Breaking the (Autistic) Code: Johnny from The Room (2003)

Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical professional and this series is not about diagnosing the character(s) with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This series is a personal examination of the film/TV show's plot, the character's traits and personality and how they relate to me as an Autistic woman. I will also examine canonically Autistic Characters, so take my personal opinions as just that, a personal opinion. I would encourage my readers to seek out different perspectives on disability representation especially from BIPOC disabled creators who are often ignored in the disability discourse. Also some of the topics I will discuss might be triggering so please take care of your mental health when reading. I will also try to avoid giving away any spoilers for those who have not seen the film/TV show but if I have to give context for my arguments, this will be a likely occurrence so please be forewarned.

Every film buff is very familiar with The Room (2003), or at the very least is aware of it, and it has been considered a classic by many people. Its cult status is something to marvel at. The movie is so meme-worthy and astoundingly bad in many ways. I am one of those people who have fallen in love with the film for its many flaws. Upon closer inspection I have come to the conclusion that Johnny, the main character, is an Autistic man who suffers a great downfall due to his neurotypical wife’s selfishness. Now, this claim will seem very ludicrous to some, and I thought that my own theory was at first, but I ask my dear readers to continue reading as I will go into depth about this character.

We first see Johnny coming home from work, and he greets Lisa with a flat tone of voice. Many Autistic will mask their voices Lisa being the “accepting” wife that she is, gives him the standard greeting. Johnny is very considerate and buys Lisa a dress for her to enjoy. Johnny immediately wants to be intimate with Lisa but Denny comes in to interrupt the time together with some shenanigans of his, they playfully send him away after he asks if he could “watch them.” Throughout some scenes of this film, it is clear that Johnny does not see Denny's behavior the same way that everyone else does. He does not show discomfort over it but laughs it off, this could possibly be because Denny is also Autistic.

We also see this during the drug dealing scene where Denny and Chris R are meeting, Chris R is confronting Denny about the money that has yet to be paid back. Denny is visibly nervous and overwhelmed by this man. Chris R is domineering and threatening and when a gun is pulled on Denny, we see Johnny and Mark come to Denny’s rescue. Johnny does not care about the danger that he is putting himself in as long as Denny is safe; Autistic people often put themselves in danger for the people that they care for. Autistic people will also go into great lengths in order to take care of problems. We are not sure what Johnny did with the drug dealer. To be honest, I am not certain I want to know.

Both Johnny and Denny have a connection to each other due to Johnny financially and emotionally supporting Denny and wanting to adopt him. Neurodivergent people do have strong connections to each other for a variety of reasons including similar hobbies and sensory palettes. Both Johnny and Denny have different understandings of the world and thus feel like outsiders. Like Denny, Johnny also does not seem to have an understanding of boundaries or social conventions, such as when he asks Mark, in front of strangers, the status of his sex life. Another example is when Johnny laughs at a story, told by his fair weather friend Mark, about a woman suffering horrific violence from a partner and calls it a “good story.” These examples are helpful in exhibiting how Autistic people interact with the world around them and how they view violence against women.

An example of Johnny’s poor boundaries is when he is being coerced to drink by Lisa and after a terribly mixed alcoholic drink, they get intimate. Later, Lisa accuses Johnny of abusing her to her mother, Claudette. Claudette, having observed how Johnny is very strict and set on his behavior, denies that Johnny even drinks. This is a strange thing to focus on since Lisa said that he hit her, the drinking was the supposed “cause” of the hitting. As the viewer will see, this violence never occurred. This is one of many Lisa’s actions of deception after she sleeps with Johnny’s best friend, Mark. Lisa constantly underestimates his intelligence and Johnny finds out about Lisa’s infidelity. I appreciate this film for depicting how neurotypicals will manipulate an Autistic person to get what they want, and as soon as they “get bored”, they either abandon them or ramp up their abuse.

We also see throughout his home that he does not have pictures of him, Lisa, or his loved ones but of spoons. This struck me as a man who has a special interest in spoons, especially artistic depictions of spoons. Autistic individuals will often have interests in things that other people would find bizarre but for Johnny these pictures of spoons are a great comfort to him. These spoons can also be a symbol for the amount of energy, AKA the Spoon Theory, that Johnny must exert in order to fit into the world around him. Johnny also has other interests such as football, when we see him and his friends playing the game during some very important scenes in the film. Even in a fancy suit, he still encourages his friends to play football. This aspect of Johnny’s character goes to show social conventions around ableism…and proper sports attire is an oppressive facet of society; Johnny is challenging these conventions and we see his friends wholeheartedly accepting it.

Johnny also has emotional outbursts and gets overwhelmed by sudden changes or behavior that he sees as wrong. Johnny confronts Lisa about her lying, and we see that Johnny gets really emotional about this revelation and results in the infamous scene where he loudly exclaims “YOU’RE TEARING ME APART LISA!” and along with Mark deceiving Johnny by making him believe that he is to be trusted for not sleeping with his fiance. When Johnny confronts Mark about getting too close to Lisa at his birthday party, he starts getting emotional again and has a meltdown which results in him committing suicide. This movie does great work in showing the rejection sensitive dysphoria that Autistic people often experience when they try to fit into society.

The Room (2003) has been underestimated for many things but it has exceeded all expectations to become the most famous bad film. Many people love this film for its many flaws and has helped Tommy Wiseau skyrocket to fame as an eccentric self-made artist. Tommy Wiseau has done a fabulous job in portraying the Autistic experience and the violent consequences of when their needs are not met by their loved ones. Even if the film has questionable elements, it is still a worthwhile film to see if you are looking for a human portrayal of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS, EVERYONE!