funny and compelling

Rating: 7/10 (7 March 2018)

It's 1998 San Francisco. Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) is a 19 year old kid struggling to act. He is enamored by the uninhibited Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) in class. Tommy convinces Greg to join him in L.A. With no work forthcoming, Tommy writes his own movie, The Room.
This is a terrific performance from James Franco. Dave's pretty good too. It's a funny, compelling Hollywood story which turns dark in a few spots. The final ending is a little awkward although functional. I'm not sure if the laughter was that loud in real life. I can see the laughing overwhelmed Tommy in his mind. What it truly needs is a new character who is surprised by the movie and start spreading the word to his friends. I don't need the side by side comparison in the credits. Some of the scenes play better if one has already seen The Room. Obviously, James' troubles ended any hopes for Oscar and probably any future in this movie or even The Room itself. It's a shame because this is actually good.