The Disaster Artist (film): extremely good biographical film
So a few days ago I reviewed The Room, which is largely viewed as one of the worst films ever made. The Room holds such a special place in people's hearts that the cult following has grown over the years and I was surprised to find out some really interesting things about the making of The Room because of this really wonderfully done documentary of sorts.
The movie is presented in a way that really shows how independently wealthy Tommy Wiseau (played by James Franco) and Greg Sestero (played by Dave Franco) became friends at a actor training class and kind of hit it off so to speak. They end up being roommates in L.A. and try to make it as actors. It shouldn't be surprising that this is an exceptionally difficult dream to pull off and neither one of them experience any real level of success.
After being shamed in public by a Hollywood bigwig Tommy is brooding when Greg gives him the idea to just make his own movie. Now I don't know if this is actually true but it certainly would be a defining moment in Tommy's life. If he hadn't decided to make his own movie there is an absolutely wonderful chance that no one would ever know who he is.
they did a really good job making Franco look like Tommy
I had previously said that watching this movie without seeing The Room first would make it very difficult to understand what is going on. I want to withdraw that comment. After watching I realize that the film is made very well and actually stands on its own, it is not necessary to have seen The Room (although i still highly recommend that you do.)
As The Disaster Artist progresses, you can't help but feel bad for Tommy as he seems like he is a genuinely good guy who just isn't willing to accept the fact that he doesn't have any real acting ability or know a great deal about the film industry. The people he hires have no choice but to listen to him as he is the sole financier of the movie, but the rest of the cast and crew start to lose their patience with him over time as the filming goes way over schedule entirely because of Tommy's actions such as turning up late or insisting on certain scenes be a special way in his bizarre vision.
such as this scene where Tommy laughs about a story Greg is telling him about domestic abuse and insists that it is part of the film
Overall, i would say that this movie is actually one of the better movies I have seen in a while and I believe that since it is based on a book by a guy that was actually there for all of the actions the movie depicts, we can believe that it is not a work of fiction.
I was happy to learn at the end of the movie that The Room, despite making $1800 initially against a budget of $6 million, has made its money back over time and routinely sells out midnight showings at theaters around the world.
"it is not necessary to have seen The Room (although i still highly recommend that you do)"
Each year, I try to see all the Oscar nominated movies in the theater, so I did see this movie without seeing "The Room" first, and I loved it anyway.
I still haven't seen "The Room" but your previous review of it makes me want to watch it lol.
The thing I love most about the movie is that it validates Woody Allen's maxim that "showing up is 80 percent of life." Simply put, no matter who you are, even if you have little to no talent at anything, there is something heroic about being a trier. If you are a trier, you can achieve so much more in life than a genius who doesn't show up to pitch.
We saw all this before in Tim Burton's brilliant "Ed Wood," a movie about a similarly useless filmmaker, who is also remembered fondly, particularly for his "Plan 9 from Outer Space," which today competes in film lore for the position of worst movie ever made with Tommy Wiseau's "The Room."
What this movie delivers, that "Ed Wood" couldn't, is a combo of mystery and comedy. Unlike Wood, Wiseau secretively veils everything about his origins, and his money, so there is a continual mystery about the guy. And since half his mystery seems hidden in his accent, Franco's half-accurate parody of it provides endless comedy, as it continually cheekily pokes at the mystery of who this guy really is.
What is really interesting about the movie is its achievement in making us feel like we know EVERYTHING about a guy who we really know so little about. And that is because Wiseau's desire to write his name on the book of human history is universal, so he has a universal essence, even though he is specifically, and comically, unknowable.
Another beautiful thing about the movie is how life itself can complete an artist's vision. Wiseau plainly wanted to explore humanity in depth, Stanislavsky style, creating a dramatic plot around his own jealousy of his best friend's other friends. Being incompetent, he created a laughable piece of crap. However, the movie about him creating that piece of crap, fulfills Wiseau's original goal, and does indeed explore Wiseau's motivations, his individual strangeness and his universal human core, so there again we have proof of that maxim of the value in showing up: how one incompetent man inspired more competent men to create something great, something funny, something deep, something universal, something that writes Wiseau into filmmaker lore forever.
Now, I just gotta make time to see Wiseau's damn movie! :)
there is one part in The Disaster Artist where someone suggests that The Room is actually a mysterious biopic of Tommy's own life. That could be the case and he artistry was just way off. Hi doggy!
go back and watch the disaster artist and go to the end of the credits for a hilarious bonus scene. I just saw it. It's great
"The Disaster Artist" is a true story based on the making of the notoriously bad cult film "The Room," directed by Tommy Wiseasu. Wiseau is played by James Franco and Wiseau's friend Greg Sestero is played by Dave Franco. This was interesting, because I had heard so much about "the Room" and its cult status as one of the worst movies ever made. The trailer for the Disaster Artist was really intriguing, and I walked out pretty pleased.
This movie has the Franco Brothers and Seth Rogen, and we all know the reputation that comes with them. They make stoner comedies and basically all play the same characters in every movie they're in. That is not the case here. All of those clichés from those movies that we see from these guys are thrown out of the window. It was a nice change of pace and pleasant surprise for all of these guys after watching their work and seeing the same stale comedies delivered to audiences.
I also wouldn't "technically" categorize this movie as a "comedy." It's definitely more of a dramedy with comedic scenes mixed in, but this is because Tommy Wiseau, who is so magnificently played by James Franco in what is probably his best performance to date (yes I went there), is such a weird, mysterious, eccentric, and strange individual that his words and actions and his weird passion to make a movie come off as comedic. It's the more intense drama scenes that really work well within this movie. I will add that the comedic scenes shown the trailer are not the only funny scenes in the movie. There's definitely more humor in the movie aside from those scenes.
My issue with this movie really just comes down to pacing. It took a while for the buildup, and I get it, it's character development and you have to explain the relationship between Tommy and Greg, and that's character development, but it just felt a little too long. There were instances where I was checking my watch and thought to myself "i thought Seth Rogen was in this movie." I would also say that the character of Amber, played by Alison Brie, really didn't move the story forward all that much and I felt like she wasn't needed.Overall, I enjoyed it. Laughed my ass off in some parts.
I think Amber was only necessary for 2 reasons: She knew Bryan Cranston from pilates and Greg needed to move out and create that tension between Greg and Tommy in the first place. Otherwise yeah, she didn't do much.
I lol'd for a while when Tommy is forced to meet Greg's mom and the dialogue that happens there. "happy birthday," if you can remember the scene. Great stuff.
In fact, our whole life is a kind of simulator. We were put in a doll house and given us a role that we must match. These roles are dictated by parents, teachers and society. For us, for a long time already everyone has decided that we have to dress, what to eat, who to love, with whom to be friends and whom to level with. For our convenience, we traced the boundary of the so-called norm, in which we are comfortable. But there are pupae that see beyond these borders, and are ready to wash them. Then inevitably they get labels: "Frick", "Strange", "Madman" and society begins to reject them. And not because we are so bad, but because it goes beyond our norm, it worries us and the subconscious tries to defend itself by betraying aggression, ridicule or disdain. Such a doll was Tommy Wiseau, he saw the world differently and wanted to show it to us with his own eyes, but was not understood. After some time, James and Dave Franco decided to tell us this story and what happens. We have already been told that we love these guys, they are already part of our comfort, so we are ready to listen and hear them. Now Wiseau does not frighten us. Has he stopped being a madman for us? Hardly, but now we are ready to accept it, we were told how to understand it and we understood it. Has it made Tommy any easier? I doubt it. After all, there will be another Tommy Wiseau and it will all start again, and we can only perceive it through the other James and Dave Franco. In such situations, unfortunately, such people either break down or adapt. As personally I hope and even for the film, Tommy chose the second way. After all, it is madmen who are able to change this world, success - it is not a norm in itself!
I watched a youtube video where Tommy voices over a scene from "The Disaster Artist" and attempts to explain movie techniques to the audience and he struggles to be coherent for the most part and goes off on wild tangents that let us know that yeah, this is definitely the same guy who wrote the Room.
Gooddream when was the last time you had a dream.
Because of this output speed ı'M %95 sure you are not sleeping at all sir.
Keep it up.
well i live in Thailand and it is dreadfully hot during the day. I tend to have a night-time schedule ... the night time is the right time.
The book “The Disaster Artist” is a big recommend too (and to answer the question you raise yes I think Greg did play a part in inspiring tommy do the movie, or at least they both decided together). The biggest difference with the book is how Tommy is portrayed. He comes across as even more dark / intimidating / unstable in Greg’s writing while the movie shows him to be more well-intentioned but naive (and I’d assume both are true in their own ways).
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oh yes, in the review of the movie room, you had mentioned that based on his behavior another movie was made and had collected good and more money as compared to the room. good to know about 'The disaster artist'. I will surely watch it:)
The Room is so much fun in a packet theater with a lot of spoons.
i didn't realize this was a thing until i started digging deeper about the history of the film. I would really like to go to one of these.
Hiii... Gooddream
Great Post with Great Information.
I would love to go to a screening of the room. Oh hi mark
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