In this paper the role of gender in the reception of Tommy Wiseau’s film "The Room" will be discussed. In particular I will analyse how four YouTube review channels react to how the female main character Lisa is treated by the film. The focus of my research will be the comic value these reviewers find in Lisa’s actions with the goal of revealing some of their sexist or misogynistic assumptions about gender by what they find humorous. In order to do this, firstly I will discuss and describe the main scenes I will look at more closely and explain why they seem problematic from a gender, humour and film studies perspective. The first scene this paper focuses on shows a conversation where Lisa tells her mother that Johnny hit her. In the second scene, a story of a woman that has been beaten is recounted and, finally, in the last scene Lisa is made responsible for Johnny’s death. Secondly, I will introduce my chosen YouTube channels: CinemaSins, Channel Awesome, I Hate Everything and FanboyFlicks and then observe how they perceive the chosen scenes and whether they ignore the scenes and Lisa’s treatment or not. Additionally, I will compare these channels by looking at how they view and describe Lisa in general. As a last step I demonstrate that some of the reviewers I chose ignore the scenes and Lisa’s treatment in general. Based on my discoveries, I assume to find sexist standards in the majority of the channels, especially when they ignore or find humour in scenes in which Lisa is mistreated.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- The Problematics of the Scenes
- Reactions of the Reviewers
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper analyzes the reception of Tommy Wiseau's film "The Room" focusing on how four YouTube review channels react to the film's portrayal of the female main character, Lisa. The research aims to identify sexist or misogynistic assumptions about gender revealed through the humor found in Lisa's treatment by the reviewers.
- The sexist treatment of Lisa in "The Room"
- The role of humor in perpetuating sexist values
- The impact of YouTube reviews on film reception
- The analysis of the four chosen YouTube channels' perspectives on Lisa
- The examination of the humor theories applied to the reviewers' reactions
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The Problematics of the Scenes
This section explores three key scenes from "The Room" that highlight sexist themes in the film. The first scene focuses on Lisa revealing to her mother that Johnny has hit her, but her mother dismisses the incident. The second scene involves a story Mark tells Johnny about a woman being beaten, to which Johnny laughs. The final scene features Mark blaming Lisa for Johnny's death, attributing it to their affair. The section connects these scenes to film theory, particularly Laura Mulvey's concept of "woman as spectacle," and the idea that women are often depicted as passive and silenced in patriarchal narratives.
Reactions of the Reviewers
This section examines how four YouTube channels (CinemaSins, Channel Awesome, I Hate Everything, and FanboyFlicks) react to the problematic scenes. The analysis utilizes humor theories to understand their responses, including the superiority theory, relief theory, and incongruity theory. The section explores how the channels' reactions reveal implicit sexist attitudes in their humor and criticism, particularly in their treatment of Lisa.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and concepts explored in this paper include: sexism, misogyny, YouTube reviews, film analysis, gender studies, humor theory, "The Room", Lisa (character), CinemaSins, Channel Awesome, I Hate Everything, FanboyFlicks, "woman as spectacle", superiority theory, relief theory, incongruity theory.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is sexism analyzed in the context of Tommy Wiseau's "The Room"?
The analysis focuses on the treatment of the character Lisa and how YouTube reviewers use humor to reinforce or ignore sexist and misogynistic assumptions present in the film.
Which YouTube review channels are examined in this paper?
The paper introduces and compares four channels: CinemaSins, Channel Awesome, I Hate Everything, and FanboyFlicks.
What specific scenes from "The Room" are considered problematic?
The study highlights three scenes: Lisa's mother dismissing Johnny's physical abuse, Johnny laughing at a story about a woman being beaten, and Lisa being blamed for Johnny's death.
What film theory concept is applied to the character of Lisa?
The paper utilizes Laura Mulvey's concept of "woman as spectacle," where female characters are depicted as passive objects in patriarchal narratives.
Which humor theories are used to analyze the reviewers' reactions?
The analysis applies the superiority theory, relief theory, and incongruity theory to understand how reviewers find comic value in Lisa's mistreatment.
What is the conclusion regarding the YouTube reviewers?
The research suggests that many reviewers ignore the problematic treatment of Lisa or use humor that reveals implicit sexist standards.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2017, Sexism in Tommy Wiseau’s film "The Room" and its YouTube reviews, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/424170
