Story: Johnny (Tommy Wiseau) has a seemingly great life but when his fiancé Lisa begins an affair with his best friend Mark, it all goes tragically downhill.
Judgment: Poor in conception, execution and presentation, this independent drama has become the cult movie of the millennial generation. Venerated by comedy heroes Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, David Cross, and Alec Baldwin, it’s essential viewing for anyone interested in the basics of filmmaking. Best viewed with a group of friends with a slant toward the ironic.
What’s it all mean: Director-writer-star Wiseau remains strangely endearing and charismatic despite the cinematic travesty he’s wrought. The story is so clearly personal that one wonders what kind of relationships he was in – all the women are portrayed as callow, manipulative, irrational narcissists.
Essential scene: The highlights (lowlights?) are too scattershot, but the flower shop stands out for its poorly recorded dialogue and overall inelegance.
