Oh hi, All! It’s Ambush Bug here and while the following doesn’t really fall into the realm of AICN HORROR or AICN COMICS (two niches I’ve carved here at Ain’t It Cool), it does fall smack dab into the category of weird, which is also something I’m pretty fascinated with. If you know the name Tommy Wiseau, you are either a fan of the director/writer/editor/choreographer/actor/athlete/lover/alien being or you just can’t stand the guy. There usually is not a lot of in-betweens as Wiseau is a bit of an enigma in the entertainment world. There are those in Hollywood who think he’s a cinematic genius (Paul Rudd is said to be a huge fan of his film THE ROOM and has been outspoken about his love for the film for years). And there are those who have made THE ROOM a cult phenomenon attempting to turn the film into a ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW like audience-participatory experience every time Wiseau brings the film to theaters. I’ve seen THE ROOM with a crowd of fans and it is a pretty lively show involving all kinds of audience interaction to make up for and celebrate some of the film’s flaws and eccentricities. While there’s a part of me who thinks the guy is just a nutcase whose lack of talent is mistaken for deep insight by a crowd who is looking a little too hard for something to idolize, I can’t help but be fascinated with Wiseau’s off kilter take on the world and how different it is with the one you and I seem to inhabit.
Wiseau’s latest project is THE NEIGHBORS, a TV series that can now be seen on Hulu, set in an apartment complex and run by a hyperactive landlord named Charlie (Wiseau) and his secretary/wife Bebe (Gretel Roenfeldt). The plot basically involves the numerous tenants of the building coming into and out of Charlie’s office complaining about something and then leaving. After each interaction, Charlie says his catch-phrase “What a day!” Among the regular tenants at the apartment is a pot smoking hippie, an African American woman with a pet chicken who screams a lot, a buff maintenance man, Charlie and Bebe’s son who is always carrying a basketball, and a few women who seem to only own bikinis in their wardrobe. Wiseau also flexes his acting range by playing Ricky Rick, a drug dealing slacker. Don’t be afraid you won’t be able to tell the difference between Wiseau’s dual roles, though. As Charlie, he wears an ill-fitting black wig, while as Ricky Rick, he wears an ill-fitting blonde wig.
Wiseau’s patented loose standards in terms of line delivery, one take directing, editing, and, you know, overall grip on reality apply here as much of the story is your standard sitcom fare revolving around one sticky predicament after another. In the first episode, someone steals a chicken, someone applies to live in the building, someone buys a gun, and someone borrows twenty dollars to pay someone else twenty dollars. Episode two harkens the arrival of Princess Penelope (played by Charolette Barlow) who immediately makes one of the other tenants her butler, a flasher exposes himself to some tenants, and one girl in a bikini makes out with another girl in a tight fitting dress. In the third episode I was able to watch, fallout from the lesbian kiss is delved into and Bebe has a surprise birthday party!
So if you were wondering if THE NEIGHBORS was going to be tackling the tough topics of today…well, it doesn’t. It does offer up some somewhat fascinating glimpses as to what is going on in Wiseau’s head. I’ve read some reviews online calling the series racist for its stereotypical portrayal of blacks and Asians, but I’m thinking this is giving this series a little too much credit. If anything, Wiseau’s world seems oblivious that these are inappropriate stereotypes and seem to think this is the way the world really is; which is both equally ignorant and intriguing to me. While the characters definitely do not serve to advance any particular minority, it does cater to stereotypes rather than character. The show’s biggest flaw is only giving these characters stereotypical things to say and do rather than characteristics of real people. Or is that the point? Is Wiseau generalizing these people because that’s what often occurs in sitcoms? Maybe I’m giving him too much credit, but Wiseau fans might say otherwise.
And if the stereotypical portrayal of races doesn’t offend you, the portrayal of women most likely will. One of the main characters, Philadelphia (Karly Kim), only wears a tiny pink bikini and seemingly has no job to speak of. She talks in a pouty voice and gets into sticky wickets while drinking on the couch and maybe, on occasion, tries on a new bikini. Other females on the show don’t pan out too well either as they are either in skimpy nightclub dresses or bikinis as well. All of them are tall and hot. And most serve in subservient roles, identified by the men they are with or the men who oogle at them.
With threadbare plots, horrible acting, and rampant misogynistic and stereotypical views, you would think I would hate this series, but I have to admit, I was kind of fascinated with the way each episode played out. Seeing these characters pop in and out of Charlie’s office in such a formulaic way almost feels like a commentary on how idiotically by-the-numbers most sitcoms are. I know I’m probably giving Wiseau too much credit, but this series feels almost intentionally bad to make a point of how bad sitcoms really are. I don’t want to be among those who try to elevate Wiseau as some kind of genius, but he is a fascinating guy. He’s wrong in the head in many ways, but still fun to watch as a sort of outsider artist; unfamiliar with the fundamentals of storytelling and filmmaking, but skilled in some rudimentary, native way. He’s kind of like the Nell of film, uneducated and brought up in the wild, “Ne peppa nay”-ing his way through some kind of fever dream reality with characters and situations you and I will never ever meet. And while I don’t believe he is the filmic savant everyone is touting him to be, occasionally he stumbles into being interesting.
THE NEIGHBORS is not a series for mainstream audiences. If you’re a fan of THE ROOM and worship the man at his appearances, you’ll most likely plotz all over this series. If THE ROOM is like nails on a chalkboard for you, well, it’s more of the same in THE NEIGHBORS, so you should steer clear. Me? I’m kind of fascinated with the guy and want to watch what he does just for those scant moments of unexpected genius that bubble up through the mire.
Find out more about THE NEIGHBORS on it’s website here and on its Facebook page here
And if what I said in the above review interested you, you can watch THE NEIGHBORS on Hulu here! Here’s the trailer for a snippet of the madness.
Ambush Bug is Mark L. Miller, original @$$Hole/wordslinger/writer of wrongs/reviewer/interviewer/editor of AICN COMICS for over 13 years & AICN HORROR for 4. Follow Ambush Bug on the Twitters @Mark_L_Miller.
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