Tommy Wiseau is the Joker We Need
Every once and awhile, the internet graces us with something memorable and beautiful. Things I think of when talking about this are, "Chocolate Rain", the monkey cleaning the cat video, Will Hung from "American Idol", "Pants on the Ground" guy from "American Idol". You know, things that are funny, not mean and everybody knows about. Yesterday I think I found another video that falls into this category.
I am a big time fan of the cult classic "The Room". I fully believe it is the worst best movie ever made. I also feel like Tommy Wiseau, with a little push from his buddy Greg Sestero, has bought into the lure of this movie. It is a midnight staple. People, myself included, have seen the movie multiple times, by our own free will. I can pretty much recite the entire movie. I have been to a midnight showing. "The Room" spawned the excellent book, "The Disaster Artist", which was then turned into a critically acclaimed, excellent feature length movie. "The Room", Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero have seemed to figure out how to strike while the iron is hot. Wiseau has done this with his internet show, acting in film students movies, taking horrible small roles in bad movies and showing up to midnight screenings of his movie. Sestero wrote a book, also shows up to midnight screenings, became a stage actor and had bit parts here and there on TV, all due to "The Room". But yesterday, the day before the release of their newest movie, "Best F(R)iends", which I really want to see now, they both released a video that was one of the best things I have seen on the internet in quite some time.
I know that most of you, if you are familiar with Wiseau, know that he released his "audition tape" to play the Joker in the new movie that is coming out. We all knew he wasn't going to get the part, but that didn't stop him. That video is one of the weirdest, and funniest things o have seen. But what I saw yesterday totally took over. Sestero and Wiseau recreated the famous interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker from "The Dark Knight". That scene, between Bale and Ledger, is one of the best scenes in movie history. It is wrought and frightening and exposing and just perfect in every possible way. That is a scene I always go back to when I want to see great acting. Well, Sestero and Wiseau did it, and it is insane. Wiseau plays the Joker, obviously, and Sestero, he's Batman.
First lets talk quickly about Sestero. He is an okay actor. He can deliver lines and it seems fine. But, he has a very monotone way about performing, and that comes across big time in this 5 minute video. He delivers some of the lines perfect, but others, it seems forced. I feel like he did this for promotion, and because he cannot say no to Wiseau. He did fine with his impression.
Wiseau on the other hand, he went for it. He was all over the place. He was flubbing lines left and right, but he didn't care, he was having fun. I was both terrified and cracking up during his time on screen. The people that made the video added subtitles for him, and thankfully they did because it was sorely needed. But, again, he went for it. Wiseau seems to be at a point where he gets that he is not a good actor, but he doesn't care. If someone gives him direction, and if it takes 100 takes, he will deliver something memorable, be it good or bad. This video, I found it to be one of the good ones. As I said, he had fun, he went for it and I watched the video three times in a row, simply for his "performance". I loved it, and I am so glad it is in my life. I showed it to my wife, and she thought it was hilarious.
This video is a must watch for all "The Room" and Tommy Wiseau fans out there. It is truly one of a kind, and it should go down as one of the better viral videos ever. It is amazing. Go watch it now if you can.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He and the head editor are working on recreating that famous Judge Reinhold scene from “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. Not THAT scene, the one where he gets fired from his fast food job.
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