The Disaster Artist

A hilarious true story of two friends who dream and fail so hard, that everything ends up working in their favor in the end.

In 2003, a movie called The Room was released and was directed, written and produced by a mysterious guy named Tommy Wiseau. No one knew anything about him or his history because he was a complete enigma. His birthplace was unknown, along with his birthday and where he was getting all the money he needed to even produce a Hollywood movie. Although the movie had a very limited theatrical release, it became an overnight cult classic and “midnight movie” simply because of how absurd and ridiculous the theater experience was for the people who first saw it. The Disaster Artist tells the story of the now widely regarded “greatest worst movie of all time”, and how best friends Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero met and their journey dealing with the production of The Room.

First off, you don’t need to watch The Room to enjoy The Disaster Artist. It might add more context if you know what The Room is about, but this film is its own story and audiences won’t need to watch the cult classic to understand it. The movie even provides actual scenes from The Room for those who haven’t seen it.

James Franco basically steals the show as Tommy. He captures Tommy’s mannerisms perfectly and doesn’t exactly try to mimic or imitate him completely, but instead adds his own spin to a man who is quite literally larger than life. Franco adds this humanity to Tommy that makes you sympathize with him as he tries to connect with other people who see him as a complete outsider. Much like Tommy Wiseau and The Room, Franco directed and produced The Disaster Artist, which I think is rather fitting. Franco’s direction is energetic and the film rarely drags. There’s not many dull moments and the slower scenes are used to flesh out the relationship of Tommy and Greg, which is crucial to this story.

The Disaster Artist is a story about friendship. The movie focuses on the growing bond between Tommy and the younger Greg Sestero, who is played by Dave Franco. From the beginning of the film, you can feel their immediate connection. Tommy helps Greg break out of his shell and inspires him to pursue his dream of becoming a famous actor, a dream they both share. They watch James Dean movies and hope to become as famous as him someday. They even make a pact to never forget their dream and to never give up on it. Greg is the only person who believes in Tommy, but as the movie develops their relationship becomes strained as the insane production of The Room unfolds and Tommy begins to alienate his entire crew. The production becomes complete chaos and even the crew doubts that anyone will ever see the movie.

Every time I watch The Disaster Artist, it never fails to put me in a good mood with its humor and overall story of friendship. It’s not just a comedy. It’s a movie that teaches you that it’s okay to fail. It has become one of my favorite movies, and is a celebration of the brilliance that failure can provide us with.

Final Score: 9/10