By Jack Beck ’18
An ode to bad taste, the ha-ha comedy ‘The Disaster Artist’ involves one of the favorite topics of the movies: itself. It’s another story of crushed Hollywood dreams that unfolds through the eyes of Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), an aspiring actor who hitched himself to a phenomenon when he met Tommy Wiseau (James Franco, Dave’s brother). The real Mr. Wiseau became a minor cult figure after he released a 2003 specialty item, ‘The Room,’ that some anointed the worst movie ever made.
“My family and I always talk about how bad of a movie “The Room” is, so seeing The Disaster Artist was a must see,” Hannah Roseme ’18 said.
Based on the making of “The Room, “The Disaster Artist” recounts both the making of a friendship and the absurdly inept movie it produced. Greg meets Tommy in acting class, where they’re both bombing out. Greg comes off as simply incompetent as he flatly fumbles through scenes. Tommy, by vivid contrast, captivates the class, particularly Greg, by turning up the volume while thrashing about as if demonically possessed.
“I loved seeing Dave Franco play Greg and let loose as an actor,” Jake Thaw ’20 said.
An odd friendship begins, and before long Greg and Tommy are driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles, where much of the story takes place. Shacked up in Tommy’s apartment, the two men try and fail to break into the entertainment business, though Greg manages to sign with a talent agency. Tommy continues to prove his lack of talent in a very funny and terrible audition. At last, inspired by Greg, Tommy decides to direct and star in his own movie, with Greg as backup.
“I thought it was awesome to see how the relationship between Greg and Tommy developed,” Casey Rubin ’19 said. “It makes it ten times cooler that they are played by brothers.”
The making of “The Room” gives “The Disaster Artist” its point and much of its broad comedy. Filmmakers love making movies about movies, and James Franco is no exception. He recreates the production of “The Room”, and the escalating behind-the-scenes nuttiness, with an assured, energetic touch, an appealing cast that included Jacki Weaver and Seth Rogen.
“To me, one of the most interesting things about the movie is how many talented people are in it,” Seth Rogen, who produced the film through his company Point Grey Pictures and plays the script supervisor Sandy Schklair, said in an interview with Variety.com.
Written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, “The Disaster Artist” is a funny movie, but its breeziness and lightness can feel overstated at times. Mr. Wiseau comes across as somewhat menacing, with an underlying intensity that can’t be entirely laughed away.
Yet if Mr. Wiseau is a genuine eccentric, he proves to not be an especially interesting one. The filmmakers try to complicate Tommy, including some layering about his personality that never meaningfully develops.
“I personally did not like the movie at all,” Steven Frost ’18 said. “I thought it was down right confusing and a poor production in its entirety.”
James Franco’s “The Disaster Artist” is truly a funny yet somewhat depressing film that makes us wonder what we’re laughing at and if we were meant to laugh. The finale shows that even a really, unarguably bad performance can bring unabashed joy to a crowd.
“Do fewer things, and do things that you really love, and give them the attention they deserve,” James Franco said in an interview with Variety.com. I think this truly captures what the movie was about. It might not have been the best movie, but it was the dream of James Franco and that truly came out in the movie.
I personally would give this a 6/10.
