The Disaster Artist

Struggling would-be actor Greg (Dave Franco) meets bizarre, mysterious Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) in an acting class, and the two develop an awkward friendship. The eccentric Tommy offers to move to Los Angeles with Greg to kick start their careers, but once there they find little success. However, one day they decide that, if Hollywood won't work with them, they'll just make their own movie, which leads to the production of one of the worst movies of all time, The Room.

The Room slowly developed a cult following after it's very limited release in 2003. By the end of the decade, it had become a cult item on par with Rocky Horror Picture Show, with raucous midnight screenings and the audience reciting dialogue along with the film. The real Greg Sistero, friend and sometime roommate of Tommy Wiseau, wrote a book about the making of the movie, and this film is an adaptation of that book, so it's told from Greg's point of view. The real Wiseau is a very odd, almost cartoonish figure, and James Franco does a terrific job of portraying him, from his bizarre nightclub-vampire look to his indefinable accent. James' real-life brother Dave Franco plays Greg, and he's a bit weaker, but maybe so is Greg. The rest of the cast is rounded out by many familiar faces from the comedy world of the past decade and a half or so, with a few surprises (Is that Sharon Stone and Melanie Griffith?). I have grown to love The Room for the "hilariocity" it is, and thus my appreciation of this behind-the-scenes look at its making may be greater than those who have not or who fail to see that colossal failure's charm. I found this movie funny and endearing. One of that year's best and look ma, no CGI.

Having been lucky enough to get tickets to the Australian premiere of The Disaster Artist with Greg Sestero himself in attendance, I was excited and eager to watch this amazing story. A comprehensive look at the making of what might be the most perplexing piece of cinema ever. I was not disappointed. James Franco is so spot on in his portrayal of Tommy's quirks and character its actually surreal. His first scene having him enter an acting class with the confidence of a rockstar but the talent of a fingerless piano player. Almost all of his endearingly strange lines had the audience laughing their heads off. I tip my hat to him and hopefully the Oscars come calling. He deserves to be nominated.

That presents a problem as well. He makes Tommy too likeable. While he was humanised to a certain extent and some solid insight was given into his motivations and feelings, it has to be acknowledged the real Tommy was far more obnoxious, manipulative and plain nasty. It was hard to present an accurate portrait of him as James Franco focuses more on his quirks and his charm and his tyrannical side was a bit glossed over. Nonetheless I gave him a pass and still loved watching him. And hey, you can't say Tommy isn't sincere. Other changes were made to the story and some plot points fictionalised, but that's the case in nearly every adaptation so that was to be expected. It did capture the spirit of the story and was never boring or slow paced, though it wouldn't have hurt to be a little longer either. Dave Franco does an excellent job as Greg, playing him a little more naive and optimistic than his real life counterpart (the real Greg knew he was not making a good movie, while this Greg seems a little more deluded.) but like the real Greg was so likeable and warm you just wanted him to succeed.

The film's supporting characters are perfectly cast as well, with Seth Rogen playing a straight man role as Sandy the stunned script supervisor along with several comedians and famous actors popping up left right and centre. The making of the movie is the most enjoyable part and is seriously funny. One of the biggest laughs in the cinema was Josh Hutcherson's first appearance as the room's most peculiar character, Denny, goofy haircut and shirt intact. It was also great to see that Ari Graynor and Jacki Weaver, playing Juliette Danielle's Lisa and Carolyn Minnott's Claudette from the movie respectively, are portrayed as strong willed and thick skinned people who nobly put up with some of the worst working conditions for an actor imaginable. No water or air conditioning combined with gratuitous belly button sex would have probably broken others but they soldiered on.

Overall it's a hilarious and genuinely moving account of an insane true story. It softens the darker edges a bit too much and I would have loved it to have included some even crazier parts of the book that didn't make the cut but what we're left with is still an excellent and enjoyable movie. OH HI MARK!

So yeah, The Room is pretty well-known by now, becoming just about the most popular 'so bad it's good' film of all time over the last six or seven years, as has the story behind it- as detailed in Greg Sestero's book, The Disaster Artist.

So being a fan of both, I had a good idea of what I was in for, approaching the James Franco directed The Disaster Artist, but I'm pleased to say the film ended up meeting my expectations and then some.

First things first: James Franco's performance in this is incredible. His accent and mannerisms are a spot-on imitation of Wiseau's, and he manages to make you feel sympathy towards the character too. It's one thing to so directly portray such a unique individual and make doing so incredibly funny, but it's another thing entirely to make him feel (almost) like a real person, and to make you genuinely care for him. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I truly think this performance is worth an Academy Award nomination (fingers crossed).

Everyone else was good too. Dave Franco had a less flashy role than his brother's, sure, playing Greg Sestero, but he did a good job as the more grounded, 'straight man' type character. And some of the casting was genius too- I could list almost everybody, but special mention should go to Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron, and Jacki Weaver.

Also worth mentioning is how well the cast and crew recreated the look of the original The Room- the mannerisms of the actors, the set design, the lighting, the camera-work- it's all perfect. It makes the film an impressive technical achievement in many regards; not simply a funny film with inspired casting and good performances.

As for downsides? There aren't a whole bunch. Perhaps the most significant is that this may not have a great deal of appeal beyond those who've watched and loved The Room already. I'm sure it would still function as a good film, but it might lack something for those who aren't already indoctrinated into the cult of The Room. Other nitpicks I could think of may be that the film is fairly conventional in terms of plot- not a ton of surprises here (other than maybe a few cameos throughout). And it feels a tiny bit longer than just over 100 minutes- but again, that's a nitpick. I am more or less struggling to think of too much that I personally didn't like with this film.

So as a long time fan of The Room, this is about as good as I hoped it could be. I hope I'm wrong in my views that the audience for this will be limited, and that it does have appeal beyond hardcore fans of The Room. And hey, if there's enough buzz behind it to allow for James Franco to earn an Oscar nomination, then that would be fantastic.

And deserved (in my opinion).

This is one of the most pleasant surprises of the film year so far, and second only to Tim Burton's Ed Wood in the (admittedly probably non-existent) sub-genre of films about making terrible movies.

If you've ever watched The Room, or even just watched some of its scenes on Youtube, make sure you don't miss this one.

It's quite ironic that one of the movies most talked about in award season would be the story of the making of The Room, widely considered to be one of the worst films ever. I don't know if I should be proud or ashamed, but I've actually seen The Room. It's terrible, it really is, but it's also kind of... good, in a way. Some of the worst lines (Among them "I did not hit her," "You're tearing me apart, Lisa," and that weird chicken scene) are very quotable and super easy to mock, but there's an undeniable passion put into it. The Disaster Artist, on the other hand, is about the man behind the movie, the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau. James Franco's portrayal of Tommy is one of the best of the decade. The way he nails Tommy's quirks, unusual mannerisms, his odd way of speaking, and that distinctive hair he had going is astounding. I didn't see James Franco. I saw Tommy Wiseau playing himself, in a movie about himself. Tommy is an interesting character, in the movie and in real life, because despite living in the age of the Internet, very little is actually known about him. But despite being a complete stranger to the whole world, he goes and makes himself known, and follows his dream of making a movie. Even though he's sometimes hostile toward others, he has his dream and sets on it, and not giving up on making the movie. It made The Room seem like a movie within a movie, that this was the real deal. Aside from the performance, Greg is an interesting protagonist, and his relationship with Tommy is well developed. The story is balanced in a way where the audience sees the perspectives of both Tommy and Greg, and how the perceptions of The Room vary between them. It's a great movie about following your dreams, no matter the outcome. For fans of Tommy Wiseau and The Room, it's an absolute must watch.

'The Disaster Artist' has garnered comparisons with Tim Burton's 'Ed Wood'. Not surprisingly, both detailing of incompetent directors making infamously terrible films with big dreams and with their hearts in the right place.

In 'The Disaster Artist's' case, it looks at the life of Tommy Wiseau and the making of one of the worst films ever made 'The Room'. Some consider 'The Room' a cult classic while acknowledging that it isn't a good film but to me and others it's just inept film-making even when taking it for what it is. Like 'Ed Wood', a masterpiece and the better film, 'The Disaster Artist' is an infinitely better film than that that is the film's subject, actually being good. If you love 'The Room', you'll love 'The Disaster Artist' and how the film is treated affectionately rather than trashed. Even those who hate 'The Room', like me, are likely to find a lot to enjoy.

Not without its flaws certainly. Personally could have done without the concluding side by side comparisons, which didn't serve much point and on their own they were not as funny or clever as they could have been.

More pointless are some of the cameos, which were distracting and leaned towards the smug.

However, 'The Disaster Artist' is a triumph when it comes to the script and the storytelling. The script is witty and clever, with a lot of the frequent humorous moments and lines being hysterical. None of it is less than very amusing. Just as much a treat are the re-enacting scenes, which are far funnier than the actual product itself. Yet it's not just about the humour, there is also an immense likeability, pathos, heart and honesty.

Really loved the story execution. Tommy's hopes and struggles are relevant and relatable and his confidence and perseverance inspiring. The treatment of the subject matter is affectionate and also eccentric like Wiseau himself, something that one doesn't expect when they have knowledge of Wiseau and 'The Room'. One would think that the film would poke fun and trash them, but actually they're treated in a respectful and candid fashion, this definitely felt like a celebration. Especially well done is the central budding friendship, which was handled with warmth and sincerity and was truly heartfelt to watch.

Visually, 'The Disaster Artist' is certainly a more competent film while having some purposefully inept moments when re-enacting. The music is effective and fitting if not memorable or striking enough to get any rooting for awards. James Franco shows great confidence as a director and also gives a performance of a lifetime that shows him having the time of his life. It is easy to overlook his brother Dave, but he is not deserving of being because he gives every bit as good a performance while being more subtle. Seth Rogan is a riot and makes the most impression of the supporting cast.

Overall, very good and nearly great film, not disastrous in the slightest, misstepping only at the end and with some of the cameos. 8/10 Bethany Cox