The Disaster Artist (Review)
The Disaster Artist is the Comedy of 2017
For those who have had the experience of sitting through The Room (I strongly recommend using Rifftrax if you haven’t), then The Disaster Artist goes a long way in explaining how a movie like that could have happened. Those who haven’t seen The Room though aren’t really missing out on much and will be able to pick up what it’s throwing down pretty easily. All you really need to know is that The Room is probably the best worst movie ever made, and this is the story behind it.
Right off the bat, I have to say that James Franco does a mean Tommy Wiseau impression (Wiseau being the enigmatic force behind The Room). I mean, it borders on downright eerie at certain points. However, at a certain point in the film, Franco’s spot on impression almost feels like a crutch, which is odd given how much fun the movie is for the most part. It just feels strange that The Disaster Artist would choose to lean so heavily on it, especially given that the rest of the cast is pretty spectacular.
Teaming with James is the little Franco, David, as the second lead in the film. I’ve always been a fan of both of them, but I’ve been curious when David would get a chance to shine and it certainly feels like he had his moment in The Disaster Artist. As Greg, the second lead of The Room, the film mostly focuses on the bizarre bromance that evolves between the two of them. Initially, Greg is a naive up and coming actor who is whisked off to LA by his new found friend. Of course, it isn’t just smooth sailing for the two as soon it grows clear that Tommy has a jealous side to him.
The Disaster Artist managed to raise more questions than it managed to answer regarding the production of The Room. For one thing, nothing about Wiseau is actually revealed. At the end of the film, the audience still has no idea how old he is, where he is from, or how he managed to afford to shoot a professional film. He continues to claim that he’s 19 and from New Orleans, which is a blatant lie, but one that no one really tries to question. After all, it’s such a completely absurd lie that there’s really no point in calling him out on it. Instead, there is just an unspoken acceptance that Wiseau is a secretive person, which is perfect given what an eccentric character he is. Despite having not much to go on though, I have to circle back to Franco and his performance in the role. It might not be Oscar-worthy, but it gives you chills in the best and worst (if you’ve seen The Room) possible way.
Surprisingly enough, The Disaster Artist is a movie that is about relationships and the Hollywood dream. Greg and Tommy both long to be famous actors, despite the fact that neither of them seems to have an aptitude for it. That doesn’t stop them though from running off half-cocked to make their dreams come true, one way or another. In a way though, they do manage to make their dream come true, but in a twisted “monkey paw” sort of way. When they aren’t able to catch a break, they decide to make it happen for themselves. However, once they start down that path, nothing and no one can convince them otherwise. While I would say their dream slowly falls apart as it comes between them, but that would imply that The Room had some sort of potential. Still, The Disaster Artist is an incredibly charming movie about the meaning of friendship, no matter how insane that friendship might be.
The Disaster Artist is filled with cameos from some of the best and brightest comedic talent working in the industry today. From Seth Rogen to Paul Scheer to Josh Hutcherson, everyone wanted a chance to be in this film. As of right now, I think The Disaster Artist is going to be remembered as the best comedy of 2017. Despite the fact that Thor tried its hand at the genre, this movie has pretty much everything needed to make it the most memorable of the year. That being said, I can’t recommend this flick enough. It’s definitely one of the best movies about filmmaking I’ve seen in a long time.
