REVIEW: “The Disaster Artist” proves that the best can be born from the worst
By Mariana Carvajal-Munoz,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
It’s been almost 15 years since filmmaker Tommy Wiseau gifted the world with the brilliantly awful movie “The Room.” Since then, fascination with the unintentional genius’ work has grown, and the film has earned cult status and a strong fan base. Fast-forward to 2017 and the minds and talents behind “The Room” are getting their own Oscar-caliber biopic: “The Disaster Artist.”
The movie centers around two aspiring actors, Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) and Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), who meet during a class.
Sestero is terrified of performing his scene to the class, so when he watches Wiseau outrageously deliver his performance, he is instantly filled with admiration. At the conclusion of the class, Sestero approaches Wiseau and asks him if he would be interested in doing a scene with him. And so begins the journey towards creating the “Citizen Kane” of bad movies.
The audience follows Sestero and Wiseau through their move from San Francisco to Los Angeles, their multiple failed auditions and the moments when they consider giving up. We also watch them as their paths begin to split.
Eventually, Wiseau decides to pave his own way to success and starts writing a script to the movie he would also direct, produce and star in. The making of “The Room” is portrayed perfectly in “The Disaster Artist,” with a balance of clever comedy, sacrifices and hardships.
James Franco’s performance as Tommy Wiseau is brilliant. He captures all of Wiseau’s distinctive mannerisms, from his awkward laugh to his unmistakable accent. His direction is also very skillful and he knows exactly how to keep the audience engaged.
Dave Franco may be the film’s weak point, however. He does not seem entirely invested in his portrayal of Sestero, and this contrasts sharply with James Franco’s full transformation into Wiseau.
The film does not fail in its mission to entertain. The source material, of course, will have the audience excited from the very beginning, since everyone loves the classic so-bad-it’s-good “The Room.”
“The Disaster Artist” has people laughing out loud from start to finish, but will also make them pity and sympathize with Wiseau at key points. It’s a masterfully written, skillfully directed and well-acted flick, and possibly one of the year’s best comedies.
