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David Waterman saw The Room for the first at when he was about 6 years old with his siblings who are significantly older than him.
“When I first watched it, I thought it was terrible,” Waterman, a freshman studying media arts and studies, said.
The Room, which was released in 2003, is hailed as one of the worst films ever made. It grossed less than $2,000 in its opening weekend and starred Tommy Wiseau, the man who also wrote, directed and produced it.
That horribly awful movie is considered to be the best of the worst and served as inspiration for an autobiography that was later adapted for the big screen.
Wiseau was the man behind the now cult film. Johnny (Wiseau) lives in San Francisco who finds out his best friend and fiancee are sleeping together.
Just this last year, James Franco wrote, produced and acted in The Disaster Artist, a behind-the-scenes look at the famous bad movie. The Disaster Artist is based on a book, of the same name, that was written by Wiseau’s co-star Greg Sestero.
Freshman Waterman also saw The Disaster Artist, but he didn’t find anything particularly special about it.
“It was a good movie, but it was what I expected from Seth Rogen and James Franco,” he said.
The Disaster Artist was nominated for two Golden Globes, and Franco took home an award for his portrayal as Wiseau.
The Athena Cinema is screening The Disaster Artist with its final screening taking place Thursday. Alexandra Kamody, director of the Athena, heard people talking about the movie and said people didn’t feel they had to see The Room before The Disaster Artist to enjoy it.
“I think people are interested in how things are made and the behind-the-scenes story,” she said.
The Disaster Artist features side-by-side comparisons of remade scenes, and Waterman found them to be “masterful” because of the attention that went into recreating the scenes.
The Room cost $6 million, and no one knows where the money came from. It’s hard to determine how much money The Room made since it was produced because it circulates in theaters across the nation for cult-classic screenings.
However, more money was spent to make The Disaster Artist. Its budget is estimated at $10 million. But the movie made $1.2 million on opening weekend and has grossed more than $20 million worldwide.
With the recent sexual harassment allegations against Franco, Waterman doesn’t believe the film will follow the path of its inspiration and become a cult classic. The film is also well-produced, which doesn’t fit the camp-style cult classics typically take on. The film was made by established actors that know how to make films, Waterman added, and not bad actors who are trying to make a film.
“I’m a first-year film student and I feel like I could make a better movie than The Room, but not make a better movie than The Disaster Artist,” Waterman said.
