Director James Franco
Genre Comedy | Drama | History
Cast James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie
Rating R
Release Date December 8th, 2017 (Limited)
“When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.”
Directed by veteran actor James Franco, The Disaster Artist is a cult classic in the making, based on the behind the scenes madness that took place during the filming of Tommy Wiseau's The Room (2003). To this day Wiseau remains a man of mystery but one thing is for sure, he made a movie that people can't stop talking about nearly 15 years later, and that is very impressive. The talented cast includes James Franco, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Seth Rogen, Zoey Deutch, Lizzy Caplan, Zac Efron, and Bryan Cranston.
Hilarious and surprisingly insightful, The Disaster Artist is a detailed and entertaining retelling of how the best worst movie ever reached cult status. I first became aware of Tommy Wiseau's The Room when I first started hearing rumblings of James Franco working on this movie. After doing some research, I was immediately intrigued, and the fact that A24 grabbed ahold of the film further increased my need to see it. First and foremost, The Disaster Artist is hilarious, but what intrigued me most was the emotional attachment to Tommy Wiseau the film creates, and the focus on his willingness to put himself out there despite his increasing vulnerability.
To me Wiseau cared more about what he could do for others than his own personal achievements, and the path that leads to the success of The Room is clear proof of that. We live in an era where movies that are incredibly bad can sometimes find themselves more widely appreciated than films specifically built for award season. Examples would be the painfully bad horror comedies such as the Sharknado films, or even Zombeavers. As viewers, we go in with expectations so low that we find a way to genuinely enjoy these movies, and this is usually because we don't take them very seriously.
The cast is absolutely amazing from top to bottom, but I think it goes without saying that James Franco steals the show with his portrayal of Tommy Wiseau. From the long hair right down to the accent and mannerisms, Franco is spot on. Franco has developed into a great actor with plenty of notable roles but the dedication on display here is easily some of his best work. Tommy Wiseau is a very "unique" individual and he captures it all perfectly. Dave Franco, the brother of James Franco, steps into the role of the 2nd lead and he is fantastic as well. It probably comes as no surprise that the Franco brothers have genuine chemistry with each other, and they play off each other extremely well throughout the film. I also really enjoyed Seth Rogen's character, and I felt that he added a nice balance to the dynamic between the Franco brothers. I really can't say enough about the cast, and if you are a movie or television enthusiast you will recognize pretty much every actor and actress in the film.
The Room is a phenomenon for a damn good reason, and The Disaster Artist successfully broadens the reach of this cult classic. I read that prior to the premiere of The Disaster Artist, director and star James Franco stood in front of the audience and adamantly stated that this film is not making fun of Tommy Wiseau, but is simply touching on his talents as a director, writer, actor, and whatever the heck else he is credited for, as well as shedding some light on him as a human being. After seeing the movie, I actually agree with Franco's sentiment. The Disaster Artist simply provides the audience with an inside look at a man who dared to dream big. Did he spend a boat load of money on a movie that was considered to be so bad it's good? He sure did, but he also ignored the naysayers and made a movie on his own, the movie HE wanted to make, and that is pretty damn impressive. The Disaster Artist is very well done and extremely entertaining, be sure to check it out sooner than later. Highly recommended.
