‘DISASTER’? HARDLY
James Franco mines gold from ‘worst movie ever’
There are excruciatingly painful-to-watch bad movies, and then there are juicy turkeys like “The Room.”
The 2003 Bay Area-set, Los Angeles-shot travesty is joyously awful from its largesized, look-at-me opening credits to its hilarious “tragic” climax. Its unflagging ineptitude turned “The Room” into a cult favorite, demanding multiple viewings in crowded midnight screenings, often with wine or beer involved.
Now comes “The Disaster Artist,” James Franco’s playful, rowdy account of how this memorable clunker got made. Boiled down, it’s essentially a bromance about handsome Alamo-raised aspiring actor-model Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) and an enigmatic, passionate wannabe star Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), who cooks up a cinematic vision that turns into a nightmare for those involved.
This movie about themaking of themovie is as much fun to watch as the one that inspired it, which is saying a lot. But don’t fret if you haven’t seen “The Room” — an overwrought potboiler that appears to be about betrayal, passion and guys playing football in tuxedos for no apparent reason. You’ll still appreciate “The Disaster Artist,” though
probably not as much.
The affectionate celebration of fouled-up filmmaking works incredibly well because it has an ideal cast, frisky script and eagle- eye direction. Be sure to stay for the final credits so you can compare scenes side-by-side from the two films; they’re uncannily similar.
“The Disaster Artist” marks a commanding step forward for James Franco, both in front of and behind the camera; he’s director and producer here.
As an actor, the Palo Alto native pulls off a tricky, endearing performance that is more affectionate than mocking. His Wiseau sports a cocky bizarre innocence along with a curious Eastern European-esque accent, a Ramones-like mane and a weird laugh. Don’t be too surprised if he lands a best actor Oscar nomination. He should.
The sharp screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber (“The Fault in Our Stars”) — adapted from Sestero’s nonfiction account of making the movie — matches what James and Dave Franco do and is just as high-spirited. The duo do an exceptional job of mirroring the affectionate voice of Sestero from his wonderful and charming 2013 book. And everyone in the cast, including Seth Rogen as an exasperated script supervisor and Josh Hutcherson and JackiWeaver as bewildered castmates, get the joke, as do the numerous celebrities, including Melanie Griffith, Judd Apatow, Sharon Stone and others, who have cameos.
“The Disaster Artist” starts with two novice actors who strike up a friendship once Wiseau massacres the “Stella”-bellowing scene from Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” in an acting class. Neither Sestero nor Wiseau can catch a big acting break, and they eventually become roomies in a Los Angeles apartment inhabited by the mysterious Wiseau, who has loads of money.
“The Disaster Artist” picks up steam as work on the titular film gets underway. It’s amess from day one. From a very unfortunate and unerotic sex scene to mangled line readings and a baffling and expensive insistence on filming in celluloid and digital, it’s hilarious to witness as these two dreamers try tomake amark in the fickle film world. That they succeed in their own bungling way, while keeping their odd friendship alive, makes “The Disaster Artist” not only wickedly funny but heartwarming.