The Disaster Artist ★★★

The following is a discussion about The Disaster Artist featuring guest writer Floyd Marsh.

Floyd Marsh: “I’m sorry, what were we talking about?”
Alex Sitaras: The Disaster Artist.
F: Ah, right. It great movie. Really great movie.
A: Yep, that’s why we’re here.
F: I tell everyone right here. Not just you.
A: That’s right.
F: You writing this down right?
A: I am.
F: Not writing.
A: We haven’t started yet.
F: No, we start. Can you write all down?
A: I will.
F: You remember what I say earlier?
A: I do.
F: Okay… What were we talking about?

(a brief moment later)
F: …The Disaster Artist?

A: On the money. What did you like about it?

F: It a funny movie. Hysterical. James Franco excellent as Tommy Wiseau, really disappear into role. Only actor right now to really play as Tommy.

A: Franco did do a fine job. Some of the best performances in acting are those that don’t even appear as if the person is acting. He’s practically unrecognizable.

F: People complain about Franco often. He really good actor when in right role. He work really hard, lot of movie, lot of acting.

A: He’s a ‘do-it-all’ type of man. Like Wiseau for The Room, Franco directed in, starred in the main role, and produced The Disaster Artist. Their only difference is that Wiseau wrote The Room whereas Franco enlisted writers in adapting Greg Sestero’s book about the making of The Room.

F: Uh-huh.

A: Into the movie itself, do you think The Disaster Artist is any less comedic for those who aren’t familiar with The Room?

F: I don’t think so, but it definitely different kind of funny. We know when to laugh, ha-ha, having seen The Room, but for someone else laughter come at different part and more sense of amazement seeing film not just fiction story. Actually get made.

A: I could see it giving fresh viewers a sense of absurdism in seeing how The Room was actually created. The metacinema aspect is always an interesting aspect to explore in a film; however, it isn’t really drawn attention to in The Disaster Artist.

F: Yeah, it quite funny that good movie be created about making bad movie.

A: When viewing The Disaster Artist, I couldn’t help but think of the reasons why someone would watch this movie. The only two reasons I could come off with right off the bat was that either you enjoyed The Room and the crazy story of its inception or you just want to laugh at someone’s incredible failure- but somewhat success. The latter is kind of an odd, exploitative reason to watch the film, but I can’t deny that I at least felt drawn to the film in part for that reason.

F: You shouldn’t enjoy someone failure, but the reason this film made in first place was success. Unlikely, unintended kind of success. I think Tommy recognize that at end of film when The Room finally shown to people. Outside movie, real life, take more time to realize. It not what he intended, but he come to peace that people love it but for different reason.

A: The Disaster Artist is also an outside-of-the-box portrayal of the American dream.

F: That true. I think even if what drew you to the film was laughing at someone else, which Tommy very aware of in film, you find something different in the film beside laughter. You find hope and dream. You see Tommy come to America from who know where to follow dream. He dress like American rockstar, like American football. He want to make Hollywood film. He love acting, people don’t love him. He want accomplishment and people love him. He see what Hollywood really about. Hollywood not in good shape now. About sex scandal or money war. Hollywood about stars. Real Hollywood about look up to them and see them achieve success when it most elusive. Tommy became star in creating The Room against all odds. In a way, he represent Hollywood.

A: I see what you’re saying. He’s far from perfect though, and we shouldn’t necessarily look up to him. He mistreated his cast and crew when working and some of his weirdness is really just misbehavior that he never recognized as so. He’s also a little arrogant in pursuing fame in LA, but, then again, so are most people who move to LA to find fame and fortune.

F: That true. Tommy far from perfect, although mostly because he knew he laughed at. He knew no one but Greg (Dave Franco) support him, and he stress out in making real Hollywood movie. He not realize he not star like Kubrick or Hitchcock. He have to be type of star that real for him to be. I think mostly he doing what he believe is right. Since people not support or help him, he not know how to act around others.

A: It was important he had Greg as a friend.

F: Ah, yeah. As production continue and Greg see that other not have deep admiration for Tommy he does, he start questioning friendship with Tommy. He see that others not see good in Tommy that he see. They not see person that help Greg find confidence in acting. They see villain. That upset Tommy, make hard to work. It real bad that other view of our friends make us think differently of friend. It not supposed to be that way.

A: It’s not, but it’s unfortunate. As people, we care a lot about what others think of us and the company that we hold.

F: We do that and that one thing that I think make Tommy different. He view thing, life, people different. He search for success and not worry about factor that other people do. There bottleneck in everything we do. For Tommy, he not need money but friend. Friend hold him back, bottleneck. With Greg, Tommy able to follow dream. That why so important to Tommy that he become famous. He finally want others to know and love him. Want many friend. Why The Room about betrayal of friend. Very personal film since hard time finding good friend.

A: When the premiere of The Room finally occurs, Greg sees for himself how much others look down on Tommy and realizes that he doesn’t feel the same way.

F: That why Greg real, good friend to Tommy. They help each other more than other see or realize. People forget about thought and feeling. Even if people have money like Tommy, they not happy. If people have love, care, and thoughtful people in their life, they have everything.

A: Aren’t you reading too much into Tommy’s story?

F: No. Tommy as symbol in movie, like American dream. What it mean to you is what it means. That why movies like The Room special and what movie like The Disaster Artist show. Whether movie important you know, not anyone else.

A: You’re kind of discounting the role of critics a bit.

F: Ha-ha, what a story, Alex.

A: Yeah, you can say that again. Thanks for joining me for this review, Floyd.

F: Anytime friend. You talk to me when you want to do this again. Great movie.