Tommy Invites You Into His Room

From Beck to Woody Allen, some of our most brilliant artists only really hit their stride when they're forced to grapple with break-ups and frustrated love. Add to the list writer/director Tommy Wiseau, and his 2003 instant classic The Room, which casts Wiseau as the All-American-slash-vaguely-Eastern-European everyman torn apart by the realization that his fiancee, Lisa, is cheating on him. Listen for when that happens--it's when Wiseau screams, "You're tearing me apart, Lisa." Where romantic anguish drives some artists to soulful introspection or extra-dry wit, Wiseau's go-to move here is rampant ego indulgence, with long, meaningful shots of his own ass and incongruous plot twists that disappear as abruptly as they're brought up. Not since M. Night Shyamalan has human dialogue sounded so much like it was written by someone from Neptune. Cult-classic so-bad-it's-good midnight movie veterans will know the deal here with The Room, but this weekend at The Inwood, you're in for a real New Year's treat, because Wiseau himself is traveling with the film--and as baffling as the movie itself is, it's nothing like hearing Wiseau descend from the fun-house shrine to himself in his head to explain his work to the rest of us. The film plays at midnight Friday and Saturday night at the Inwood, 5458 West Lovers Lane. Call 214-352-5085 or visit landmarktheatres.com.
Fri., Jan. 7; Sat., Jan. 8, 2011