The Disaster Artist (dir. James Franco)

Few films in the pantheon of bad Hollywood cinema are more renowned than Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. Often regarded as the “Citizen Kane of bad movies”, his San Francisco set story of 'all American hero' Johnny and the machinations of his love life suffered a critical beheading upon it’s release in 2003, and people are in unison that though it’s one of the worst films ever made, there's something oddly intriguing about it's genesis.

Thankfully, though, this hasn’t stopped the director, star, producer and writer of The Room from benefiting from the cult status with which his film has procured. Playing to sell out crowds across the world, including even at the Prince Charles Cinema in London, people react to The Room with an ironic appreciation, finding the nauseatingly bad dialogue, timid acting and amateurish direction as a misunderstood comedic masterpiece. But there was something more sinister behind the production, more than just an streak of incompetence. It's been well-documented that the filming of The Room, which lasted nearly four months instead of the allotted 40 day shoot, was the very definition of a poisonous production. Wiseau became hysterical during production, offering contradictory advice, walking around naked, turning up late and at one point refusing to give the cast members water all in the idea that "this is real Hollywood movie".

Written by one of the star’s of the movie, Greg Sestero, a publicized account of the intricacies of making the film the room, and how the mysterious Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero would become friends and eventually make the one of most disastrous of films in recent memory, was released in 2010. They called it The Disaster Artist, with the help of journalist Tom Bisell, a laugh out loud first-person account of Greg Sestero’s rise from San Francisco teenager with dreams to his eventual peculiar relationship with Tommy Wiseau. A New York Times best-seller, it caught the eye of the equally mysterious though notably more talented James Franco, who resonated with Wiseau’s enigmatic peculiarities and sought the life rights to make a movie adaptation of how The Room was made. Partnering with his real-life brother Dave Franco, who plays the aforementioned Greg Sestero, Franco presents the extraordinary story, from a snappy script by Scott Neustadter and Michael H Weber, of two people with different ideas of a Hollywood dream who managed against all the odds to create something which though not critically revered, has stood the test of time.

It’s the late 90’s in San Francisco and the shy and timid Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) looks bemused and out of sorts in his acting class. “Do you even want to be an actor”, asks acting teacher Jane Fonda (in one of many celebrity cameos), to which he replies “I do”, though his demeanor and lack of stage presence says otherwise. He returns to his seat despondent and visibly discouraged by the advice. But suddenly, a laconic and gangly dark-haired man volunteers to perform on stage, it’s Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), who decides to use his allotted time to writhe around on the floor proclaiming in broken English “Stella!” in the vain of Stanley Kowalski. The on-lookers are stunned, and it paints a picture of whats to come from Franco as Wiseau, whose uncanny impression of the mysterious man is a sheer delight. But not Greg, he is enamored by the bravery and positivity of Wiseau and notions to him after class that they should become scene partners, to which Tommy agrees. Though played for laughs, the opening scene is handled delicately by Franco - attempting to pit the two friends as conquering heroes in the face of adversity, and it’s this attention to detail which sets the course of the drama.

People always ask about The Room - how on earth did this film get made? Didn’t anyone see how bad this film was during the dailies? Who financed this rubbish?!. Thankfully, Franco's absorbing tale is partly attempting to poke fun at the tragedy of the production of the Room, but also to present a well-drawn character study of two very different but equally complicated men's dreams. After Greg and Tommy move to Los Angeles to become stars, they are met with very different but equally unsuccessful responses. Though Greg achieves representation, he and Tommy’s dream of becoming Hollywood royalty isn’t panning out like they planned. Sestero's boyish good-looks and charm have only got him so far, and though Tommy is confident he isn't finding any work. Notable responses from the acting elite are humorous, including one sequence when acting teacher Bob Odernkirk gestures towards him; "You have a malevolent streak. You were born to play the villain".

There luck isn't changing and it something will have to materialize if they are going to fulfill their destiny. “I wish we could just make our own movie” - gestures Greg to Tommy as they both look despondently out at the Los Angeles cascade. An idea is born, Tommy is tired of the pain of rejection, “Hollywood don’t want me”, he gestures - “If they don’t want us Greg, we go at it on our own”. A few montage sequences later, where the mysterious Tommy is seen tapping away at a typewriter, The Room is made; and he presents it to Greg as if the beginning of something special, a refreshing take on the tried-and-tested Hollywood love triangle but with added intensity. Casting himself as the lead actor and giving Greg a lead role, the two are set to trounce the Hollywood elite and set out to acquire the equipment and personnel to envisage their dream. In sequences which wouldn’t have been out of place in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, the clumsiness and sheer awfulness of the production then become apparent, as it’s clear the Wiseau has no idea how to direct a movie. Not only does he buy the film equipment instead of renting it (as is the standard procedure), he attempts to shoot on both 35mm and HD. As filming begins, (without anyone having seen the whole script), the drama then plays out as a comedy of errors, -at times deliriously entertaining and laugh out loud funny - whilst also being tragically sad and frustrating. A particularly comedic scene, which sheds light on why the production was so tortuous, sees Franco opening a door and saying a simple line; "I did not hit her. It's not true. It's bullshit. I did not hit her. I did not. Oh, hi Mark!, takes over 30 takes to achieve.

Franco’s affinity for acting projects of late have turned him into something of the black-sheep of Hollywood. Many of his productions in recent years have evaporated in the malaise of man with too many projects on his plate. Here though, he is perfect as the anti-hero Tommy Wiseau, and brings sympathy and heart -with an equal measure of madness- to a role which could of easily fell into caricature. His direction also is well handled, blending the soft and tender moments of two men with aspiring dreams, to the outright absurdity of the the production - it’s clear here that Palo Alto native Franco has an affinity for the subject matter, no doubt he has seen THE ROOM more times that he would have liked. His impressive supporting cast include Alison Brie, Seth Rogen , Paul Scheer, Zac Efron, Ari Graynor, Megan Mullally and others are here to bolster the films unlikely popularity.

But despite the delight with which you will have about the parody of these men’s lives, Franco never makes your forget that this a film about a unlikely friendship - it’s clear that Greg needed a father figure and someone to shelter his “babyface” demeanor and help him with his dream. Tommy, on the other hand, needed a friend. Someone who he could count on and wouldn’t betray him. Well-attributed Oscar buzz is surrounding Franco’s satirical dramedy - and wouldn’t it just be poetic if Franco was to win an Oscar playing the man who made the worst film of all time. But then again in Hollywood, anything can happen.

Rating 5/5.