c/bad-movie-appreciation

Had to pick between 'The Room' and 'Birdemic' for movie night with friends

Last Friday I had to choose which bad movie to show a group of 5 friends who had never seen either one. I went with 'The Room' because I figured the nonsense plot and Tommy Wiseau's acting would be easier to laugh at. Turns out it was the right call, because everyone was quoting lines like 'You're tearing me apart, Lisa!' for the rest of the night. One friend even brought a plastic spoon to throw at the screen during the awkward sex scenes. But I'm curious, has anyone else had a group that just didn't get the humor of these kinds of movies? What's your go to bad movie for introducing new people to the genre?

Had a weird moment watching 'The Room' with friends last night

I always thought the key to enjoying bad movies was to just laugh at the terrible acting and goofy lines. But during the scene where Tommy Wiseau throws a football in slow motion, my friend pointed out how every character talks like they're in a different movie. That's when it clicked for me. I'd been watching these movies all wrong by not paying attention to the little weird choices that make them special. Has anyone else had a moment where a bad movie suddenly made sense in a new way?

Had the worst movie night planned with Birdemic and the DVD froze 15 minutes in

After hyping up how hilariously bad Birdemic was to my roommates for weeks, the disc froze right as the eagles started attacking and we spent 20 minutes trying to get it working before giving up and just watching YouTube clips on my phone instead, anyone else ever have a legendary bad movie ruined by technical issues?

Watched The Room with friends last Saturday and my girlfriend walked out after 20 minutes saying it was unwatchable

I tried explaining the whole 'it's so bad it's good' thing to her but she just said the acting gave her a headache, has anyone else had someone totally miss the point of a bad movie night?

Remember when I thought Plan 9 From Outer Space was the worst movie ever?

I used to sit through whole B-movie marathons with my buddy Mike at his basement in Cleveland, laughing at everything from giant spiders to awful dubbing. Then I watched The Room for the first time last month and realized there's a whole new level of bad where the director actually thinks he's making art. Has anyone else found a movie so bad it RUINED the old bad movies for you?

I just found out The Room had a budget of 6 million dollars

I was reading the Wikipedia page for The Room last night and that number hit me like a brick. Six million bucks for a movie with green screens that look like they were drawn in MS Paint and acting so stiff it makes a mannequin look lively. I always figured it was some cheap indie flick someone threw together for pocket change. How did that much cash get spent on a film where the football scene goes on forever? Has anyone else dug into the budget of their favorite bad movie and been shocked by the numbers?

Found a gem from 2003 called The Room last weekend

Watched it at a buddy's place in Portland with 6 of us and we couldn't stop laughing. The acting is so stiff it feels like a high school play but with random sex scenes and a football tossing setup. Has anyone else sat through this disaster and actually enjoyed every cringey minute?

Showerthought: Is the 'so bad it's good' thing intentional or just happy accidents?

I was rewatching The Room last Tuesday at my buddy's place in Austin, and we got into this huge debate. Tommy Wiseau says he meant for it to be a serious drama, but literally every scene is a trainwreck - like that rooftop football toss that goes nowhere for 5 minutes. My friend thinks directors like Wiseau or the guy behind Birdemic knew exactly what they were doing and leaned into the badness for cult status. But I say no way, the charm comes from genuine failure, like when the green screen deer in Birdemic is just a clip art png. Which side do y'all lean on - intentional camp or sincere disaster? Has anyone here met a director who copped to faking the bad vibe?

DAE remember when Blockbuster had a whole 'so bad it's good' section?

Back in 2004 I grabbed this movie called 'The Gingerdead Man' from a mom and pop video store in Portland, thinking it was a joke but it ended up being the highlight of my weekend. The acting was so stiff and the plot made zero sense, but me and my buddy were laughing so hard we rewound it twice. Anyone else got a favorite old B-movie they found by accident that still holds up as a fun mess?

TIL that 'The Room' is actually a genius film, not just a bad one

Last week at a buddy's place in Austin, he put on The Room and everyone was laughing at how awful it is. But I watched it again on my own three years ago, and I think people miss the point. Sure, the acting is terrible and the script is a mess, but Tommy Wiseau poured his whole heart into it without any Hollywood polish. That raw honesty makes it more entertaining than most big budget flops on purpose. Does anyone else think the hate for it is overdone and it's actually a pure example of outsider art?

Guy at a garage sale sold me a VHS of 'The Room' for $2

He said it was the worst movie ever made but I had to watch it. I popped it in that night and couldn't stop laughing at the football scene. Has anyone else found a bad movie gem at a random garage sale?

Hit 50 bad movies watched this year and it totally changed my mind on Sharknado

I used to think Sharknado was just dumb for the sake of being dumb. But after watchin 50 of these terrible movies this year, I finally get it. That movie knows exactly what it is and leans in hard. Theres no pretense. Its like a guy at a party who owns being a mess instead of tryin to be cool. The cgi is garbage and the acting is wooden but theres this weird energy to it that most bad movies are missin. Now I see it as a benchmark for fun trash. Anyone else have a bad movie that clicked for you after a certain number of viewings?

Rant: The Room is bad but is it actually a fun watch?

I finally sat through The Room last weekend and I'm torn. On one hand, the acting and writing are a trainwreck, but on the other hand, my buddies and I were laughing the whole time during that football scene. Is it just bad enough to be entertaining, or does it cross into boring territory after the first hour? What's your take on where the line is between so bad it's good and just plain unwatchable?

Just counted and I've watched 'The Room' 37 times now

I hit 37 viewings of The Room last night and I still find new weird background stuff happening in scenes I've seen a hundred times, has anyone else noticed the random football throwing guy appears in like three different places?

Warning: Don't watch Miami Connection with your mom like I did

I grabbed it off the shelf at the pawn shop last weekend for $2 because I heard it was a classic bad movie. Popped it in while my mom was visiting and she sat down halfway through the first fight scene. By the time the ninjas showed up she was asking if this was a joke and I had to explain the whole "it's so bad it's good" thing lmao. The scene with the random motorcycle gang singing and the dude yelling "friends through eternity" had her walking out. Has anyone else accidentally introduced a bad movie to someone who just didn't get the appeal?

Spent 4 hours looking for a movie I saw as a kid, turns out it was just Soldier with Kurt Russell

PSA: That $10 DVD bin at Walmart nearly burned my house down

I grabbed a copy of The Room from a bargain bin last weekend for $10, thought it'd be a laugh for a bad movie night. Popped it in my old player and the disc started wobbling so bad it scratched itself up, then the player started smelling like burnt plastic. The movie itself is hilarious but that cheap disc pressed in some off-label factory in Mexico is not worth the risk. Anyone else run into dud discs from those bins?

Warning: never watch The Room with someone who takes movies seriously

I hit 50 bad movies logged in my notebook last week. Number 47 was The Room with my buddy who studied film in college. Big mistake. He spent the whole time explaining why every scene was technically wrong instead of just enjoying how insane it is. Has anyone else ruined a bad movie night by bringing in the wrong person?

Unpopular opinion: Sharknado 3 is actually the best one to watch with friends

Honestly, I tried to host a bad movie night last Friday and picked the first Sharknado movie. Everyone was bored after 20 minutes because it takes itself sort of seriously at the start. But I switched to Sharknado 3 about halfway through and people were howling at the stupid lines and the CGI that looks like a PS2 cutscene. By the time the guy chainsaws a shark in space, the whole room was dying. Learned that for bad movie nights, you gotta skip the first movie and go straight to the absurd sequels. Anyone else find that later entries in a bad series are way more fun?

Why does nobody talk about that $20 ninja sword from the gas station?

I bought a $20 foam ninja sword from a sketchy gas station in Ohio to entertain myself during a bad movie marathon of Samurai Cop. It broke in half after two swings, but honestly that just made the scene where he fights 50 guys even funnier when I started whacking my couch with the broken pieces. Has anyone else bought a cheap prop to enhance a bad movie night and had it backfire in the best way?

My $15 thrift store copy of Miami Connection was missing the last 20 minutes

I grabbed a DVD of Miami Connection from a Goodwill in Portland last Saturday for $15. Got home, made popcorn, and right when the ninjas attack the band the disc just skips to the menu. Turns out the last chapter is scratched beyond repair. Anyone else find a supposedly "fun bad movie" and get robbed of the best parts?

Bought a $35 Blu-ray of The Room and it is now my favorite movie night joke.

That $35 was worth every penny for the laughs watching Wiseau fumble around in that yellow sweater, has anyone else found a bad movie that turned into a regular watch?

Spent $15 on a DVD of The Room and it was the best bad movie night I've had in years

I picked up a used copy of The Room last week for dirt cheap, and me and my buddies spent the whole night throwing spoons at the screen and yelling lines. It got me wondering what other so-bad-it's-good classics are worth hunting down on disc.

The Troll 2 drinking game saved my boring Friday night

Last Friday I was stuck at home with nothing to do and remembered I had a copy of Troll 2 on DVD from a thrift store haul. I saw online that people do drinking games for that movie where you take a sip every time someone says Nilbog or whenever characters eat food. I tried it with just soda and it made the movie SO much more fun. The acting is terrible and the plot makes zero sense but the game kept me awake through all the slow parts. I ended up laughing at scenes that used to just annoy me. My friend came over halfway through and we added a rule for every time someone yells for no reason. Has anyone else found a good drinking game for a bad movie like The Room or Birdemic?

I used to hate The Room but then I saw it with a live audience

For years I thought The Room was just terrible and that was it. I watched it alone on my laptop and couldn't figure out why people called it fun. Then last month a buddy dragged me to a midnight showing at this old theater in Austin. The crowd was yelling at the screen, throwing plastic spoons, laughing at every weird line. Tommy Wiseau's delivery got funnier with fifty people around me losing it. The football scene in the tuxedos had the whole place in tears. Now I get it, the badness is the whole point when you share it. Has anyone else had a movie click for them only after seeing it with a crowd?