The Disaster Artist

Rating: 6/10 (9 December 2017)

Out of all the hilariously awful trash films that exist, from "Plan 9 from Outer Space" to "Troll 2" to "Birdemic: Shock and Terror" to all of Neil Breen's films, none are as famous or as disconnected from normal human interaction as "The Room". And none of their creators are quite as intriguing and puzzling as the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau.
But, as "The Disaster Artist" makes clear, this cult classic never would've existed without his best friend, and co-star of the film, Greg Sestero. After witnessing Tommy's passionate performance of "A Streetcar Named Desire" at his acting class, timid Greg Sestero approached him, asking if he could do a scene with him. Tommy of course said yes, and proceeded to help boost Greg's confidence by giving him an acting lesson in the middle of a coffee shop. From there, the two united over their shared ambitions of becoming Hollywood stars, and with Tommy's mysterious, seemingly unlimited supply of cash, they moved to L.A., and the rest is history.
Of course, there's a lot more in between and after that, but if you've ever seen "The Room" you basically know the end result. But "The Disaster Artist" isn't primarily about the making of "The Room", although that takes up the majority of the second half, it's main focus is the unlikely friendship between Greg and Tommy, who are played by Dave and James Franco, respectively. It could've been very distracting that two brothers were playing two best friends who were in no way related, but, due to James Franco's fittingly stilted performance, I wasn't focusing on that at all.
Also, although he's been making pretty poorly reviewed films for years, this is Franco's first major directorial effort, and the first film of his that I have seen. From a visual standpoint, everything seems pretty standard, other than some opportune long takes during a few scenes, such as the tense, uncomfortable, and hectic shooting of Tommy's sex scene. From an acting standpoint, everything seems pretty standard, other than Franco's performance. From a general directing standpoint, everything just seems pretty standard. All of it is fine, and none of it is really special. The writing has a few flaws as well, such as one very unrealistic decision by Greg and an incredibly rushed ending. The bizarre subject matter of this film is honestly what really makes this film work.
The Greg and Tommy dynamic worked as an eccentric and his straight man, but the funniest part of the film was its depiction of the disastrous production behind "The Room". It began with many confused cast members, but a faint glimmer of hope but slowly spiraled downward, with personal tensions rising between Tommy and the other members of the crew, shooting going far over schedule, and Tommy's strangeness disrupting several days on set, such as one day where he didn't pay for air conditioning. But, other than one scene at his lowest point, Tommy never comes across as malicious, just horribly ignorant and oblivious to his own mistakes, which is partially of why "The Room" still reigns as the best bad movie ever made. Tommy single handedly created, ruined, and saved "The Room", all in one fell swoop.
Many watch "The Room" and ask "How could anyone who made this have thought it was good?". And the truth is, they didn't. When the actress for "The Room" character Claudette is asked why she would drive such a long commute every day for such an obviously doomed film, she replies "Because we're actors. A bad day on set is better than a good day anywhere else". "The Disaster Artist" shows this kind of sheer commitment as both a virtue and a flaw, balancing between advocating pursuit of your wildest dreams despite everyone telling you otherwise, and warning against that pursuit.