The Roomis an indisputable cult hit starring, written, directed, and produced byTommy Wiseau, and renowned for beingso bad, it’s good. Currentlycelebrating its 20th anniversary,The Roomgarnered the attention of Hollywood A-listers to the extent thatThe Disaster Artist, based on the book written by Wiseau’s co-starGreg Sesteroabout the making of the movie, was created withJames Francodirecting, producing, and playing Wiseau. Steeped in fandom, rumor, and lore, there are many rituals the most dedicated fans can partake in, from an unofficial self-guided tour of the filming locations in San Francisco to throwing spoons at the stage during a screening in honor of the many framed stock pictures of spoons in the film.
For those wanting a Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero reunion,Best F(r)iends: Volume 1(2017) andBest F(r)iends: Volume 2(2018) is the two-part movie to watch. Written, produced, and starring Sestero (following inThe RoomandThe Disaster Artist’s rule of the leading actors having maximum involvement) and directed byJustin MacGregor, this was the first project to feature both actors sinceThe Roomover a decade before. Although this is objectively the more competent movie in terms of plot, direction, and acting, it misses the make-shift charm of Wiseau’s triumphantly chaotic directing and writing, which can be enjoyed again in hisfirst directed movie sinceThe Room, titledBig Shark(2023). The fact that despite being the more cohesively conceived movie of the two,Best F(r)iendsis arguably the less enjoyable one, which prompts the question: what makes a “good” movie? How isBest F(r)iendssimilar toThe Room, but also so different?
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What Is ‘Best F(r)iends’ About?
The twoBest F(r)iendsvolumes center on the eccentric mortician Harvey Lewis (Wiseau) who takes homeless drifter Jon Kortina (Sestero) under his wing when they become business partners. Jon proposes the shady practice of selling the gold teeth taken from the bodies of the deceased at Harvey’s morgue, and after some reluctance, Harvey agrees, resulting in large payouts for the two. Plans go awry, however, when Jon begins to distrust Harvey, leading to trickery, betrayal, a scuffle resulting in Harvey falling off a cliff, and Harvey’s kidnapping of Jon in a betrayal reversal. Labeled as a dark comedy, the extremes to which the pair will go for money, power, and friendship culminates in a shootout in the desert, in a fitting reflection of the volumes' penchant for melodrama.The Room, on the other hand, is far more domestic in its focus, centering on the gross betrayal of Johnny (Wiseau) when his best friend Mark (Sestero) has an affair with his ungrateful girlfriend Lisa (Juliette Danielle). Also smaller in scope in its choice of filming locations,The Roomis mostly filmed on set, with the occasional outdoor shot of Wiseau in San Francisco.
ThatBest F(r)iendshas been divided into two volumes makes one feel that no project featuring the double-act of Wiseau and Sestero can escape some offbeat, slightly madcap element. This is again reflected in the title, which actually rather wittily places parentheses on either side of the “r,” suggesting thatfriends can all too easily become fiends.
Was ‘Best F(r)iends’ Inspired by ‘The Room’?
In many ways,Best F(r)iendsdoes follow some of the same kooky designs asThe Room, and borrows from it, seemingly in homage. Some more obvious similarities include the characters playing around with a basketball, and some dream-like scenes featuring a football, both echoing the numerous football-throwing scenes inThe Room. The dynamic of Wiseau and Sestero’s roles is also largely replicated, with Wiseau’s character supporting Sestero’s, leading to Sestero’s betrayal of Wiseau’s, and Wiseau’s eventual heroism or sacrifice.
Wiseau’s famously odd cadence and intonations are still at play inBest F(r)iends, whereby he often delivers his lines in a strangely sad and soft manner, and the filmtakes this one step further thanThe Roomby having Wiseau sing some surreal little made-up songs. Many ofBest F(r)iends' lines of dialogue are likely purposefully evocative ofThe Room, with “I give you everything!” being reminiscent of “I gave you seven years of my life.” As much ofThe Room’s illogical, unnatural, and awkwardly delivered dialogue issupremely enjoyable to quote, it makes sense that any new Sestero-Wiseau films would want to cash in on this addictively bizarre nugget — from its famous “Hi, doggie!” to “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!”
Is ‘Best F(r)iends’ or ‘The Room’ Better?
It is not possible to categorically say that one movie is better than the other. In terms of competence:Best F(r)iends. In terms of pure enjoyment:The Room. The themes ofBest F(r)iendsare clearer; exploring friendship, trust, betrayal, and what it means to be truly loyal, it poses some genuinely interesting ideas. It also makes great use of Wiseau’s acting, with stronger performances from both Wiseau and Sestero than in their original film together. Furthermore, Wiseau’s eccentric acting style lends itself perfectly to the role of strange mortician Harvey, who lovingly makes celebrity masks for the disfigured visages of his corpses, making it a better fit for Wiseau than the tragic and heroic “everyman” Johnny ofThe Room. He can fully lean into his wholly unique style of physical acting, appearance, and intonation. Finally, with its artful shots and at times beautiful scenery, the cinematography is more impressive thanThe Room’s often amateurish or repetitive scenes, matched with atmospheric musical compositions by none other thanDaniel PlatzmanofImagine Dragons.
However, despite all of its packed (and often far-fetched) action, both volumes ofBest F(r)iendsare often slow-paced, with disposable detail included in scenes. Perhaps it could have been edited more tightly and conceived as a single volume, but it seems appropriate for a film involving Sestero and Wiseau that this unusual and probably unnecessary format was elected. All in all, whereThe Roomis lacking,Best F(r)iendsdelivers, and vice versa. Significantly, it is the unusual scrappy charm ofThe RoomthatBest F(r)iendshas not captured so magnificently.The Roomhas amassed scores of devoted followers, perhaps partly for the reason that if one film is written, produced, directed, and starred in by the same person, it’s impossible not to root for. That Wiseau himself is such a fascinating and enigmatic character just increasesThe Room’s alluring quality, and its haphazard expression of a saga of love and friendship creates many hilarious and memorable scenes. It is just movie magic.
With Sestero writingBest F(r)iendsto give Wiseau a role which would better serve his acting style, these two are clearly an iconic emblem of friendship — the real best friends in any of the stories.
