Peter Viney's Blog

The Disaster Artist

Directed by James Franco
Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber

Based on “The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made” by Greg Sestero & Tom Bissell

CAST:
Dave Franco as Greg Sestero / “Mark” in the film
James Franco as Tommy Wiseau / “Johnny” in the film
Seth Rogan as Sandy
Ari Graynor as Juliette / “Lisa”, lead actress in the film
Alison Brie as Amber, Greg’s girlfriend

Unexpected travel plans are dancing lessons from God (Bokonon, in Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut).

I’ve used that quote before, but it applies again. I’d taken my wife’s car in for a three hour service in Southampton, 35 miles from home and took a bus into the city. They phoned to say it would take six hours because they needed parts. I’d already done HMV and secondhand vinyl in Oxfam Music when I spotted the massive new Showcase Cinema complex at West Quay South. I walked over there. Three super-hero films, three children’s … and The Disaster Artist. No knowledge of it all, but it was the only possible choice. And what a great choice it was.

This is the story of “The Room” a real movie financed, written, produced, directed by and starring Tommy Wiseau, released in 2003. It was based on his own unpublished 540 page novel. Wiseau spent $6,000,000, paid for a premiere and to keep it in a theatre for two weeks to qualify for an Academy Award. It made $1800 the first weekend. It was a disaster, but it was so bad that audiences were convulsed with laughter at Tommy Wiseau’s serious OTT efforts. It became a cult classic on late night showings, and apparently has earned out its production costs by now.

James Franco as Tommy

The 2017 film is produced, directed and starring James Franco in the role of Tommy Wiseau. So, just like Tommy, James Franco is taking on the three main roles. Both his younger brothers are in the film, with Dave Franco taking on the co-lead role of Greg. James Franco’s portrayal of Tommy, with his weird accent segueing into speech defect is arresting, weird and worthy of a best actor Academy Award.

Irene (Sharon Stone) as a Hollywood agent sizes up Greg (Dave Franco)

The relationship between Tommy, a unique individual, and pretty boy wannabe actor Greg is the centre of the film. Tommy’s need for Greg’s total loyalty is obsessional. He is deeply jealous of Greg’s girlfriend, Amber. He calls Greg “Babyface.”

After failure upon failure in new millennium Hollywood for both of them, Tommy decides to write and direct his own movie, The Room. Much of the resulting story is the clash between charismatic but virtually insane Tommy and the crew and actors he has employed.

The 68 take scene from “The Room” “I didn’t hit her!” with green screen

There are hilarious scenes like Tommy’s first appearance on screen as “Johnny” taking 68 takes to get three lines right, and even more the naked sex scene where the crew are perplexed by Tommy apparently having sex with Lisa’s belly button.

The crew: Seth Rogan as director of photography with cap, Dave Franco as Greg in red vest

The most significant bit of the entire film is the ending. They use a split screen and show extracts from The Room (original) and The Room (as seen reproduced in The Disaster Artist) side by side. The dialogue is double-tracked, 2017 and 2003 simultaneously. The set, costumes, hair and text are identical, proving what a totally faithful rendition the 2017 film is.

The mantra is that no one knows where Tommy comes from, how he got his vast amounts of money, nor how old he is. They still don’t according to the film. Tommy claims to be from New Orleans, but the accent is nothing like Louisiana.

Tommy & Greg after the premiere … Tommy decides to accept it’s a comedy

Apart from that split screen ending (unmissable) those who sit right through the credits will find a final scene after the lowliest and humblest credits have rolled by.

It’s a great movie. In the large cinema this afternoon, there were just four of us. A bit like The Room that inspired it.

*****