The Room (2003) - Analysis

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils movie The Room (2003).

This is one of those posts I didn't plan, but I had to write. In my last post I told about the ritual. To understand somethings audience shouted, you need to know few things about the movie. I could have done this post after watching the movie second time. But because I don't know when it will happen, I will do analysis post right here.

Movie is written, directed, produced and starred by Tommy Wiseau. It is rarely good thing, when same person is doing all that. It is clear that no-one managed to talk any sense to Tommy Wiseau. This is uncensored Tommy Wiseau's love triangle fantasy. Something teenagers dream after their first break up. I am pretty sure this was written after someone dumped Tommy Wiseau. That someone could have been named Lisa or at least something similar.

Main character is named Johnny. Clever. We don't realize it is actually you, Tommy. Johnny is living with his girlfriend Lisa. Johnny is waiting for promotion, but he won't get it, because everyone betrays him. Even without promotion, Johnny is making good money.  He treats Lisa like princess and pays everything for their neighbor Denny. Tommy is always there for his friends and generally all around good guy. He is even the best customer flower shop has. And seems to be only one of the main characters, who has any kind of job.

Mark is Johnny's best friend. He doesn't want to betray Johnny, but Johnny's evil girlfriend Lisa seduces him. Bad dialog and acting make Mark's and Lisa's relationship weird. Mark always says, he doesn't want to do this to Johnny, who is his best friend. Couple seconds after that they are having sex. Like dialog has nothing to do with what actually happens in scene. Or should this show, how men can't control themselves, when evil manipulative women seduce them to do things, they don't want to do. Every time  Lisa and Mark meet follows the same pattern. First mark doesn't want to do it, but Lisa talks him into it. Lisa and Mark meet, when Johnny is at work. Mark seems to be unemployed, since he can be with Johnny or Lisa whenever they want to meet him.

I don't know what Denny should be. Sometimes he is creepy teenager, who loves Lisa. Other times he is "adopted kid" of Johnny and Lisa. One scene hints, he has drug problem, but only in one scene and it is never mentioned again.

Then to those evil females. There are three main female characters in this movie. I start with only one, who is not evil, manipulative or selfish. She is Lisa's friend Michelle. Michelle is introduced, when she and her boyfriend come to Johnny's house to have sex. They have their own keys or door isn't locked. We later learn Michelle is Lisa's friend. Michelle tells Lisa she shouldn't do this to Johnny and she should tell Johnny she doesn't love him any more. Michelle acts like she cares about others. Lisa says Michelle is not angel herself. Maybe because in this movie all women are bad.

Lisa's mother is partly voice of reason and partly manipulative evil woman. Her voice of reason moments are when she says what the audience thinks. She wonders, why all these characters pop in and out the room like they don't have life of their own. Her manipulative side tells, women shouldn't have relationships out of love. They should have relationships that benefits them. Like one, which Lisa is having with Johnny. Johnny is rich enough to give everything to Lisa and Lisa doesn't have to do anything. Mother even tells Lisa couldn't survive by herself with out Johnny.

Lisa is evil, manipulative, lying and selfish girlfriend of Johnny. She feels bored, because Johnny is so good guy. She decides to seduce Mark, because she doesn't love Johnny any more. She want to have everything, because she is a woman. She tells lies, how Johnny hit her, because she is a woman. She lies to Johnny about the baby, because she is a woman and thought it would make things more interesting. She couldn't support herself, because she is a woman. She is no good to any man she meets, because she is a woman and all women in this movie are evil and manipulative. Just like in teenage boy's fantasies after break up.

Teenage angst doesn't end here. Tommy Wiseau want so show, how everyone would regret, what they have done to him, after he has gone. Johnny commits suicide after he learns Lisa has cheated him with his best friend Mark. Mark and Lisa found Johnny's dead body. They realize, what they have done to Johnny.  Mark breaks up with Lisa and doesn't want her in his life anymore. Lisa loses everything. He doesn't have Johnny to pay her bills and no Mark to love. Denny also loses his father figure, who paid his bills. All this because evil woman named Lisa manipulated Mark and cheated Johnny. Johnny just wanted good for everyone, but people around him betrayed him. Everyone lost something, when he died.

This is dark drama The Room was meant to be. Movie doesn't have any intentions to be comedy. But because dialog, acting and directing is so bad, it is pure comedy gold. It kind of feels bad to laugh on serious topic like suicide, but you can't help yourself, because movie is so bad.  But maybe laughing on the idea of suicide making others realize, how much they have done wrong to person committed suicide, makes someone think, showing others by suicide, is not such a good idea.

This wasn't end of career for everyone involved. They done somethings after this movie. Not much, but they have had other roles too. Even Tommy Wiseau. You can find his Tommy Wi-Show from YouTube. Problem with show is, he tries to be funny. He can't be funny, if he tries. He tires to repeat, what made The Room cult classic. The Room was funny, because it was meant to be serious, but was so bad, you can't take it seriously. I think he should do like Ed Wood did and follow his own vision and not care, if others like it or not. That is why Ed Wood's movies are so entertaining.  Yes, he has done other entertaining movies too, not just Plan 9. Tommy Explains It All is more entertaining, because Tommy Wiseau is serious in that web series. He should do only serious stuff. He is such a strange personality, that it will be entertaining or funny.

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