Is 'The Room' the worst movie ever?

When the opening credits to "The Room" began rolling -- riddled with the name of producer, director, star and writer Tommy Wiseau to the tune of an originally written, overtly dramatic, obscenely catchy score -- International Film Series projectionist Jacob Barreras had no idea what he was in for.

Approximately two hours later, Barreras had a new favorite film that would haunt him forever.

"I watch scenes of it every day," Barreras said.

What must be noted is that "The Room" isn't just any other movie, nor is Barreras part of any normal group of fanboys.

"The Room" is considered the worst movie of all time -- which makes Wiseau the new Ed Wood, his movie the "Citizen Kane" of crap. Locals will get a chance to judge it for themselves this weekend when it shows at midnight at Denver's Esquire Theatre tonight and Saturday.

"The Room," released in 2003, has the classic storyline of adultery and betrayal. It is based around Wiseau's character, Johnny, a successful banker, whose fiancée Lisa is cheating on him with his best friend Mark. Lisa is manipulative, Johnny is the good guy-- and drama and unintentional hilarity ensue.

As fans and critics alike will say, it doesn't

just fail in one way -- it fails in every way. The film was shot on two different cameras -- one high definition and one 35 mm -- and it shows. The dialogue is incredibly awkward, with lines such as, "Leave your stupid comments in your pocket," or, "I did not hit her, I did not! Oh hi, Mark!"

There are major plot points that are entirely abandoned almost seconds after being mentioned -- including a character's potential drug problem and another's breast cancer. The relationships are often stated as opposed to established (for instance, "Johnny's my best friend" is stated at least three times).

The sex scenes are so long that first-time viewers often wonder if they're watching a soft-core porno. Every single aspect of it is absurd -- and that's why people love it.

"It breaks the rules that every film class gives you," Barreras said, "whether it be in a theory course where you look at films critically and analytically or technically -- everything you're not supposed to do, Tommy has done."

Mysterious creator

Wiseau, the film's driving force, is a mysterious figure. No one knows much about him beyond his thick, indiscernible accent. He claims to have once lived in France, but is from Louisiana.

His movie, which was self-distributed, cost approximately $6 million to make. He claims to have gotten the money from a leather jacket import business. His interviews make it seem like he's serious, that intended to make a good film (he actually submitted it to the Academy Awards), and might not fully understand the following behind his movie.

Watching "The Room," however, forces viewers to ask whether it's for real.

"I've always thought, if it's an act, it's better than Andy Kaufman" Barreras said. "I don't think it is. His own idiosyncrasy is the genius."

The fanbase is part of the nation's fastest growing inside joke, attending midnight screenings, making their own merchandise and parodying the movie online.

University of Colorado student Zach Powers has seen "The Room" at least 10 times in past eight months -- perhaps the most times he's ever seen a movie in such a short period of time.

"It's not totally dissimilar from the Schadenfreude of watching someone fall down in a particularly funny way," Powers said. "Seeing failure is one of the oldest kinds of comedy, and a movie that is consistently terrible every few minutes -- there's an exciting, new, unexpected form of disappointment."

Theatrical release

"The Room" was released to limited theaters in Los Angeles in 2003. While it certainly was not a hit by any standards, it did catch the attention of screenwriter Michael Rousselet, who invited his friends to the screenings.

With time, the screenings got more popular and more outrageous. "The Room" now has a monthly midnight showing in Los Angeles. Often Wiseau attends to answer questions, fans dress as characters and the audience throws plastic spoons at the screen every time there is a shot of cutlery.

The showings also gained traction within the comedy community. "The Room" boasts fans such as Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, David Cross, Kristen Bell, Tim Heidecker and Eric Warehiem. Heidecker and Warehiem perhaps gave "The Room" its biggest boost when they had Wiseau on their show, "Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!," as a guest director. Adult Swim, which hosts "Tim and Eric," aired "The Room" last April Fool's Day.

In Barreras' eyes, the hype around "The Room" has revitalized the genre of the midnight movie. Fans show the same enthusiasm about going to "The Room" that they did "Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "Raging Bull."

"The Room," Barreras says, has a quality about it that makes the audience feel as if they are peering into a situation that they are totally removed from, understand completely and can make fun of. While conventional Hollywood cinema makes characters and situations identifiable, Wiseau makes even the most standard interactions and minute characters feel strange and forced.

"Cinema masters do that -- break that identification in some way." Barreras said. "Whether it be Hitchcock's Marion Crane in 'Psycho' or Tommy Wiseau in this film that is strangely beautiful and mysterious in a way that you remember everything about it yet you are talking through out the whole thing."

King of bad movies

While Hitchcock is the king of the horror film, Wiseau is lauded as the new king of the bad movie. However, the art of the bad movie has existed long before "The Room," as shows like "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and movies like "Ed Wood" prove. Powers has always had an affinity for bad movies, but sees "The Room" on a different level than his other favorite, "Troll 2."

"'The Room' is more like someone going for an Oscar while extremely drunk: it has a foggy idea of how these things are supposed to go, attempts to do it, fails miserably, but thinks it did really, really well," Powers said.

So what is it about bad movies that make us watch? Do we just love watching things crash and burn? More than likely we just like to be distracted, and, in the case of "The Room," have a good laugh.

"It's a celebration of total incompetence." Powers said." "We love characters like Homer Simpson, but it's planned incompetence. The real thing, and it being just as funny, is almost more special."

Our love of bad movies seems almost innate. As Johnny in "The Room" says, "You know what they say, 'Love is blind.'"