‘The Disaster Artist’ inspires
Watching “The Room” is the most bizarre viewing experience a human being can have.
The film is considered by many to be one of the worst movies ever made. But it is so entertainingly awful that the atrocity becomes captivating.
The notorious man behind the film, Tommy Wiseau (actor, director, producer, writer), set out to make a serious Oscar contending drama, and unintentionally made an infamously confusing comedy.
Over the 14 years since its release, the film has built up a substantial cult following, and consistently sells out theaters across the globe.
It even has a celebrity fan base, which includes James Franco, who directed and stars as Tommy Wiseau in the newly released “The Disaster Artist,” a film detailing the making of “The Room.”
“The Disaster Artist” is based on an autobiography written by Greg Sestero, one of the lead actors in “The Room.” Sestero wrote about how he met Wiseau in a San Francisco acting class and the two went off to make the movie. “The Disaster Artist” also starts in that acting class, where the comedic tone of the film is immediately established.
The movie follows them to Los Angeles and through the production of “The Room” to its release. Fans of “The Room” are guaranteed to love this movie. It’s full of references to the film and reveals interesting insights about production. But it also will appeal to anyone who wants to create and leave their mark on the world.
Wiseau isn’t depicted as a mockery like most would expect. Rather, he’s an inspiration.
“The Disaster Artist” isn’t just a movie about another movie. It’s a film about people who dream big and attempt to make those dreams a reality. Wiseau created something and achieved success, just not in the way he initially envisioned it.
Franco brilliantly portrays Wiseau and his brother Dave Franco nails his role as Sestero. At first, I wasn’t sure if James Franco could pull off doing an accent in a wig, but within the first five minutes he had melted into the role. By the final scene it seemed that he was Wiseau.
There are many scenes, especially revolving around production, that are incredibly funny. In these scenes, we see the most character development between Wiseau and Sestero as their friendship deteriorates.
The movie should have been longer and would have benefited from more character development between Wiseau and Sestero. By adding more scenes focusing on the pair, the movie could have increased its emotional appeals.
The ending could have also been drawn out. It seems disingenuous that Wiseau quickly accepted the status of “The Room,” as the hysterical garbage it is within the first viewing. It would be interesting to see his realistically slower realization.
While James Franco’s acting is top notch in the movie, his directing is not. The movie has a mundane visual style, and fails to stand out aesthetically from current mainstream films.
“The Disaster Artist” is incredibly fun and inspiring. It deserves 3 of 4 Grizzly paws.