As with any medium, the interpretation and appreciation of film is subjective. Everyone has a favourite movie, but one’s favourite can be another’s most hated. However, a lot of movies are just straight-up bad. I’m not here to tell you that your favourite movies are bad, or that you should feel bad for liking them, and this is not just about my personal opinion on films I find great or horrible.
This is about films which are objectively poorly produced: Cinematography in which the camera goes in and out of focus, acting that would make Roger Ebert roll around in his grave, and editing that could have been done better by children. Despite these issues, bad movies are actually very important in the cultural landscape of film.
Bad movies can actually teach viewers a lot about the film production process.
Knowledge can buildup and make viewers savvier at spotting mistakes. With insight as to why bad films are bad, viewers can better appreciate why good films are good.
Bad movies usually end up opposing their intended tone and become something hilarious. The Room, perhaps the most famous bad movie of all, is a prime example of this. Directed by the bizarre movie mogul Tommy Wiseau, the film was intended to be a serious, tragic romance about a man whose life slowly falls apart. Upon release in 2003, it was panned by critics, but soon after it grew a cult following among moviegoers who were fanatic about the film’s eccentricity and unintentional comedic value.
This fandom has been a popular part of film culture in Ottawa for the past eight years, and The Mayfair theatre in Old Ottawa South has proudly held monthly screenings of the film for the last 87 months.
These events encourage active audience participation –– there are various cues throughout the movie when people can scream, clap or throw plastic spoons.
For whatever reason, there is a framed picture of a spoon in the protagonist’s apartment; whenever it appears on screen, viewers yell “SPOONS!” and throw utensils into the air.
Another cue is a meta-joke –– sometimes the image will blur and prompt the audience to yell “FOCUS!” During any of its numerous arduous love scenes, the audience yells “UNFOCUS!” Wiseau and other co-stars even show up for special visits at the local theatre once in a while.
It’s not just Ottawa: The Room fandom is a North American phenomenon. And earlier this year, local filmmakers Rock Haven Pictures released a documentary about this bad movie’s global cult following: Room Full of Spoons.
Director Rick Harper and his crew shot clips at The Mayfair and also followed the fandom in Toronto, Los Angeles, Washington and other cities across the continent.
The fact that terrible movies like The Room have attracted such fanfare has to say something about their bizarre appeal.
Along with stalking Wiseau around the world, Harper also interviewed the original cast of The Room, as well as some members of its production crew. Their stories paint peculiar pictures that explain the origins of the film’s most notorious scenes and motifs, such as the football throwing that appears throughout.
Other bad films have also been shot in Ottawa. The George Clooney caper Batman & Robin was partly filmed in town, and horror-comedy Decoys was entirely shot here, as well.
Aside from providing laughs years after their release, bad movies have a wonderful ability to bring people together.
While most fandoms unite through their mutual love for a great film, The Room shows the opposite can be true as well. Going to the theatre is all about connecting with other people.
Whether this connection is sparked by a masterpiece or a disaster-piece, just doesn’t matter.