The inspiration behind last year’s The Disaster Artist return to the film world for the hotly anticipated Best F(r)iends Volume One.
Best F(r)iends Volume One Review
The Room, not to be confused with Room, has become notorious for being one of the worse films ever made. Written, directed, and starring Tommy Wiseau, The Room is an epic mess. Wiseau plays Johnny, a banker (?) who is devoted to his ‘future-wife’ Lisa. Lisa however, sets her sights on Johnny’s best friend Mark (Greg Sestero), and the affair tears Johnny apart. Terrible though it may be, The Room has become a cult phenomena.
Several cinemas around the world, including London’s Prince Charles Cinema, regularly hold sold-out screenings of the film. During these special screenings, audience members are encouraged to quote along, throw plastic spoons, and remind every character to shut the door! Given the popularity of these performances, and Greg and Tommy’s willingness to attend and join in the fun, it’s no surprise that the pair have become cult icons themselves. Their bizarre friendship fuelled Greg to write his first book, The Disaster Artist, which was worked into a film by James and Dave Franco last year.
Now some fifteen years since The Room premiered, Tommy and Greg have reunited for not one, but two new films – Best F(r)iends Volume One and Two. Technically this is just the one story split into two movies, but the return of the duo on-screen has been hotly anticipated by The Room fans for years. Wiseau takes a backseat from directing this time around, letting Justin MacGregor handle the job. It tells the quirky tale of homeless young man Jon (Sestero) who starts working for kooky mortician Harvey (Wiseau). Realising there’s money to be made in the artefacts of the deceased, Jon convinces Harvey to go into business together. Before long though, their friendship and business comes under threat from base human emotions such as greed and envy.
For those hoping for another The Room, I’m sorry to say that Best F(r)iends Volume One is not that. Firstly, the film is actually competently made. This means that no joy can be had from trying to figure out the directors’ motives for doing odd things. It’s so well made from a cinematic viewpoint that in some places the cinematography is even beautiful. This jars with what we expect from people involved with The Room, and also with both the story and acting. Neither of these elements are particularly strong. Written by Greg, and loosely based on a road-trip he took with Tommy early on in their friendship (which featured in his book), the plot just makes no sense whatsoever. You can try and follow the insanity, but the only result will be a painful headache and a slow descent into madness.
Best F(r)iends Volume One Review
The dialogue is pretty awful. During his initial meeting with Jon, Tommy’s character fires a barrage of questions without ever giving Jon a chance to reply. It’s like a child at a nativity play who is so nervous that they rush all their lines. Harvey’s constant rambling results in no dialogue at all for Sestero’s character for the opening fifteen minutes. Once again, having met the pair, Tommy just seems to be playing Tommy. Harvey dresses just like Tommy, talks like Tommy, and for the most part, seems to be behaving just like Tommy. The inability to separate man from character forever pulls the viewer out of the film. You’re constantly aware you are watching a film, one that isn’t really that good. This might have worked for The Room, but sadly lightening has not struck twice here.
MacGregor should be commended; he sneaks in a few cheeky nods to The Room, including a round of catch (this time it’s with a basketball), but without a compelling and cohesive narrative, Best F(r)iends Volume One falls flat. It also ends on a literal cliffhanger, a clear source of frustration for audiences. You’ve sat through one hundred minutes for no pay-off at all. The sudden cut will no doubt be to entice audiences back for Volume Two, but after suffering one hundred plus minutes of brain aching, trying to understand seemingly unconnected events, who would be mad enough to go back?
Devoid of the charm and fun factor of The Room, Best F(r)iends Volume One struggles to capture the audience. The Room encouraged audience participation whereas Best F(r)iends Volume One keeps them alienated and at arm’s length. A disappointing cinematic return for cult cinema’s strangest friends; lightning may not have struck twice, but at least we’ll always have The Room.
Best F(r)iends Volume One review by Kat Hughes, October 2018.
Best F(r)iends Volume One is available worldwide on digital and on-demand now.
