Yay to bad film-making
FRANCO’S MOVIE IS GIANT MIDDLE FINGER TO HOLLYWOOD
My first exposure to The Room was five years ago when a film student lambasted me for not seeing the worst movie yet made. The confusing film, a sort of black drama, had me intrigued.
It was around the same time I discovered a Canadian homoerotic-thriller The Raven, which stars South African actor Ivan Botha and Expresso presenter Graeme Richards, which was bad, but not The Room bad.
My appreciation for bad scripts, bad acting and bad directing was at an all-time high – but nothing can prepare you for the atrocity that is The Room. From senseless sex scenes, plot points that are introduced and never explored; repetitive dialogue; wonky green screen cinematography; and the crowning glory – star, director, writer, producer and financier of the film, Tommy Wiseau.
The man is jarring. He can’t act. He has a weird accent, which remains a mystery. He looks like he might steal your soul and take it into the underworld. He’s everything Hollywood doesn’t like. But upon making The Room, Wiseau did the unexpected – he made a film so bad it became a celebration of bad film-making.
Since its release, Wiseau has emerged as a pop cult figure in – and even A-list celebs aren’t immune to his status. The film has inspired midnight screenings and led Greg Sestero – Wiseau’s co-star and friend – to release his memoir, The Disaster Artist, in 2013 that chronicles the making of the film. This was the catalyst for James Franco to develop Sestero’s book into one of 2018’s award season darlings.
Detailing Sestero’s somewhat bizarre friendship with Wiseau, the holes in Wiseau’s past and how the two ended up in La La Land is an exciting journey. This true story defies logic, but becomes an entertaining on-screen romp. Although it is never dark, it touches on the darkness of Hollywood and fame.
Sestero, played by Dave Franco, with his Hollywood good looks, struggles to find a chance in the city of stars – as much as Wiseau. In the age of the #MeToo movement and the Harvey Weinstein scandal, even The Disaster Artist shows the ludicrous practices of the film industry. It breaks down how that world is not real – how it functions on delusion.
To overcome the doors shut in their faces, Sestero and Wiseau start the production of their own film – The Room. The Disaster Artist, even though it’s autobiographical, is fun to watch. There’s humour, there’s drama, there’s schmaltz and uncomfortable moments where Franco shines as Wiseau in all his glorious weirdness.
While you don’t need to watch The Room before The Disaster Artist, it’s recommended. James Franco’s Wiseau is so accurate, so immensely enjoyable, that without the source work, that appreciation will be lost. The Disaster Artist can possibly be considered a homage to Wiseau and if his ambitions to be part of Hollywood is true, he has certainly achieved this. As a metaphor The Disaster Artist is a giant middle finger to Hollywood – and that’s what makes it so much fun.