Carried by the comedy and J. Franco's performance

Rating: 6/10 (2 February 2018)

"The Disaster Artist" is a new American movie from 2017 that runs for 95 minutes and managed one Oscar nomination in the screenplay category. Lead actor James Franco came pretty short probably (sixth or seventh I guess) for his portrayal of Tommy Wiseau, the director of the cult trash film "The Room". I'm sure his Golden Globe will provide some solid solace. He shares the lead here with his brother Dave. Other for me familiar faces and names were Brie, Rogen, Efron, Hutcherson, Weaver and of course the two Breaking Bad guys Odenkirk and Cranston (the latter playing himself). The film starts a bit on a low note as these really forgettable (mostly) comedy actors explaining to us why Wiseau is such a legend really should have been left out. And by the way, yes we still do talk about Best Picture winners from 10 years ago. Luckily, things get better quickly afterward and the moment James Franco enters the picture, we are in for some quality entertainment for the rest of the film. I am not sure if the Globe win was maybe a bit too much, but he was certainly the most memorable aspect of the film, so it's fine. As for brother Dave, I found him forgettable though. Even this really not particularly challenging character he never manages to breathe real life into and, in my opinion, he is the reason why the story line about friendship, one of the core subjects, never really manages to become memorable.
James simply is the film and there are many hilarious scenes involving him and his character's mannerisms. But he also nails the dramatic part at the end nicely when he needs to accept his role as a filmmaker the way it actually is. He is no Hitchcock, but he brings joy and comedy to the people and manages to accept this role. I can definitely say that my already fairly high appreciation for Franco rose further thanks to these 1.5 hours. Maybe nominating him for the Oscar instead of Chalamet would have been the right decision. What else? Oh yeah, the ending with the split screen and the actual Wiseau next to Franco's was a much better idea than these random interviewees at the start as honestly these pop culture people we see there rarely add quality to their movies. Kevin Smith? Adam Scott? Kristen Bell? Oh please. But I guess it is good that the film hit rock bottom already in its first minutes because there is no reason for me to hesitate otherwise and I definitely recommend the watch. I laughed out loud more than just a few times here. Nice concept and execution and I am glad it did manage at least one Oscar nomination. Watch it, even if this film is probably at least as good of a DVD night inclusion with friends as it is in a theatre. So no need to rush to your local cinema at any cost, but no matter when and where, the important thing is you see it.