Matchup of the Day: Room vs. The Room

It’s two movies with almost the same title – The Room vs. Room.

Yesterday’s matchup, Warm Bodies vs. Sunset Blvd., paired up two films that wouldn’t normally be thought of as having similarities. The magic of Flickchart is how, through total randomness, such films are brought together, exposing the user to a whole new world of film analysis never before imagined. The truth of the matter is that all motion pictures serve to tell a story or offer a perspective. This is why even the highest of highbrow films can share something in common with the lowest of the lowbrow. Despite differences in the quality of the presentation, they can still have a similar theme or plot or message. One just has to be willing to look.

Sometimes, though, users may not be in the mood for thinking deeply about seemingly disparate matchups. Maybe they just feel like goofing around. In that case, Flickchart can also serve as a silly diversion. I’m sure most Flickchart users, while in the process of ranking, have come across matchups that involve films with amusingly similar or complimentary titles. The actual content doesn’t matter. The titles are simply funny together.

HA! what are the odds?

With similarly titled (but otherwise random) matchups in mind, I chose to write today’s article about Tommy Wiseau’s The Room vs. Room starring Brie Larson. I had already seen The Room, which is widely recognized as one of the greatest “So Bad It’s Good” movies ever made. It comes across as having been created by an individual whose concept of reality was derived from watching Melrose Place reruns to the point of madness. I tend to enjoy stuff like Wiseau’s nutty vision because it offers an alternative from the slick, by-the-numbers Hollywood fare. I knew almost nothing about Room, aside from it being critically acclaimed.

My attempt at a fluff matchup backfired on me, however. Room ended up putting me through the wringer. What it’s about is a young woman who is kept locked in a shed by a man who kidnapped her seven years previous. Her only means of maintaining her sanity through the ordeal is her son, Jack, who lives in the shed with her. Jack’s father, it is eventually revealed, is the kidnapper. Yeah. I was not expecting the emotional rollercoaster ride that Room had in store for me. Brie Larsen and Jacob Tremblay, who plays Jack, are so gut-wrenchingly convincing in the movie that there were times I longed for the comforting absurdity of The Room. I’m not going to lie – I’m a wuss when faced with films that force me to experience certain emotions. Few actually pull it off to the extent that Room did. Part of it may be that I wasn’t aware of what I was getting into, but still. Room tapped into some real feelings of empathy, horror, outrage… the whole gamut.

Room could be compared to a number of other films from Changeling to Bad Boy Bubby to The Poughkeepsie Tapes depending on which angle one is going for. It could even be compared to The Room… no, it’s too soon. There are some films that get to me in such a way that I have to give them some respect. For now I’m just going let Room exist as a singular experience.