The Room is a 2003 American independent romantic drama film written, directed, and produced by Tommy Wiseau, who also stars in the film alongside Juliette Danielle and Greg Sestero. Set in San Francisco, the film is centred around a melodramatic love triangle between amiable banker Johnny (Wiseau), his deceptive fiancée Lisa (Danielle) and his conflicted best friend Mark (Sestero). The work was reportedly intended to be semi-autobiographical in nature; according to Wiseau, the title alludes to the potential of a room to be the site of both good and bad events. The stage play from which the film is derived was called so due to its events taking place entirely in a single room.
A number of publications have labeled The Room as one of the worst films ever made. An assistant professor of film studies was the first to describe The Room as "the Citizen Kane of bad movies". Originally shown only in a limited number of California theaters, The Room quickly became a cult film due to its reputation of bizarre and unconventional storytelling, technical and narrative issues, and Wiseau's performance being labeled as off-kilter. Although Wiseau has retrospectively described the film as a black comedy, audiences have generally viewed it as a poorly made drama, an opinion shared by some of the cast. Although the film was a box-office bomb, home-media sales and notoriety following its initial release significantly increased its public profile.
The Disaster Artist, Sestero's memoir of the making of The Room, was co-written with Tom Bissell and published in 2013. A film of the same title based on the book, directed by and starring James Franco, was released on December 1, 2017; the book and film received widespread acclaim and numerous award nominations. A remake starring Bob Odenkirk is set to be released in 2023 to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of The Room.
Plot
Johnny is a successful banker who lives in a San Francisco townhouse with his fiancée Lisa, who has become dissatisfied with their relationship. She seduces his best friend, Mark, and the two begin a secret affair. Having overheard Lisa confessing her infidelity to her mother, Johnny attaches a tape recorder to their phone in an attempt to identify her lover by recording their phone conversations.
Johnny and Mark rescue Denny, a neighboring college student whom Johnny financially and emotionally supports, from a run-in with an armed drug dealer, Chris-R. Denny confesses to Johnny that he lusts after Lisa, and though he understands, Johnny encourages him to pursue one of his classmates instead.
When Lisa starts falsely claiming that Johnny has become physically abusive, Johnny spirals into a mental haze and calls upon both Mark and his psychologist friend Peter for guidance. Mark confides to Peter on the rooftop that he feels guilty about his affair. When Peter deduces that the affair is with Lisa, Mark violently confronts him on the roof's edge.
At a surprise birthday party for Johnny, his friend Steven catches Lisa kissing Mark while the other guests are outside and confronts them about the affair. To distract Johnny, Lisa falsely announces that they are expecting a child. At the end of the evening, Lisa and Mark flaunt their affair, leading to a physical altercation between Mark and Johnny, which culminates in Johnny kicking everyone out.
Johnny locks himself in the bathroom in despair and berates Lisa for betraying him, prompting her to call Mark. Johnny retrieves the cassette recorder that he attached to the phone and listens to the intimate call. He has an emotional breakdown, angrily destroying his apartment and committing suicide by shooting himself in the mouth. Lisa tells Mark that they are finally free to be together, but he brushes her off for her callous treatment of Johnny. Together with Denny, they wait with Johnny's body for the police to arrive.
Cast
Production
Development
Tommy Wiseau originally wrote The Room as a play in 2001, after seeing the film The Talented Mr. Ripley. He then adapted the play into a 540-page book, which he was unable to get published. Frustrated, Wiseau instead decided to adapt the play into a film, producing it himself in order to maintain creative control.