Film Review: The Disaster Artist

James Franco is what you’d call a hit-and-miss film star. From the wonderfully intense 127 Hours and the emotional masterpiece, Milk to the not-so-funny comedy, Spring Breakers and his most recent flop, Why Him?, you never really know what you’re going to get. His newest instalment is another comedy, but it’s based on a true story. The story of Tommy Wiseau. The mysterious man behind the worst film ever made, The Room.

Was he going to follow in Wiseau’s footsteps, or turn an awful movie into something we may actually enjoy watching?

James directs, produces and stars in the film as Wiseau himself. His brother, Dave Franco plays Greg Sestaro, Tommy’s best friend and co-star in The Room. Of course no Franco film would be made without Seth Rogan, who plays Sandy Schklair, the script supervisor. There are also plenty of other well-known actors who come along for the ride, such as Zac Efron, Sharon Stone, Alison Brie and Josh Hutcherson just to name a few. The film was boiling over with acting talent. This doesn’t always pay off, but thankfully this time, it does.

James Franco, however, truly is the star of the film. He channels Wiseau in a way most actors would be scared to do. He never holds back, whether it’s intensity, mystery or humour. James manages to turn a man who perhaps isn’t the easiest to warm to into a man you’re almost rooting for. But on top of that, he really is hilarious. James may have been in his fair share of comedy flops, but this film proves he really does have the ability to make you cry with laughter.

If there’s one weakness in the film, it’s Dave Franco. He often plays the same douche bag jock, and this role isn’t much different. Although he isn’t an unlikable character, he plays Greg in a rather boring way. With James performing one of the best comedy roles in recent years, Dave needed to up his game. Unfortunately, he doesn’t. Swapping Zac Efron and Dave Franco’s roles around could have worked much better. Dave’s fake beard looking… Well, fake didn’t help either.

But it must be said, he isn’t bad enough to have a negative impact on the film as a whole. And where Dave does work well, is in the scenes dedicated purely to him and Tommy. The Franco brothers’ connection on screen works so well, it makes this unlikely friendship instantly believable.

In terms of how true the film was to Tommy and Greg’s relationship before the film, it’s a bit of a mystery. But the recreation of The Room couldn’t be closer. In fact, to prove how intensely they must have studied the original film, they put some of the most popular scenes from the original next to their own. It’s astonishing how similar they really are. Huge kudos to the team for their attention to detail.

Comedies can often feel overdone, with the jokes coming across as obvious, massively set up, and at times, very unfunny. But this film somehow manages to offer original humour. There’s nothing obvious, and in fact, the genius of the film is that whether you’ve watched The Room or not, it’s just as funny. You’ll appreciate it that bit more if you’ve seen the original, but you certainly won’t feel left out if you haven’t.

However, it has to be said that whether you’ve watched The Room or not, The Disaster Artist will make you want to. Plus, it’ll give you a whole new appreciation for just how bad (and in turn, amazing) the film truly is. It also perhaps gives a more in-depth insight into Tommy Wiseau, and cleverly leaves you with a strange desire to go for a drink with the guy.

Trailer

The Disaster Artist is screening at Broadway Cinema until Thursday, 21 December