Oh hi, James Franco!
As a megafan of “The Room,” the 2003 melodrama widely considered to be one of the best worst movies of all-time, it’s impossible for me to objectively assess “The Disaster Artist,” director James Franco’s restaging of the behind-the-scenes turmoil of the now-cult classic.
I’ve met “The Room” star and creator Tommy Wiseau, and I’ve seen “The Room” more times than any person should probably admit. “The Disaster Artist” plays to my love of the movie, and James Franco’s performance as Wiseau manages to be both affectionate and accurate without sacrificing Wiseau’s more troubling personality traits.
The film focuses on the strange-but-true friendship between struggling young actor Greg (James’ younger brother Dave Franco) and the much older and bizarre Tommy, a man Greg first witnesses screaming “Streetcar Named Desire” lines while writhing around of the floor of an actors’ workshop.
The two share a dream of being Hollywood stars, though Tommy has a seemingly endless money stream and a growing rivalry/obsession with Greg, who secures an agent relatively soon after moving to Los Angeles.
Eventually Tommy is “fed up with this world,” and begins to write his own movie. He spends ungodly amounts of his own money on equipment (he’ll be the first to shoot a movie simultaneously on film and digital video — to this day nobody understands why), before beginning what becomes one of the most dysfunctional movie shoots in the history of the medium. Also, Tommy, the star of the movie, can’t remember any of his own lines.
The stacked supporting cast includes Seth Rogen as the film’s baffled script supervisor, as well as the likes of Jacki Weaver and Zac Efron in bit parts as actors in the movie.
Those unfamiliar with “The Room” will be able to appreciate Franco’s level of commitment here, though “The Disaster Artist” rewards those with more intimate knowledge of the movie’s abundant quirks. On the other side of the coin, many who have read the book written by Tom Bissell and “Room” co-star/producer Greg Sestero in which the movie is based might be disappointed by everything the film excludes in its relatively brief 100 minute runtime.
As someone who has devoured the book more than once, I at least appreciate the balance Franco and screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber find in making the behind-the-scenes saga work as its own streamlined narrative.
Despite its exclusions, particularly about Wiseau’s more monstrous behavior on set, “The Disaster Artist” manages to convey an accurate essence of Wiseau and why his persona remains so appealing, despite his flaws and ineptitude as an actor and filmmaker. Good or bad, Wiseau is passionate, and Franco makes that passion relatable (not an easy task for a character who speaks in a baffling, slurred European accent).
The end of the film focuses on the premiere screening of “The Room,” and it’s where the “The Disaster Artist” most deviates from reality. Still, the film succeeds in dramatizing the ultimate fate of “The Room” and its mysterious creator. “The Disaster Artist” never takes cheap shots at Wiseau or “The Room.” In fact, you can tell in every frame just how much Franco loves it and how he feels connected to the artistic drive of Wiseau.
The impact of the movie will vary depending on how much of “The Room” you’ve allowed into your life. As a megafan, I found “The Disaster Artist” to be strangely touching. It made me fall in love with “The Room” even more.
- • •
Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com