Review: The Disaster Artist

"I did not hit her, I did not, it's bullshit, I did not.... oh hi Mark"

Going in:

The room is a film I was introduced to through online reviewers. I had seen most of the film through reviews poking fun at it before I even saw the film as a whole.

To appreciate the Disaster Artist, you should see the Room first, but the film is well enough made that I don't think it matters.

Why it works:

James Franco deserves a lot of credit for this film. He has passionately embodied Tommy Wiseau and recreated many aspects of the film. But what makes this film work is a number of key factors.

First of all, it's not a 2 hour recreate of The Room. The film spends a long time with Tommy and Greg, to really build a connection to the two characters rather than poking fun at them. The film is half way through before they even begin making The Room. This makes the resulting failure of the Room more impactful.

Secondly, Franco doesn't take the easy option of poking fun at Wiseau, which would have been an easy thing to do. But instead, he looks at what makes this guy such an interesting and very entertaining mythical figure.

Thirdly, the film understands that The Room is very unique, and it's not just loved because its a bad film. There are many bad films, but the Room is unique in that so many factors came together due to the true belief of the man making the film.

Conclusion:

The cast is great, the recreation of scenes is great. This sort of film should be successful, because it's a film that could have been made quickly and as a cash grab on a famous bad movie, but instead, Franco has really put in the effort and the result is well worth it. In a world where studios are falling over themselevs to add 'jokes' to everything, its good to see a film that could have gone for jokes so easily, not take the easy route.