Cult classic film, “The Room” (2003), created by Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero, has gained the status from many publications of being the worst film of all time. On Sept. 22, Amherst Cinema held a screening of the infamous movie. In a theater full of Pioneer Valley college students and at least one person dressed up as Wiseau, the event, with live commentary and a Q&A by Greg Sestero himself, was described by Sestero in his introduction as “just a group of friends watching a really great Oscar-nominated film.”
Wiseau’s “The Room” is a film that transcends description. The film centers around well-loved banker Johnny (Tommy Wiseau) and his bored fiancée Lisa (Juliette Danielle) who begins secretly cheating on him with his best friend Mark (Greg Sestero). Resting atop the film’s simple love triangle premise is its triumphant inattention to detail, from the disconnected audio mixing to the obscure dialogue beats. The many inconsistencies of “The Room,” like Lisa’s mother’s casually mentioned and never again referenced cancer diagnosis, are what make it such a gem of the film canon.
These issues would be far less amusing without the actors’ performances that switch from melodramatic to apathetic in the blink of an eye. The film’s unique acting choices are most evident in Wiseau’s character, whose line deliveries have cemented themselves in history for their absurdity and seemingly unintentional comedic timing. Wiseau has become a piece of iconography himself, spawning the comedy film “The Disaster Artist,” based off of Sestero’s behind-the-scenes autobiography, portraying his idiosyncratic processes as a filmmaker.
In his pre-screening introduction and post-screening Q&A, Sestero fed into the intrigue of Wiseau’s character, recounting absurd stories of their friendship, his role as a translator for Wiseau onset, and showcasing his own Tommy Wiseau impression. The adoration of Wiseau was palpable both on the stage and in the audience as their questions highlighted the grandeur of his strangeness. As Sestero explained, viewing “The Room” is “like reading Shakespeare’s greatest work.”
The event was Greg Sestero’s fourth time at Amherst Cinema, programmer George Myers explained after telling his own first-time viewing story. After Sestero’s introduction, the screening began with a 20th anniversary remake made for charity. In this short video, Bob Odenkirk from “Better Call Saul” took on the role of Tommy, praised by Sestero for the craft he brought to this notably craftless character. Sestero also called for an audience performance, bringing to the stage three unplanned participants, one being a Smithie, who Sestero praised, warning newcomers to not expect such good performances in the film.
When the screening began, Sestero joined the audience with a microphone and told various stories, questioning his peculiar credit as Line Producer and explaining the origin of the iconic “Oh, hi Mark” rooftop scene. Closing with an audience Q&A, the interactive special event was suitable both for Wiseau and Sestero fanatics as well as those in need of a speed run of the history of “The Room.”
Nothing says cult classic quite like audience callbacks, proved by the rowdy audience at the screening of “The Room.” Audience participation included quoting iconic lines, welcoming the surrogate son character Denny, yelling at characters for refusing to shut the door and throwing spoons whenever the picture frame of a spoon sits in the backdrop of a scene. Much of the callbacks point out Wiseau’s off-kilter choices, making the screening a riotous communal experience of teasing and celebrating the film.
Towards the end of the Q&A, Greg Sestero, on a stage littered with spoons, said that “Whatever ‘The Room’ is, it brings people so much joy.” The Amherst Cinema screening showcased this legacy.
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