On Friday night I had the pleasure of attending the Glasgow premiere of the cult classic shitfest that is The Room, Tommy Wiseau’s masterwork and the oft-proclaimed Citizen Kane of bad movies.
I was aware of the madness that surrounds the film, and managed to get a hold of a copy beforehand, but decided to hold back from watching it. I wanted my cinema experience to be pure and undiluted because, as wikipedia puts it:
“Fans interact with the film in a similar fashion to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Audience members dress up as their favorite characters, throw plastic spoons at the movie screen (a reference to unexplained framed photos of cutlery often seen in the background), toss footballs to each other from short distances, and yell insulting comments and criticisms about the quality of the film.”
This being Glasgow however, I was not sure how this would play out. I did however check out the myraid clips on youtube, and familiarised myself with the most epic lines so I could shout along at will if the moment took me. And boy, I’m glad I did. The screening resembled a frat party rather than a film. Upon arriving at the GFT (the best cinema in Glasgow, as I’m sure you already know) I was shocked to see the line was right out the front door. The excitement was palpable, with beers being passed back and forth and favourite lines being yelled at one another. We were given Audience Participation Guides to aid our enjoyment:
We took our seats and the madness began.
I feel as if I cannot claim to review this film, as the combination of much alcohol and the giddy feeling of shouting at a screen and throwing spoons rendered any objectivity moot. I had an absolute blast. At certain points, the film was abandoned altogether and an American football was launched around the crowd, and punters took it upon themselves to begin random spoon fights and shout nonsensical gibberish. All I will say about the film is that it lends itself well to this kind of screening. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun in a picture house.
If you get the chance to see this film anywhere, please do it. But come prepared: bring a sense of humour, beer and of course spoons. You won’t be sorry. And If you are not convinced you would fork out your hard-earned to see a film of such magnificent arse, then take a look at this. Make sure to pay particular attention to the quotes from no particular source: “It’s the best movie of the year…”:
Try and tell me that doesn’t look incredible.
