If you are a huge film buff, you’ve
probably seen or, at least, heard of The
Room. It has become the classic
example of a film so godawful that it unintentionally becomes comedy gold. I’ve seen it only once, but I’ve re-watched
many key scenes several times over because they don’t fail to make me
chuckle, if not completely laugh, for being so hilariously weird, nonsensical,
and ridiculous.
Seriously, The Room is so terrible, it’s almost brilliant. In fact, it has been called “the Citizen Kane of bad movies.”
Greg Sestero, the actor who played
Mark in the film, wrote a book called The
Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made
which details how he came to meet Tommy Wiseau – the writer, director,
producer, and star of The Room – their
relationship, and the development and production of the film. And this is adapted into film by
James Franco, who plays Tommy, while also serving as producer and director. Meanwhile, his brother Dave plays Greg.
This is a mesmerizing, hilarious
film, simply because of its curious, bonkers object of interest – Tommy Wiseau. He’s a real-life cartoon character. He’s such an odd and mysterious guy. Up until now, nobody knows where he came
from, where he gets his endless supply of money, how old he really is, and what’s
the deal with his mental condition.
James
Franco has been fantastic in portraying him. Now, I’ve
seen better Wiseau impersonations from other people, but if you know Franco –
his personality and work – it’s as if Wiseau is a kindred spirit of his, and playing
Wiseau just feels the perfect role for the kind of actor – artist – that he is.
Also, I really like the part where
particular scenes from The Room are re-enacted
and then compared side by side with the original scenes. It was uncanny to behold.
In the end, you don’t need to
watch The Room or know Tommy Wiseau to
like The Disaster Artist. It’s inherently and independently funny and
interesting. But the enjoyment is
definitely enhanced if you are familiar with the infamous film and filmmaker it’s
referencing and lampooning.
However, The Disaster Artist isn’t necessarily a film that is made just to expose
and make fun of the absurd, troubled production of one of the worst movies ever
made. It certainly pays homage as well to
the legendary status it has made for itself (there’s a hilarious post-credit
scene involving a Wiseau cameo).
Moreover, it’s not only funny, it’s also a surprisingly thoughtful and
heartfelt film about friendship and pursuing one’s dreams.
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