'The Disaster Artist' follows in footsteps of cult classic 'The Room'
'The Disaster Artist' is an American biographical comedy-drama film that tells the story Greg Sestero - an aspiring film actor - meeting the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class. The two form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true... with some laughs along the way.
The film marks the first collaboration between the Franco brothers (James and Dave), and follows closely in the footsteps of cult-classic 'The Room' - and that's a good thing.
Dave explained at the Toronto International Film Festival, "I didn't want people to think I was riding on his [James'] coattails," and it would be surprising if anyone did as 'The Disaster Artist' sees both brothers at their best. They may have a reputation that precedes them, but this film is proof of their sheer talent.
James has a strange ability to make the viewer care about his character Tommy Wiseau with his spot-on imitation. It's one thing to imitate another person, but it is something else entirely to embody them completely. In doing so, Wiseau makes for an incredibly funny character.
James Franco's performance also helps pave the way for Josh Hutcherson's Phillip//Denny, Zac Efron's Dan/Chris-R, Ari Graynor's Juliette/Lisa, and Jacki Weaver's Carolyn/Claudette. The cast take on the mannerisms of the people they're based upon with authenticity.
Each element of the production - from the set design to the cinematography, make for an impressive film and one that is truly creative.
As a director, James does brilliantly in bringing this insane madness together, and viewers don't have to have seen the source material to enjoy the film as a standalone piece of entertainment.
It should come as no surprise that so far, film reviews have been exceptional - with a 95% approval rating on 100 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
'The Disaster Artist' is one of the best cinematic examples of "its so bad, it's good". A large portion of the film is wholly dedicated to a series of unrelated subplots that are ultimately left unresolved because of the extremely inconsistent narrative structure. But this is exactly why it became so popular: the absolutely bizarre nature of the film and it's unconventional storytelling with its technical and narrative flaws.
From the mastermind behind the film, it's said that the film is semi-autobiographical and is 'an advisory warning about the perils of having friends'. Okay, then.
For context, 'The Room' (starring Tommy Wiseau of which James' character is based off) continues to feature regular showings in theatres worldwide, with many hoisting monthly events where fans interact with the films in a similar style to that of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (where the audience dress up as their favourite characters and throw plastic spoons in reference to an unexplained framed photo of a spoon on a table in Johnny's living room.
After the conclusion of 'The Room', both Wiseau and his best friend Greg Sestero had a falling out and its only in 2018 that they would reunite for the comedy-thriller, 'Best F(r)iends'.
While 'The Disaster Artist' may feel like it's nothing we haven't seen before in terms of plot, it's a must-see film for fans of 'The Room' and is outrageously funny in the way it explores art and how not to make a film.
'The Disaster Artist' is in cinemas everywhere from November 30.
