The Disaster Artist is an interesting film, not just because of the story it tells, but the legacy that proceeds it. Back in 2003, an independent film known as The Room debuted in Los Angeles. It was billed as one of the most gripping dramas ever put to film, and while it’s definitely not the latter, it truly is gripping. Widely known as the “best worst movie of all time”, The Room is an enigma in itself. Its initial two-week theater run was paid for by director Tommy Wiseau, as a way to help qualify the film for an Academy Award. To say that The Room‘s director had high ambitions would be a massive understatement. His tenacity and passion for American cinema were unmatched, and there was a creative fire burning inside of him. Fortunately (depending on your view, I guess), The Room turned out to be a massive hit. Not because it broke new cinematic grounds, paved the way for technological advances, or contained phenomenal acting. It was because The Room was so fantastically horrible. Since its debut, The Room has garnered a huge cult following, with millions of dedicated fans.
A few years ago, a book called The Disaster Artist released. Written by Greg Sestero and Thomas Bissell, the book uncovered the mysteries behind the films’ production, the drama that unfolded behind the scenes, and a general air of chaos surrounding the whole project. From Tommy Wiseau’s many personal mysteries to the day-to-day stress of filming such a horrendously bad movie, The Disaster Artist was a charming look at America’s most beloved bad film. Now, in 2017, we get a film version of that behind-the-scenes story. Let’s see if The Disaster Artist is a critical hit or another stain on American cinema.
My review will be generally light on story, as The Disaster Artist plays much more like a biographical film than anything else. Since The Disaster Artist is based on a completely true story (although some may argue the details), saying too much would spoil the disbelief you’ll experience. A good deal of charm comes from character interaction, twists and turns along the way, and the overall chemistry and vibe the movie puts off. Ironically, The Disaster Artist accomplishes much of what The Room originally set out to do; tell a relatable story with complex characters, solid emotion, and a great narrative hook.
The film follows Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), a young actor who dreams of becoming a movie star. During an acting class, he becomes interested in a fellow classmate named Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), after watching him in a very dramatic scene. Over time they become friends and come to one simple conclusion. To be a movie star, you have to take life by the horns. They make a pact to rise to the top of Hollywood together and set off towards Los Angeles with the hopes of making their own film.
The rest of the movie details the making of The Room, the relationships and drama between Tommy and his cast and crew, and Greg’s journey through Hollywood’s rough acting business. As Tommy continuously makes bad decisions regarding his film, one question starts to come up: how did this movie ever see a theater screen?
For movie-goers who haven’t seen The Room or read the book The Disaster Artist, the film version does a good job keeping you in the loop. For a movie based on a book based on a movie, The Disaster Artist is surprisingly straightforward and clear in its narrative. That being said, fans of both the book and the original film will be delighted seeing their favorite scenes recreated to near perfection, along with a healthy amount of easter eggs and nods to the massive cult following. If you have the opportunity to see The Room before watching The Disaster Artist, I highly recommend it.
A lot of The Disaster Artist is pure dialogue. Much like The Room, the bulk of the film is human interaction and the emotions that stem from them. Betrayal, friendship, fleeting love, and an even wider range of emotional set pieces are on display. For the most part, The Disaster Artist succeeds in most gambles it takes. James Franco’s depiction of the droopy-eyed Tommy Wiseau is glorious. James Franco shows a great level of control not only over his mannerisms and facial quirks, but Tommy Wiseau’s distinctly weird accent. To say that James Franco transformed into this role is an understatement. Franco’s younger brother, Dave Franco, also does a great job as Greg Sestero. The film often makes large jumps in time, and I felt like Dave Franco did an excellent job displaying that passage of time, and the effect it had on his character. As a brotherly duo, the Franco brothers absolutely nail their performances. I don’t think either performance is worthy of an Oscar, but both Francos give performances that are highlights of their careers.
As great as the Franco brothers are, I found a lot of my favorite characters and performances to be supporting characters or fleeting roles. Much like in The Room, characters pop up for a scene or two, never to be seen again. These secondary roles were cast to near perfection, not only accurately depicting the real-life people on whom they are based, but giving us entertaining characters to watch. Namely, Zac Efron does an outstanding job as the gun-toting drug dealer “Chris-R”, and John Hutcherson delivers in spades with his man-child character “Denny”. Seth Rogen gives us a muted but signature performance as script supervisor “Sandy”, and Paul Scheer stands out in numerous scenes as the director of photography, “Raphael”. Generally speaking, the film is packed to the gills with excellent actors, both in leading roles and simple cameos.
The Disaster Artist is not without its flaws, and despite how excited I was for the film, some of these issues were very apparent. Firstly, the pacing of the film is quite slow. There aren’t many action scenes or glorified distractions. The film is mainly about people talking, making a movie, and discovering just how big of a mess they’ve gotten themselves into. The first act takes a while to find its groove, and the scenes leading up to the filming of The Room feel a bit disjointed. There’s a coherent story here, it just feels like a lot of content has been left out.
That brings me to my second issue; the actual adaptation. The book version of The Disaster Artist rarely pulled punches and was unafraid to highlight some of the more shady and mysterious parts of Tommy Wiseau’s background. This is a man who refused to reveal his age, his birthplace, and where exactly he was getting the millions of dollars needed to produce a film. Taken at face value, these aren’t exactly things that I expect someone to disclose. However, these three questions play a big part in Tommy’s Hollywood vision, his overall understanding of “the American dream”, and his turbulent past. In short, the book paints Tommy Wiseau as an uncomfortable person, who is at best a misunderstood and aloof guy, and at his worst, a controlling, obsessive, and downright dangerous person. The film version of The Disaster Artist gives us a much more sympathetic vision of Tommy. Instead of being a (questionably) mentally unhealthy individual who is willing to literally harm himself and his friends to achieve his dreams, we get a sympathetic lovable goof.
The Disaster Artist is a unique film, and I don’t think everyone will enjoy it. Fans of The Room and the book version of The Disaster Artist will no doubt enjoy, but the same may not ring true for general audiences. At the best, it will encourage a new generation to journey into the genre of “trash film”, and maybe come out with a few guilty pleasures. I was impressed by its honesty, the relatable characters, and the superb script. I was even more impressed by the consistent performances delivered by the excellent cast, led by a completely transformed James Franco. It doesn’t cover the darker aspects of the story, instead of giving us a more goofy and likable Tommy Wiseau. Despite this, The Disaster Artist is a good film through and through, which most movie-goers will enjoy purely based on its unique style and story.
Movie Rating: 4 stars.
Movie Ratings Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Download)
About Author
