Preface Disclaimer:

Although I have been a fan of movies for many years, because I have never studied them professionally in college, I acknowledge that I do not know everything there is to know about movies.

Being a fan of '90s entertainment, I have been asked frequently whether or not I like movies. I respond with a "yes" while explaining that my favorite types of cinematic works are animated, family-friendly, and fantasy. I honestly do not enjoy watching movies from other categories because they tend to be inappropriate, nonsensical, and truthfully, insane (e.g. Crazy Stupid Love, Bridesmaids, Mean Girls, etc). Because of my personal filtering system, I would never have encountered The Room if I had not watched the Nostalgia Critic reviewing it—that and friends constantly referring to it on social media have persuaded me to watch it; I was blindly convinced that this was one of those movies that was "an enjoyable experience" and a true masterpiece. I was sorely mistaken.

The Room is a movie that has been heralded as one of the best bad movies of the 21st century. Its cheesy acting, quotable dialogue, pointless sex scenes, and strange scene transitions somehow make this movie stick out favorably in the minds of today's movie-loving public. All these ingredients will make the average movie attendee laugh uncontrollably within five minutes (I nearly died). This combination is probably why people are so drawn to The Room. However, these are what support my opinion that The Room is a cinematic nightmare.

From start to finish, the movie is an absolute failure. Even if I did not nearly die laughing in the beginning five to ten minutes, I still would not have understood what was going on. The story is like a presidential debate: it goes all over the place without resolving anything important. At one stage, we are supposed to be engrossed in the romantic affairs of Johnny and Lisa, two of the protagonists. In another, we are introduced to Danny, a friend of Johnny and Lisa, who does little to nothing in the story. Add in a complicated romantic affair, pointless characters, violence, and a shameful product plug (Disney, why?!) and you have got yourself a terrible movie.

I honestly do not know how to express my opinions regarding this movie. I felt unclean, disgusted, and shocked that it ever came to being. Throughout the movie, I frequently groaned and felt sorry that this effort cost $6,000,000. $6,000,000! After I had learned this, my anticipation for the film's horribleness pretty much exploded; I kept thinking, how in the world did this Tommy Wiseau, the director, get the green light to make and distribute this film? Were the producers mentally hazed? I would be prepared to bet everything I own that the careers of the other actors were destroyed as the result of this bomb. Even as I am typing this, I am seriously puzzled and concerned for not only the people who watched it, but also the folks who created this trash. There is nothing worthwhile or enjoyable about it!

We do not need these types of movies to get culturally enriched. Thankfully, we are exposed to a plethora of movies every year that have more substance and emotional connection to the viewing audience.

Another key reason why The Room is a cinematic mess is that there is nothing worthwhile to be gained. After each scene (and I mean literally each setting), I felt empty. I learned nothing important or relevant to real, everyday life, and if I could learn something applicable in supposedly lesser works, like Aladdin or Lion King, then this Tommy Wiseau is clearly doing something wrong. If the viewing audience cannot determine what the film's main message is, then it is wasting its time. If the director does not know what points he wants to get across to his viewers, then he should not have made this in the first place. Yes, The Room is funny here and there, but a few sprinkles of comical dialogue and ridiculous human behavior cannot save it. Nearly having a running time of two hours, I felt as if I were being suffocated due to the uncomfortableness I experienced after each scene.

Now, I am not condemning anybody out there who thinks this is a "so bad, it's good" movie. Everybody has different tastes and I get that; heck, I thought Iron Man 3 was an appropriate conclusion to the Iron Man trilogy. However, when fans start to say that this is a masterpiece, that is where I draw the line. Just because a film is "so bad, it's good" does not make it a masterpiece. A film masterpiece has to be a movie that has made a positive impact on the viewers in the ways they think, behave, act, whether in a physical, emotional, or mental plane. Since The Room is anything but a positive construct (e.g. girl cheats on fiancee with another man and without remorse for her actions, feels justified in them), The Room is a demoralizing piece of entertainment.

I do not recommend this film to anybody. Even if you are tempted to watch this based on the recommendations of a friend, do not waste your time or money. Do not even watch it "illegally" by online streaming. Stay away from this at all costs, and you will come out as a healthy, normally functioning human being.