I would like to begin this post by saying that if you haven't seen The Room, written by, directed by, produced by, and staring the enigmatically vague Tommy Wiseau (face depicted on the billboard above), I recommend that you do so now.
The movie itself is so astoundingly bad that it circles back on itself and becomes a unique kind of analytical humor, where one might wonder if perhaps the "badness" is actually a tool used to elucidate an even deeper meaning to an otherwise disastrous production.
Here is a classic example.
See how bad it is?
How could someone make a movie that is so bad? And the whole movie is like this.
The movie reportedly cost $6 million to produce, which has led people to theorize that perhaps there is something sinister going on behind the scenes: maybe the movie is some sort of elaborate money-laundering scheme perpetrated by organized crime rings. After all, Wiseau has a mysterious past and a lot of money. Some have speculated that he is some sort of Eastern European mob boss who's been able to create a plausibly deniable front to liquidate his dirty money through leather textiles and the film industry.
I really recommend watching it, because this review will be a lot more relevant.
My approach
I won't be doing a standard review, because this is not a standard movie.
Rather, I will be approaching this review from the perspective that each of the characters is afflicted with a mental or emotional disability, and I will create a psychological profile for each of them that should help explain the insanity of this peace of glorious pandemonium.
The Characters
I'll be covering 6 of the central characters in detail and explain their mental and emotional states, reasons for doing what they do, and motivations in the story.
Their names will be given along with the affliction from which they suffer.
Basically, when you understand that the world of The Room is a kind of mad-house, the story will suddenly assemble itself in a whole new light.
Denny, Mild Retardation (MR)
The strangest thing about Denny, which you don't really realize unless you watch the movie a few times, is that he is actually a full-blown adult. This guy has the personality of a high school freshman and is completely supported by his "friends", couple Johnny and Lisa. They pay for his college, they give him a place to live (presumably for free), they are a constant source of emotional support, and they express such an overblown concern for his well-being that makes one question the nature of their relationship.
Yes, that's an actual clip from the movie.
Denny also seems to have a sexual attraction to Johnny and Lisa as a couple, which is very confusing since they throw it in within the first 10 minutes of the film:
Here is a clip from the movie where Denny was just being assaulted by a drug dealing named Chris R. After the men showed up to pull Chris R to "the jail", this is how his NOT mother and NOT grandmother talk to him. (the thug life part was added by the channel owner)
Here is a symptom of MR
Mild intellectual disability: From birth to age six, these children are able to develop social and communication skills, but their motor skills are slightly impaired. In late adolescence, they can usually read at a sixth-grade level. They are typically able to develop appropriate social skills, and adults can often work and support themselves, though some of these individuals may require assistance during times of social or financial stress.
It appears as though Johnny and Lisa have, in some fucked up way, become caretakers of Denny, who suffers from MR, and are doing the best to treat him as an equal.
Claudette, Pathological Lying
Characteristics of pathological lying include:
- The stories told are usually dazzling or fantastical, but never breach the limits of plausibility, which is key to the pathological liar's tactic. The tales are not a manifestation of delusion or some broader type of psychosis—on confrontation, the teller can admit they are untrue, even if unwillingly.
- The fabricative tendency is chronic. It is not provoked by the immediate situation or social pressure so much as it is an innate trait of the personality. There is some element of dyscontrol present.
- A definitely internal, not an external, motive for the behavior can be discerned clinically: e.g., long-lasting extortion or habitual spousal battery might cause a person to lie repeatedly, without the lying being a pathological symptom.
- The stories told tend toward presenting the liar favorably. The liar "decorates their own person" by telling stories that present them as the hero or the victim. For example, the person might be presented as being fantastically brave, as knowing or being related to many famous people, or as having great power, position, or wealth.
The most famous example of Claudette lying is this scene where she drops a bomb on her daughter, who is clearly aware of her mother's psychological condition and brushes off the lie.
Lisa follows this up with "don't worry about it, everything will be fine", clearly recognizing that this is just another attempt by her mother to position herself as the victim to gain sympathy and support from her and Johnny.
Throughout the movie, Claudette is constantly trying to extort money from Johnny through Lisa, and at one point tries to persuade Lisa to follow through with her engagement to Johnny by saying that she did the same thing with her father, who she admits she never loved.
Peter, Quackery
Peter claims to be a Psychologist. The other characters ask him to "play Psychologist.
I am 99% sure he is NOT a Psychologist.
The advice that Peter gives is convincing enough to an average person that he has no expertise regarding his knowledge of the human mind. His answers to deep personal problems are so generic that one could assume he got his doctorate from a Crackerjak box. Usually, when his friends confide in him, he answers with advice like: "People are people. Sometimes they don't know what they want."
A "quack" is "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to skill, knowledge, or qualifications he or she does not possess; a charlatan." [link]
By the final quarter of the movie, Peter has vanished without a trace. My guess is the authorities caught on to his scheme and he split town without telling anyone.
Although Peter is a fraud who is just taking advantage of a bunch of deranged people, he is at lest not insane and can recognize that he is surrounded by people who should probably be institutionalized, as you can see in this clip:
Mark, IQ 70
Now, low IQ may seem like a similar affliction as Denny's Mild Retardation, but in reality, Mark, rather than suffering from a developmental disorder, is just plain dumb.
Mark is the tall, dark, and handsome "best friend" of Johnny and love interest of Lisa. He is constantly being strung along by Lisa and seems to have no willpower or responsibility. Every time he sleeps with Lisa he goes into fits of anger and frustration, saying things like "Why did you do this to me?!"
Come to think of it, he has no emotional control whatsoever. As we can see here, where he almost throws Peter off a building.
Mark is basically a stupid, good looking giant that can't control his body in any way, whether it's sleeping with his best friends fiance, throwing his other friend off a building, or pushing people around for no reason.
Whenever Mark is asked what he's doing, his response is
Yeah, I'm very busy...
And that's it. We have no idea what this guy does for a living. For all we know, he's a gigolo. At least we know that Johnny works "at The Bank", and Lisa attempted a failed career in "computers". But Mark? Who knows.
Mark also seems to have no idea what's going on, which is why I'm diagnosing him with low IQ. You can play this game yourself when you watch The Room:
- Count how many times Mark says "What are you talking about?" or "What do you mean?"
Lisa, Psychopathy
Psychopathy
sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is traditionally defined as a personality disorder characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, egotistical traits.
Lisa is a Psychopath.
Peter actually diagnoses her as one, which is a rare moment of lucidity for him. But he's totally right.
Her character in The Room is basically a walking diagnostic for psychopathic tendencies:
- She acts like she loves Johnny to his face, but constantly insults him behind his back.
- She uses sex to manipulate everyone.
- She forces Johnny to drink when everyone knows he doesn't drink.
- She manipulates Mark into having sex with her, saying things like "What, don't you love me?" when he is reluctant.
- She shows no concern when her mother says she is dying of breast cancer.
- She confides with her mother that she is only using Johnny for his money.
- She has no empathy for what her actions do to Johnny, and emphatically states on several occasions that she doesn't care.
- She lies to Johnny that she is pregnant with his kid.
- Then lies to Mark about it.
- She is only concerned with what she wants to do, and states that if Mark can't satisfy her needs, she'll just drop him and move on to someone that will.
This video actually compiles a good amount of clips that demonstrates her condition. Just try to ignore the music.
She is a manipulative, violent, compassionless, egotistical psychotic mess of a person.
A pivotal part of the movie is when Lisa lies about Johnny hitting her, which illicits this famous reaction from Johnny:
What raw emotion!
Johnny, Bipolar Disorder and Substance Abuse
By all accounts, Johnny is what's known as a "Good Man", and a pillar of the community who is too good a person to push back against those who abuse him. Here is a clip demonstrating how Johnny is perceived by the community:
Johnny struggles with his bipolar disorder, and is seen constantly flipping moods from extreme frustration to collected inquisitiveness:
It is my theory that Johnny has never been diagnosed with this disorder, and had been self-medicating with alcohol at some point in the past, which is why it's common knowledge that "Johnny doesn't drink." This also demonstrates what a psycho Lisa is for manipulating him into drinking.
However, I believe that Johnny has given up drink and is secretly doing something else -- hard drugs.
Just look at his face here and tell me he's not on SOMETHING
Johnny is the unfortunate case of a man with an undiagnosed disorder who has been struggling to deal with it by self-medicating through drugs and alcohol, who is surrounded by unsupportive, abusive leeches.
It's no wonder the movie ends the way it does. The Room is a complete mad-house.
What do you think?
Do you agree with this analysis of The Room? How would you interpret the behavior of these characters?
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