	99 min
Language	English
Budget	$6,000,000

The Room (2003) is an independent film written, produced, and directed and executive produced by Tommy Wiseau. It is the melodramatic story of a love triangle between a man, his fiancée, and his best friend. The principle cast includes Wiseau, Juliette Danielle, Greg Sestero, Philip Haldiman, Carolyn Minnott, and Robyn Paris. Without any studio support, Wiseau spent over $6 million on production and marketing for the film. After a brief run in Los Angeles, the film went on to develop a cult following in the city, because of its perceived unintentional humor. It continues to have monthly midnight screenings. Wiseau promotes the film as a black comedy and insists that the “unintentional” humor is intentional, although audience members generally doubt this. The movie was aired on April 1st, 2009, as the April Fools Joke on Adult Swim.

Plot

The Room is the story of a love triangle between a kind-hearted man named Johnny (Wiseau), his fiancé Lisa (Danielle), and his best friend Mark (Sestero).

At the beginning of the film, Lisa has become dissatisfied with Johnny, confiding to her best friend Michelle (Paris) and her mother Claudette (Minnott) that she finds him boring. Lisa seduces Mark, and they begin an affair that continues throughout the film, even as Mark more than once tries to break it off.

Lisa stays with Johnny because he is a successful banker who has promised to buy her a house. As the wedding date approaches and Johnny’s clout at his bank slips, Lisa gets closer to leaving Johnny for Mark.

The film has several subplots involving secondary characters. A neighboring college student named Denny (Haldiman) — whom Johnny supports and loves like a son — has a mysterious run-in with a drug dealer and struggles with his attraction to Lisa; Claudette, Lisa's mother, deals with real estate problems, failed relationships, and breast cancer (although she nonchalantly announces she has this condition near the beginning of the film, it's never mentioned again); Michelle’s boyfriend Mike (Mike Holmes) is shamed by Lisa and Claudette walking in on him making out with Michelle in Johnny and Lisa’s living room.

When Lisa throws Johnny a surprise birthday party, she flaunts her affair in front of Johnny, and Johnny and Mark get into not one but two altercations. Johnny has also attached a tape recorder to the telephone, recording an intimate call between his fiancée and Mark. Claiming that he doesn’t have a friend in the world, Johnny locks himself in his bathroom until everyone has left. When he comes out, he destroys his apartment, finds the handgun he took from Denny's drug dealer Chris-R, and commits suicide with a gunshot to the head.

Lisa and Mark discover Johnny’s corpse soon afterwards, and Denny is not far behind. Mark blames Johnny's death on Lisa. Denny blames Johnny’s death on Lisa and Mark, urging them to leave him alone with the corpse, but as the film closes, Lisa and Mark remain with Denny as police sirens grow louder.

Plot holes

While the film is rife with continuity errors and several other minor cinematic drawbacks, there are several plots, subplots and character details whose inconsistencies have troubled and frequently amused audiences. These include:

Claudette's breast cancer Mentioned early on in the film, it quickly becomes a non-issue, with treatment taking second place to her real estate woes and Lisa's relationship.

Is Denny mentally challenged? Though he is apparently in college, it is never quite clear if Denny is a fully functioning adult, mainly due to his ignorance of social norms.

Did Johnny hit Lisa? It remains unclear whether or not Johnny hit Lisa (or when). Either way, it is also unclear how he came to learn that she was spreading this information, fact or fiction, as before Johnny's complaints Lisa is only shown telling her mother.

Denny's drug problem Details are never given about what drugs he uses, if any, nor are any details provided regarding his drug-related debt.

The recorded phone call Early on in the film a suspicious Johnny hooks up what looks like a cassette player c. 1985 to the downstairs telephone. Several days later he retrieves a regular cassette tape, only to have had it record the very last phone call between Lisa and Mark (though, when played back, the cassette tape is not actually moving while the sound plays). Wiseau explained in an interview with LaIst: "You can buy a recorder that records 24/7, and the tape can rewind by itself." So, essentially, it was recording and re-recording over itself and Johnny had excellent timing.

The exact date of the wedding Throughout the film it is 'a month away.' Of course, due to Johnny's suicide, it never takes place. An early scene with the male characters in tuxedos seems to imply a pre-wedding fitting, though this is never explicitly stated.

Was Lisa pregnant? At one point during his birthday party Johnny announces 'We're expecting!' Lisa claims, when asked by Michelle, that she lied to him just to keep things 'interesting.' Yet, later in the film Lisa and Mark discuss whether or not the baby is his or Johnny's. The pregnancy is not mentioned before this point or afterwards.

Johnny's origins Johnny's accent and somewhat drugged or dazed expression are never noted by any on-screen characters.

The meaning of the title It is unclear whether the film's title is in reference to a specific place (most probably the living room, where the majority of the film takes place) or is instead a metaphor for Johnny's mental state or reminiscent of the expression 'No man is an island.' The film's poster, a close-up of Wiseau/Johnny, suggests the latter.

Johnny drinks a second time? Johnny claims that he doesn't drink alcohol, which leads into Lisa persuading him to. After Lisa gets what she wants, her bad intentions are revealed. Lisa tries to convince Johnny, as well as others that he struck her while under the influence. Later, at the birthday party, Johnny is handed a glass of champagne (after "Happy Birthday" is sung), which he sips from.

Characters

Johnny (Tommy Wiseau) Clark Collis writes that Tommy Wiseau, who "plays the cuckolded Johnny," "gives a performance that's both heartfelt and berserk" and compares his howling of the line "You are tearing me apart, Lisa!" with James Dean's similar line in Rebel Without A Cause and Marlon Brando's "Stella!" in A Streetcar Named Desire. Johnny apparently works at a bank and makes his bosses "bundles" by getting clients, but he feels as if he's being used. He was supposed to get a promotion but then didn't. He has several quirks, including unprompted laughter, non sequiturs and leaning back with his hands behind his head. His strong accent is never explained or mentioned, and it is clear that most if not all of Wiseau's lines have been dubbed over in post-production.

Lisa (Juliette Danielle) is Johnny's bride-to-be, with the date of the wedding set for "a month" from practically any scene in the film. Little is known about her except that she works in the "computer business" and hasn't been getting many calls due to its competitiveness. She spends much of the film seducing neighbor Mark and fighting with her visiting mother. She claims not to love Johnny anymore, but oscillates between insulting him behind his back and listing his many, many accomplishments and positive traits. She also tells her mother that Johnny hit her (which he vehemently denies, though it is not clear how he's caught wind of her accusation). While this could very well be a lie, he later pushes her down onto the couch several times. It is implied that Lisa is turning into her mother, a manipulative woman who only looks out for herself. It is also implied several times that Lisa is very, very beautiful and looks good in a red dress.

Mark (Greg Sestero) is Johnny's best friend, as is explicitly stated over a dozen times. The two enjoy jogging and playing sports together. Mark is confused by Lisa's come ons at first, then angry, then sad, then hungry. He is especially torn up over damaging his friendship with Johnny. Sestero's performance has been described as "so wooden that it belongs in the lumber section of Home Depot." About midway through the film he appears in a tuxedo, as do Johnny and several others for an possible fitting, having shaved his beard.

Model-turned-actor Sestero went on to work with Wiseau as a producer and interviewer for the documentary Homeless in America.

Denny (Philip Haldiman) is an orphan who lives in the building. Apparently Johnny moved him in once he turned 18 and pays for his rent while he goes to school. There is some debate over whether or not the character is supposed to have a developmental disability. He tends to come by uninvited and, early on, flings himself onto the bed between Johnny and Lisa as they have a pillow fight. At one point he has a gun pulled on him by a criminal, Chris R, on the rooftop over drug money (what type of drug is never indicated, nor the amount of money or the exact circumstances of the debt), but Chris R is quickly overpowered by Johnny and Mark and no one ever brings it up again. He admits his love for Lisa to Johnny, who tells Denny that Lisa loves him as a friend.

Claudette (Carolyn Minnott) is Lisa's mother. She is a cold, manipulative woman with a string of ex-husbands. Concerned about finances for both herself and her daughter, she encourages Lisa to stay with Johnny and marry him even if she no longer loves him. Claudette cannot conceive of her daughter making it on her own without some financial support from a man. Also, Claudette has breast cancer, apparently having received some test results shortly before visiting her daughter. She does not seem overly concerned, and is assured by her daughter that 'people are being cured all the time.'

Michelle (Robyn Paris) is Lisa's friend and confidant about the affair with Mark. She disapproves, but seems excited by being in on the secret.

Mike (Mike Holmes) is Michelle's boyfriend. He and Michelle enter Johnny and Lisa's apartment at one point to engage in some kinky sex involving a box of chocolates. They are caught by Lisa and her mother. After fleeing the scene, Mike returns to get a book and is handed his boxers by a bemused Claudette and Lisa. Shortly after, Mike recounts this entire scene to Johnny in a kind of detailed verbal flashback. Mark, for unknown reasons, physically assaults Mike after Mike references his own underwear (presumably speaking of his boxers again).

Chris R (Dan Janjigian), a brooding drug dealer who carries a handgun with him.

Peter (Kyle Vogt) is Johnny's friend and a psychologist. He dispenses love advice upon Johnny's request, but is then accused by him of 'playing psychologist.' He is pushed towards the edge of the roof by an angry Mark after calling him out on sleeping with Lisa, whom he calls "a sociopath" who only loves herself. He disappears shortly after falling in an alley while playing football.

Steven (Greg Ellery) is presumably a friend of Johnny and Lisa's as he attends Johnny's surprise birthday party. Despite making his first appearance near the end of the film at the party, he interacts with the other characters as if he's been involved in the story throughout the movie. He discovers Mark and Lisa making out on the couch and confronts Lisa about it, along with Michelle. He is afraid her actions will damage the delicate bond of their circle of friends. He compares the secret he's keeping to "sitting on an atom bomb that's going to explode."

Red-Headed Party Guest is a character who appears only at Johnny's surprise party and speaks a single line, noting the attractiveness of Lisa.

Production

The Room began as a play and a novel by Tommy Wiseau, which he wanted to turn into a film. He tried to get his idea made within the Hollywood system, but he did not succeed, so he wrote the script himself and spent five years developing and fundraising the project independently until he could shoot it himself. The original script was actually much longer than the shooting script and contained numerous wordy monologues and more irrelevant information. The script was heavily edited on set by the script supervisor and the actors.

In pre-production, Wiseau had to decide upon the shooting format of the film. He was confused about the differences between 35 mm film and high-definition video, so he decided to shoot the entire film in both formats with two cameras side-by-side on the same mount. This experiment allowed Wiseau to compare the formats on a large scale, and he plans to use the information that he gathered for a DVD documentary and a book.

Principal photography lasted eight months. It was mainly shot in Los Angeles, but some second-unit shooting was done in San Francisco where the film is set. The film employed over 400 people, and Wiseau is credited as an actor (in the leading role of Johnny), an executive producer, the writer, the producer, and the director.

The film cost $6 million to produce and market.

Settings

The settings of The Room are important to the film. Most of the action takes place in Johnny and Lisa’s living room – a constructed set, which is notable for its red walls, columns in the corners, framed photos of spoons, a television behind a sofa, a sandpainting, and a spiral staircase that leads up to the bedroom. Characters come and go as they please – even when Johnny and Lisa are not home – often staying for such a short period of time that they don’t bother to close the door.

The roof of Johnny and Lisa’s apartment building is also a common meeting place for the characters, because Mark and Denny live in the same building. The rooftop scenes were shot in front of a bluescreen in Los Angeles, and the 360-degree cityscape of San Francisco was digitally composited beyond the ledges of the rooftop set.

Johnny and Lisa's bedroom is also featured prominently, with two extended sex scenes within the movie's first act (one between Johnny and Lisa, one between Lisa and Mark). It consists mainly of a four poster bed and billowy white netting, suggestive of a mid-1990s music video (as is the accompanying music).

Other locations include the outdoor patio (though there is some confusion over whether it extends from the apartment's front door), a local flower shop where Johnny regularly goes to buy roses for Lisa (as is indicated by the shopkeeper), a local ice cream shop, and a small brick alley of some sort where the male characters play a very tight game of catch.

Some second-unit shooting was done in San Francisco. Much of this footage is used as transitions and cutaways, showing Johnny wandering around the city or entering his home. The cable cars, Golden Gate Park, the Roman rotunda of the Palace of Fine Arts, and the same townhouses shown in the opening credits of the sitcom Full House are prominently featured in many shots throughout the film. Most notable of the San Francisco vistas are several very long panning shots of the Golden Gate Bridge. Shooting Locations Map

In addition to the landmarks, San Francisco’s society does not go unacknowledged in The Room. In one scene, Johnny, Mark, and their friend Peter discuss participating in the annual Bay To Breakers footrace. In another scene Mark recalls an unfortunate story of a girl being beaten and ending up in a hospital on Guerrero Street; however, in reality, there is no hospital on Guerrero Street in San Francisco.

Distribution and marketing

In June 2003, The Room debuted with a two-week run at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 Theater on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Wiseau’s production company Wiseau-Films has been responsible for distributing and marketing The Room, which has given the film little theatrical exposure outside of Los Angeles. A billboard for The Room has continued to be a fixture on Highland Avenue in Los Angeles from the time it first opened to when it was taken down in the fall of 2008.

Originally, the film's marketing materials included phrases like "A film with the passion of Tennessee Williams..." As it gained notoriety as a laughably bad film, the line "Experience this quirky new black comedy, it's a riot!" was added.

The Room has also screened in New York City, Miami, Oakland, and Las Vegas. It won the Audience Award at the 2004 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival.

In December 2005, The Room was released for purchase on DVD. It is available for rental only at select video rental shops via direct distribution from Wiseau-Films.

The Room will apparently get its television debut on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block at 12:00 a.m. ET on April 1, 2009, most likely serving as the network's annual April Fools Day joke. It is followed on the Adult Swim schedule by the "Tommy" episode of Tim and Eric, which itself was also directed by Tommy Wiseau.[1]

Cult following

Many people who watch The Room immediately respond to how unintentionally funny it appears to be. According to many Room fans, the quality of the writing, acting, cinematography, set design, and editing all indicate that the film is a vanity piece gone awry – and to the extent of hilarity.

On the last Saturday of every month, there is a midnight (11:55pm, Saturday night) screening at Sunset 5 Theater, where a cult following of about one hundred loyal fans go to 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 at the movie screen, toss footballs to each other from short distances, and yell insulting comments and criticisms about the quality of the film.

Wiseau attends many of the midnight screenings, selling t-shirts, DVDs, and film soundtracks to fans. Before the film begins, he engages the audience with a Q&A session. During the film, he encourages audience participation during screenings, and he claims that he does not get upset about the comments that audience members make. In an interview on the DVD for The Room, Wiseau said, “I’m happy, because I prepared all this stuff, and I wanted people to have a good time [...] When you see The Room, you can yell, you can scream, you can express yourself – that’s the idea.”

Since 2007 the film has screened bi-monthly in Montreal's Centre-Sud neighborhood, at the JC Memorial Theatre and Recreation Centre. There is no admission, and following the screening refreshments are served as viewers are led in a round-robin discussion.

The Room has not yet found a large audience outside of Los Angeles, although a local National Public Radio piece – linked on the Web by the popular blog Boing Boing – has created an increased national interest. The Room is not yet available theatrically or on DVD in the rest of the world, although Wiseau plans to dub it into French and German.

Though not mentioned by name, The Room was referenced on the television show Veronica Mars in the episode "Un-American Graffiti." While walking the hall and tossing a football back and forth, Piz describes the film to Wallace, "It's like the new Rocky Horror. Now at one point, people throw plastic spoons at the screen...you have to check it out. It'll...it'll change your life." Additionally, on the January 30th, 2009 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Veronica Mars actress Kristen Bell (appearing to promote the film Fanboys) mentioned The Room at length and its cult following; host Jimmy Kimmel even held up a DVD copy of The Room during the conversation. Wiseau made an appearance on Adult Swim's sketch comedy show Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! in the episode "Tommy," on March 8, 2009. Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, the titular duo, regularly attend screenings of The Room. The Room was played on Adult Swim for its annual April Fool's Day joke on April 1st, 2009 at midnight, followed by the Tim & Eric episode Tommy. Family Guy, King Of The Hill, and Home Movies ran as scheduled. Adult Swim rated The Room TV-14-DLSV. At random times, the phrase "Do not intentionally reproduce copyrighted material" appeared at the bottom of the Screen. Every Bump read WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS WATCHING?

Wiseau appeared on the March 21, 2009 edition of Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld to discuss the film. He maintained that it was intended as a comedy with various meanings and symbolism.

External links

• Official Site
• The Room at IMDb
• Shooting Locations Map
• Mahalo Daily interview with Tommy Wiseau
• Variety
• Entertainment Weekly article 'The Crazy Cult of The Room'