“Oh, hai Mark!”
In 2003, a strange independent film opened in just one cinema in LA. At first, it seemed unremarkable, an indie drama about relationships that that on first glance was no different to tens of other low budget features made each year.
However, The Room was far from ordinary.
Now a fully acknowledged cult-classic, The Room is a bizarre, nonsensical movie that is both utterly fascinating and genuinely hilarious. It was written and directed by, and starred the mysterious Tommy Wiseau, an enigmatic figure whose origins have never fully been revealed, and no one is really sure where he got the money to make the film from.
The Room was famously described by Vox as being “like a movie made by an alien who has never seen a movie, but has had movies thoroughly explained to him”. It is full of incoherent dialogue, and stilted acting. Plot points are completely forgotten, and it is littered with bizarre symbolism – like references to chickens and American football – that makes sense only to Wiseau himslef.
Even if you’ve never seen it, you’ve definitely seen the memes. Wiseau’s delivery of lines like “Oh, Hai Mark!” and “Lisa, you’re tearing me apart!” have become iconic on their own.
But, if you’ve somehow never actually seen the whole movie, now is the time. Make yourself comfortable and settle down, as Wiseau has put the whole movie on YouTube, in HD, for free.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-htzzL-JOUg&feature=youtu.be
Wiseau’s co-star Greg Sestero wrote a brilliant book, The Disaster Artist, about his friendship with the star, and the crazy story behind the making of the film – which itself was adapted for the big screen last year, with James Franco playing Wiseau.
Wiseau and Sestero now travel the world attending screenings of the film, where it plays to packed crowds of adoring fans who shout out dialogue along with the movie and even throw things at the screen at certain points.
