The Disaster Artist

source: The Disaster Artist

This is actually worse than The Room. The Franco's need a punch in the face.

Unless you really like "The Room" I don't see how anyone could rate this movie well given that it expects you to have seen it. Anyone not having seen The Room will not have the inside knowledge probably required to even get any sense of interest in this movie. First of all, it starts out with a storyline that is completely uninteresting and boring to anyone without a background in the material. To top it off, the camera never uses a dolly or a stabilizer, so within 5 minutes you';; be reaching for the nearest popcorn container to throw up in. (But, I'm unsure totally if it's the terrible cinematography, or just the bad story that's causing the nauseous feelings.) Normally, I don't like giving bad reviews, but really, when you see the overly great reviews this movie is receiving, someone has to inject a bit of reality into this. It's entirely possible that if you can suffer through the first 20 minutes of this movie it might actually be ok, but unfortunately I was unable to even though I really tried. Roger Ebert says that you should give a movie at minimum 10-20 minutes of time before giving up on it. I tried to do that, but unfortunately couldn't make it.

Watched "The Room 2003" then this back to back. The Room is strangely watchable but watching this was like listening to a drunk uncle trying to remember a joke. Perhaps in 15 years someone will make a movie about how bad this one is. It's a pity they cut the scene at the end when Logan Paul found the body, that was the best part.

In this film, the Franco brothers show us exactly why we all want to deck their smug grinning faces. This film is all about them smirking at each other while making fun of an absurd/sad film they saw together once. The Room was a preposterous farce, but it had soul. This film has none and while Franco tries his hardest to win awards for mimicry, he fails to convince anyone he is anything but James Franco being a self aggrandising d-bag.

I thought for sure "The Disaster Artist" would be a slam-dunk based on advance buzz and reviews, and eagerly got out and saw it when it went wide and opened in my hometown this weekend. I enjoyed the heck out of roughly the first third of the film, but then, when it got around to the lengthy section depicting the making of "The Room," the "best worst film ever made," and the supposed mayhem of the actual real-life production crew and cast, I thought it fell flat and became a cartoon riff on what likely actually did happen on the real-life set. For some reason, Seth Rogen, who I normally get a big kick out of (though sometimes his trademark snark wears out its welcome) irritated me, as did other actors laying it on thick with the script's "wink-wink-nudge-nudge" too-obvious reaction to the mystery of Tommy Wiseau and his approach to life and filmmaking: I'm sure in real life crew and cast members' reactions to actually working on the "The Room" had a lot more complicated depth to them-- especially since they were being paid well and their checks were clearing at the bank as the production proceeded. Instead, we get this obvious, wafer-thin, surface and stereotypical reaction to Wiseau, with well-known actors doing small parts and winking at the camera as if to say "isn't this funny"--which works for some films but just doesn't work here. Thankfully, the ending section of the film, depicting the premiere of "The Room" and all that's happened since, almost saves it, but it had flagged too much by then for me to feel I got my money's (or time's) worth. I like the Franco brothers, am truly a fan of their wide variety of mainstream and independent film efforts overall (I'm one of the few who actually liked "Why Him?" and "This is The End," two polarizing comedies that either brought belly laughs or annoyed people) but "The Disaster Artist" is not either of their best efforts. It's clearly meant as a star-studded-cameo playtime lark, but a lark that those same actors likely enjoyed more than we do as an audience--and in my opinion it doesn't serve the real-life people it depicts very well, either, except to make viewers curious about the real "The Room" film, and about the people involved in that production. I was surprised that in the end the Francos and all involved in "The Disaster Artist" seemed to be laughing at--and not affectionately with--the real Tommy Wiseau and actors/crew of "The Room."

"The Disaster Artist" (2017 release; 103 min.) brings the real-life story of how the 2003 cult movie "The Room" got made. As the movie opens, a number of current day movie stars, including Kirsten Bell, Adam Scott. J.J. Abrams and others gush about the virtues of this "so bad, that it's so good" movie. We then shift to "San Francisco, July 13, 1998" when Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero meet at an acting class and strike up a friendship. Later that year, they decide on w him to move to Los Angeles, where Tommy somehow has kept an apartment. Tommy and Greg pursue their dream of becoming an actor (inspired by James Dean, among others), but when it's becoming clear that nobody wants to do anything with them, they decide to make their own film... At this point, we are 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. Couple of comments: this movie is a labor of love primarily by James Franco, who directs, co-produces, and stars as Tommy. His brother Dave co-stars as Greg. The real life story is so beyond anything believable that if this were a work of fiction, it would immediately be dismissed as just that. Let me state upfront that I have not seen "The Room" (although I see it frequently listed as a midnight listing at my local art-house theater). From everything we witness in "The Disaster Artist", Tommy is so incredibly inapt yet convinced of his own talent, it reminds me of those American Idol auditions back in the day where certain contestants think they are super good yet they were horrible. Another similarity is the Meryl Streep movie "Florence Foster Jenkins" (about a real life wealthy NY socialite who thinks she sings well and nobody dares to contradict her, leading to a notorious Carnegie Hall concert). James Franco does an outstanding job in the lead role, and I'm going to predict that he will get a number of nominations in the upcoming awards season. It isn't until the very end of the movie (when scenes from the original "The Room" are played in parallel with the recreated scenes for "The Disaster Artist") that one gets a sense how incredibly meticulous Franco has been in recreating them down to the last detail. Absolutely amazing. Last but certainly not least, the movie features a bunch of other well-known performers, some of them in very noticeable roles (such as Seth Rogen and Alison Brie), and others in "blink and you'll miss it" roles (such as Sharon Stone, Zoey Deutch, Zac Efron, etc.). In an early scene of the movie, when Tommy and Greg become unlikely friends, they head over to Tommy's place, and Greg notices a prominent sign on the apartment's wall: "I Do Not Choose To Be a Common Man". Whatever you think of Tommy, he certainly is not your "common man"! "The Disaster Artist" opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati on not one, but two screens (a rarity). The Friday evening screening where i saw this at was attended very nicely, I;'m happy to report. The audience roared with laughter on many occasions. The positive word-of-mouth this movie surely will generate makes it likely to have long legs at the box office (at least within the art-house theater circuit). If you are in the mood for something truly different, I encourage you to check out "The Disaster Artist", be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.

Absolutely the most self indulgent piece crap I've ever seen.

"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. Both Francos and Seth Rogen for that matter are really good in the movie, it's a behind the scenes type of movie that shows you how not to make a movie. I thought they did a really good job of capturing just how strange and determined Tommy Wiseasu was. I am going to give "The Disaster Artist" a B+. Check out my review of "The Disaster Artist" here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT5-PfMK180

So yeah, The Room is pretty well-known by now, becoming just about the most popular 'so bad it's good' film of all time over the last six or seven years, as has the story behind it- as detailed in Greg Sestero's book, The Disaster Artist. So being a fan of both, I had a good idea of what I was in for, approaching the James Franco directed The Disaster Artist, but I'm pleased to say the film ended up meeting my expectations and then some. First things first: James Franco's performance in this is incredible. His accent and mannerisms are a spot-on imitation of Wiseau's, and he manages to make you feel sympathy towards the character too. It's one thing to so directly portray such a unique individual and make doing so incredibly funny, but it's another thing entirely to make him feel (almost) like a real person, and to make you genuinely care for him. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I truly think this performance is worth an Academy Award nomination (fingers crossed). Everyone else was good too. Dave Franco had a less flashy role than his brother's, sure, playing Greg Sestero, but he did a good job as the more grounded, 'straight man' type character. And some of the casting was genius too- I could list almost everybody, but special mention should go to Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron, and Jacki Weaver. Also worth mentioning is how well the cast and crew recreated the look of the original The Room- the mannerisms of the actors, the set design, the lighting, the camera-work- it's all perfect. It makes the film an impressive technical achievement in many regards; not simply a funny film with inspired casting and good performances. As for downsides? There aren't a whole bunch. Perhaps the most significant is that this may not have a great deal of appeal beyond those who've watched and loved The Room already. I'm sure it would still function as a good film, but it might lack something for those who aren't already indoctrinated into the cult of The Room. Other nitpicks I could think of may be that the film is fairly conventional in terms of plot- not a ton of surprises here (other than maybe a few cameos throughout). And it feels a tiny bit longer than just over 100 minutes- but again, that's a nitpick. I am more or less struggling to think of too much that I personally didn't like with this film. So as a long time fan of The Room, this is about as good as I hoped it could be. I hope I'm wrong in my views that the audience for this will be limited, and that it does have appeal beyond hardcore fans of The Room. And hey, if there's enough buzz behind it to allow for James Franco to earn an Oscar nomination, then that would be fantastic. And deserved (in my opinion). This is one of the most pleasant surprises of the film year so far, and second only to Tim Burton's Ed Wood in the (admittedly probably non-existent) sub-genre of films about making terrible movies. If you've ever watched The Room, or even just watched some of its scenes on Youtube, make sure you don't miss this one.