This Friday, the first Friday of the month, you can head on over to Metro Cinema to catch a bad movie.
You could see a lot of bad movies this Friday (Gods of Egypt is one of them, according to the reviews), but this bad movie is special. You see, this bad movie is The Room, the “Citizen Kane of bad movies.”
No it’s not the 2015 movie for which Brie Larson just won an Oscar. This one came out in 2003 and is a romantic drama set in San Francisco—and the San Francisco thing is unmistakable. You’ll see.
It wouldn’t be right to spoil the plot of the film for those who have never seen it before, but the basic premise is that love is blind and people are very strange these days. That’s important, but it’s not as important as the remarkably bizarre interactions and dialogue between the characters.
The main character has an obscure, impossible-to-place accent and weird mannerisms, coming off more like an alien in a skin suit than an actual person. It’s not just him, though—everyone, from his fiancée to the strange kid down the hall, act equally strange. And the movie treats it all as if it’s perfect normal.
It’s a hilarious, wonderful movie, and words can’t adequately express how much of a pleasure it is to watch. It’s a cult film that quickly reached equal footing with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, both in reverence and audience participation.
On that note: there are lists that outline the various ways viewers can join in the fun, which you needn’t read before seeing it for the first time—it’s more fun to just sit back and watch, and you’ll catch on quickly. Just be aware that you might accidentally get hit with a plastic utensil or two.
Once you see it, you’ll see it again, and you’ll want to show your friends. It burrows its way into your mind the same way it’s wormed into the social consciousness, and you’ll find yourself part of a growing subset of people who enjoy non-sequiturs and pictures of cutlery.
It will all make sense soon.
The Room plays this Friday (and every first Friday of the month) at Metro Cinema.
