The Disaster Artist

A surprise hit about a surprise hit

The Room may be one, if not the, most incredible cinematic failures in the history of film. Plot lines that go nowhere, actors who can't act, looping and rambling dialogue, ridiculous shot composition, sex scenes that last for far too long. The list of cinematic grievances stretches on seemingly forever. It's so incredibly bad that people have been lining up to see it almost weekly since it's initial release and show no sign of getting enough anytime soon. For something this strange, the story of its inception had to be told at some point. Greg Sestero's book The Disaster Artist was that story, and now it's been made into a film all its own.

The Disaster Artist is directed by James Franco, and stars him and his brother Dave as Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero. It cannot be understated how well James Franco vanishes into the role of Tommy. Rather than do the party impression that most Wiseau fans go for, he managed to completely disappear behind the voice, appearance and mannerisms of the mysterious director. He heads a cast of actors who all come across as such normal human beings, that Wiseau's strangeness is amplified to the extreme. Every single word out of his mouth, every move he makes captures the real Wiseau completely.

It is important to remember that this film, despite it's initial appearance, is not an out and out comedy. It follows the story of how Sestero met Wiseau and later how The Room came to be. It is a biographical account of a very strange man and his best friend trying to make a movie. This is not to say that you won't laugh at points. A story this strange is inevitably going to be funny, but it is more than just it's funny moments. There are moments where the film shows an incredible level of sympathy and heart for it's protagonist. It reminds that Wiseau was trying to make a serious movie, not a “so bad it's good” cult classic. And it nearly tore apart his friendship with Sestero.

From a film making standpoint, The Disaster Artist is excellent. Scenes from The Room are recreated with an impressive degree of accuracy, but the films shines when it's doing its own scenes. Somewhat ironically, the way characters interact with each other feels incredibly real and the dialogue flows smoothly and the cast all share a real chemistry, unlike The Room itself. Also, the film jumps at any opportunity to to make you nostalgic for the early 2000s. The scene where Wiseau drunkenly sings Rhythm of the Night or where he and Sestero walk onto set to Epic by Faith no More milk the 2000s nostalgia in as hilarious a way as possible.

All in all, The Disaster Artist manages to both humanise and rationalise a person and a project that it shouldn't really be possible to humanise or rationalise. It's heart and determination, as well as it's sheer film making ability, make it well worth a watch.