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"Room Full of Spoons
is not just a documentary, it is a journey. It is a brilliant
recounting of the emotional roller coaster ride one man went on with a
mysterious stranger named Tommy Wiseau."
For more than a decade, cult film enthusiasts have had a complicated love affair with what many consider to be the worst movie ever made, Tommy Wiseau's The Room. So much fun has been had at public screenings that traditions have been established during viewings that surpass those of even the legendary Rocky Horror Picture Show. RiffTrax has even dedicated two separate MP3 commentaries for the film, as well as featured it during one of their 2015 live events. And while it is an experience unlike anything else you'll have in a movie theater, the mystique of it's creator, the one and only Tommy Wiseau, rivals and almost surpasses the reputation of the film itself.
So
what makes Wiseau such a compelling figure? There have been so many
mysteries surrounding the man, and when pressed for answers, Wiseau
always deflects. One would think that simply asking “where are you
from” ought to be responded to with a simple answer. The film
purportedly cost six million dollars to produce, where did that money
come from? Again, no answers were forthcoming from Wiseau, in fact he
becomes defensive and hostile when the question is put to him.
Tommy's mystique is largely a product of his own actions.
In
2013, Tommy's best friend and co-star, Greg Sestero, wrote and
published his account of the making of The Room,
entitled The Disaster Artist.
This book went a long way to answer many questions about what it was
like to be on the set during the creation of the film, but it left
the questions regarding Wiseau ambiguous and unanswered. This is
where the documentary Room Full of Spoons
takes over. Directed by a long-time fan and one-time friend of
Wiseau, RFoS goes on an extensive journalistic investigations to
finally answer the two biggest mysteries.
As the
documentary's narrative follows the quest for answers, it also gives
us a much deeper insight to the experiences of most of the cast
during production. One of the things you recognize instantly, and is
one of the documentary's biggest strengths, is how absolutely
wonderful these men and women are. Despite the absurdity of
everything going on around them, the cast remain dedicated to putting
on the best performance they can. They were every bit as dedicated to
making the film a success as Wiseau was. All these years later, the
movie is still a huge part of their lives. One would expect them to
be bitter, and understandably so, but they aren't. They have embraced
their status of being a part of something that has brought many
people so much happiness, which has only made the fans love them even
more.
It
also addresses questions regarding specific quirks and themes of the
film. What is up with those highly uncomfortable and lengthy love
scenes with Juliette Daniel? Does Claudette really have breast
cancer? Why does Mark literally attempt to murder Peter, and then
seconds later everything is okay? What's the deal with Denny's
perving on Johnny and Lisa? What was the extent of his relationship
with the drug dealing thug, Chris R? Why are they playing football in
tuxedos? Many of these questions are answered as well as can be
expected, but ultimately we will probably never know all the answers,
if for no other reason than such answers simply do not exist.
The
film also chronicles the journey the director went through from first
being introduced to The Room,
to the setting up of a special screening where he actually meets the
man he has idolized for more than a year, their growing friendship
and promises of future collaborations, including the very documentary
in which this is taking place. But things don't go as planned, and
it's discovered that Tommy's behavior is erratic and his friendships
one-sided. In his quest to achieve higher levels of creative success,
Wiseau leaves behind him a trail of betrayed, one-time friends once
he feels their usefulness to him has run out. He becomes elusive and
somewhat psychotic, many times even going as far as launching smear
campaigns against them, a fate which befell the director of Room
Full of Spoons.
Now
for the big questions. How was the film financed? Who would possibly
six million dollars into a project that nobody would even think would
become as successful as it was? Through following a breadcrumb trail
through legal documents and social media, the definitive answer to
this question has never ever been so close to being uncovered, but
you will have to watch the documentary to find out just how far this
trail led them.
And
THE biggest question of all, who is Tommy Wiseau and where
does he come from? Any time he
is pressed on this topic, Tommy always answered that he is an
American. It is obvious that he has a deep love for this country and
believes it is the place where people can come to make their dreams
come true and you can't really blame him for that because it is true.
I accept his self-identification as an American because I, too, am a
proud and patriotic American. However, it is clear Tommy is not from
around here. So many absurd theories have been bandied about in an
attempt to fill in the missing pieces. But this is where Room
Full of Spoons sets itself apart
from everything else. It doesn't theorize, it provides the answers.
Not just any answer,
but the answers. This
film definitively answers the question of who is Tommy
Wiseau. The answer is,
surprisingly, a very simple one, but again, to know this answer you
must watch the film.
Room Full of Spoons
is not just a documentary, it is a journey. It is a brilliant
recounting of the emotional roller coaster ride one man went on with a
mysterious stranger named Tommy Wiseau. It is, by far, the best told
story through the art of documentary film in the past decade. If you
are a Room fan, this
is absolutely essential to fully comprehend and appreciate what
really happened in California in 2002 and 2003 when this truly
historic film was created. You will not be disappointed, rather you
will walk away feeling inspired to go make your own dreams come true.
SRD's
Rating: 5 Stars out of 5
