Best F(r)iends: Volume 1 (2018)

Director: Justin MacGregor
Stars: Greg Sestero, Tommy Wiseau, Kristen StephensonPino
Runtime: 93 minutes

Synopsis: A man befriends a mortician and starts a shady business with him.

• Performances: 3/10

Why? One of the many reasons why "The Room" has gained its cult following is the performances featured in it, mostly by Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero, who join forces once again in the first volume of "Best F(r)iends". I was excited to see what the pair was going to deliver 15 years after the release of what is still to this day their most successful project, and was incredibly disappointed. The two actors lacked the charm needed to make their characters enjoyable and fun to watch. Wiseau's Harvey was painfully annoying to watch despite a couple of funny line deliveries here and there. Sestero felt in an entirely different movie than his costar which resulted in conflicting tones. The supporting cast was just plain bad and forgettable. 

• Screenplay: 1/10

Why? Written by Greg Sestero, "Best F(r)iends" is filled with lines that made my teeth grind, two-dimensional characters that have no chemistry whatsoever, and a story that was incredibly pretentious. It lacked self-awareness and tried to be this artistic film that instead rendered it ridiculous to say the least. The movie won't please fans of "The Room" looking for a similar experience, nor cinephiles actually wanting to watch a good picture. It's just a movie that now exists, and that I can't recommend to anyone.

• Costumes/Makeup: 4/10

Why? Who the hell designed these masks? 

• Editing: 2/10

Why? I kid you not, half the movie features flashbacks and useless scenes supposed to make it more "artistic" but instead feel incredibly out of place. The movie could've easily been 30 minutes shorter, and probably could've included the second volume in it as well.   

• Cinematography: 3/10

Why? Not good and pretentious, but you can tell that the director intended to make the film look good. I'm really struggling to understand what kind of audience this movie was aimed for.

• Score/Soundtrack: 2/10

Why? What was up with that soundtrack? It didn't fit at all with the atmosphere of the movie and became a parody of itself the more time passed. Probably the only thing that sort of reminded me of "The Room", but unfortunately doesn't work at all in this particular film.

FINAL GRADE: 2/10