I could not wait to watch this movie because I have just seen the infamous "worst movie ever made" called The Room, which will be posted very soon. When I heard about this movie about the making of the movie, I was sort of excited because it hearkens back to the time when I watched Ed Wood, one of the few great Tim Burton movies about him making one of the worst movies ever made. I love movies where aspiring characters celebrate the joy of filmmaking whether it is good or bad. In this movie, I thought they were going to really make fun of the director/writer/producer, Tommy Wise. In some regards, there is some fun and humor, but underneath The Disaster Artist, despite many issues behind the scenes of the movie, there is a great camaraderie that is surprisingly and emotionally effective.
In July 1998, in San Francisco, Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) is in acting class but because of his shyness and not being passionate in his acting talent, the teacher, Jean Shelton (Melanie Griffith), criticizes him and his partner. When Jean asks someone who can be fearless in interpreting a scene from "Waiting for Godot", one man named Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) responds. Nobody is impressed by Wiseau's performance except Greg. Later, they both meet up and Greg asks if Tommy can do a scene together. Tommy responds positively.
Greg admires Tommy when he drives his fancy car around however Tommy states to not ask him anything about what he does, where he gets his money or where he comes from. Tommy and Greg becomes close friends and they both move to an apartment to pursue their dreams in Los Angeles. Later, Greg is signed to an agency where his agent is Iris Burton (Sharon Stone). Tommy is unlikely in finding any success because nobody like his headshots or his auditions. Nevertheless, Tommy and Greg celebrate at a bar where Greg meets a bartender named Amber (Alison Brie), and they form a relationship, which angers Tommy mostly because of his failure.
Tommy and Greg stand on the roof top feeling dejected that they have not been getting anywhere. Greg wishes they could make their own movie so they can feature their own roles. Tommy thinks it is a great idea. Tommy immediate begins on working on the script called "The Room" and finishes three years later in 2001. Tommy and Greg read the horrible script but they literally howl with excitement, upstarting their dream.
No matter how bad or good a movie is by the end of making your idea come out on-screen, the director and hopefully the others are enjoy the filmmaking process. There are at times that the filmmakers and staff are confused by what the whole movie is but on the inside, they are enjoy the filmmaking process and I believe this movie is celebrating the joy of filmmaking in its quirky manner. I knew that The Room was horrible but I did not know what to expect as to how the actors would interpret how the characters would be played especially in its second half as how everything will unfold.
But underneath the joy of filmmaking is the theme of friendship between Greg and Tommy. This may sound crazy but James Franco deserves nominations for his performance as he does not imitate Tommy Wiseau like it is some SNL sketch. No, you buy him as a person as he is both sensitive and demanding. You can feel his anger and sadness when his co-workers make fun of him but sometimes you can feel the tension as Wiseau starts to talk at people and not to people to get the right takes and to let his vision come true. Dave Franco is great as Greg as you can see the passion in his eyes but realistic disappointment when the movie industry does not notice him. There are nice supporting performances from Melanie Griffith, Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Ari Graynor and Josh Hutcherson.
I liked this movie very much as it really connects to movies and the bad side of the movie making industry well enough as it reminded me of other movies like The Player and Bowfinger. But, most of all, I liked how honest it was especially towards the end as they screen the movie and witness the crowds' reactions and Tommy Wiseau's reaction to the crowd. It is a bit heartbreaking and surprisingly touching. You can see the perseverance in him as he wants to have his dream come true. This is an entertaining movie to watch from beginning to end and I can hail one of the best movies about movies.
***1/2
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