15 years later, five questions we still need answered from The Room

Gather your spoons; it’s been 15 years since the release of the cinematic masterpiece that is Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. If, somehow, you have missed out on watching this piece of art first-hand, it follows Johnny (Tommy Wiseau), an all-round nice guy, and the decline of his relationship with Lisa (Juliette Danielle) before their wedding. The timeline of the film is almost impossible to explain or understand, and there is a whole host of pointless two-dimensional characters; it is a hoot.

Any good artistic creation leaves its audience with questions, and The Room is no exception. It’s a task to narrow it down, but here are the top five (spoiler-free) questions that still keep me up at night.

1. What happened to Lisa’s mom?

Lisa has a conversation with her mom where her mother reveals that she has a serious health issue. AND IT IS NEVER BROUGHT UP AGAIN. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s REAL serious and literally no one mentions it ever again. Did she undergo treatment? Is she going to? Will her insurance cover it?

2. Has Lisa actually ever ingested any sort of mixed drink before in her life?

Lisa spends a lot of the film drinking wine but in her ploy to get Johnny drunk, she mixes him a drink. Now, no one knows what Lisa’s job is (although I’m 97% sure she doesn’t have one) but she definitely couldn’t be a bartender; a glass of half whiskey and half vodka is not a cocktail in anyone’s book. It’s barely a drink… And I don’t know how Johnny (who apparently doesn’t drink) could drink any of it, never mind the whole glass.

No, Tommy. It doesn't taste good. Stop lying to us.

3. Who’s Elizabeth?

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Denny (Johnny’s sorta-but-not-really adopted son) confesses to Johnny that he thinks he’s in love with Lisa. And then, all of ten seconds later, tells him that he’s in love with Elizabeth and is planning to marry her and have kids with her after he graduates college. She is never mentioned again and we never get to see her! Who is this mystery woman who has stolen Denny’s heart? There are so many random characters with less backstory than her; she should at least get a little screen time.

4. Has Tommy Wiseau ever heard a chicken?

Johnny taunts people for being chickens multiple times in the movie, but the sounds he makes are not the sounds of a chicken at all. Or even the sounds of someone making chicken noises at someone else. Does he know what a chicken sounds like? ... Does he even know what a chicken is?

5. Have they been together for 5 years or 7 years?

Johnny and Lisa don’t actually seem to know how long they’ve been together. Lisa’s mom says five years but Johnny and Lisa argue with each other and say they’ve been together 7 years. HOW LONG HAS THEIR RELATIONSHIP ACTUALLY BEEN?

The Room is one of those films that raises many questions but answers few. But that's just part of its brilliance. However, the question Johnny asks Lisa echoes the question I wish I could ask Tommy Wiseau myself:

DO YOU?

15 years later, five questions we still need answered from The Room

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