The Disaster Artist (2017)

Directed by: James Franco | 104 minutes | biography, comedy | Actors: Dave Franco, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Ari Graynor, Alison Brie, Jacki Weaver, Paul Scheer, Zac Efron, Josh Hutcherson, June Diane Raphael, Megan Mullaly, Jason Mantzoukas, Andrew Santino, Nathan Fielder, Joe Mande, Sharon Stone , John Early, Melanie Griffith, Hannibal Buress, Charlyne Yi

Tommy Wiseau is a strange guy. Long black hair, a tall figure, an intergalactic traveller’s accent and a bank account that never ends. Tommy is silent about the origin of the money, but as far as his origin is concerned, he claims that he comes from New Orleans, a city whose name he can barely pronounce. When Tommy meets aspiring actor Greg Sestero one day, the two decide to move to Los Angeles to make it as an actor. Tommy is ambitious, confident, brutal. He just doesn’t have talent.

This true story is the basis of the American comedy ‘The Disaster Artist’. Most of the movie is about making perhaps the worst movie of all time: 2003’s ‘The Room’. So why is that movie so bad? Because Tommy not only plays the lead role but also wrote the (incomprehensible) script and directed the film. If you want to know how bad that film is, you can watch a few convincing fragments on Youtube.

Director James Franco and his team of writers could have easily turned ‘The Disaster Artist’ into a comedic looker. The scenes about the filming are of course hilarious, but the film is mainly about the touching friendship between the talentless Tommy and the barely more talented Greg. Although we never get to know Tommy completely (his character is just as otherworldly as his accent), it turns out time and again that under the tough appearance is a very sensitive man. Despite his tough talk, he is very nervous at the first film shoot and you can see the enormous sadness when Greg decides not to stay with Tommy anymore, but moves in with his girlfriend.

James and Dave Franco put down endearing roles as Tommy and Greg, but the supporting roles are also well played with actors such as Seth Rogen and Alison Brie. The film has a nice alternation of humor and light drama, where the humor is also really laughable. If you haven’t been laughed at by the end, then you should look for ‘The Room’. A film that eventually became something of a cult classic because of its image as the worst film of all time. A status that fits perfectly with that strange guy.