Full disclosure first, I have not read the book that this movie is based on, and I also have not seen the movie; "The Room," that the book is based on. I am familiar with the cult status in regards to that movie, and I am familiar with it's notoriety of being arguably the worst movie ever made. With that in mind, you absolutely do not need to have seen "The Room," or read the book "The Disaster Artist," to enjoy this movie.
Of course there are easter eggs or call-backs that it's fanbase will understand that the uninitiated would not get. The die-hard fans will likely enjoy this movie more than those unfamiliar with it's own mythology, but either way, you do not need to have prior knowledge when seeing this movie. What "The Disaster Artist" is turns out to be a relatively straightforward story about two individuals who want to be in the movies, and opts to make their own instead. As it goes, one of those two individuals seems to be off his rocker. The plot progression is as expected, and you're essentially watching a character study here, more than a full on behind-the-scenes account of the making of the film.
James Franco does a phenomenal job as Tommy Wiseau, which is quite the unusual and provocative character; in this movie and in real life. That long hair. That accent. That arrogance. That confidence. Wiseau is definitely a character that will either annoy and anger you, or fascinate and entertain you. His strange behavior and mysteriousness should keep you glued to the screen in anticipation of what bizarro thing he will do next. Much to the chagrin of everybody around him, but to our amusement of laughing at him. Along with the idea of ridiculing Wiseau though, you might just admire his tenacity as well.
Besides the strong performance by James Franco, I would say that his brother Dave Franco has an equally strong performance as our true protagonist of this story; Greg Sestero. This story is through Greg's point-of-view after all. Greg is our surrogate character that becomes involve with the craziness of Tommy Wiseau. Through the ups and downs, we walk along Greg's journey in the film making of "The Room." Dave Franco really brings us a sympathetic character with his take on Greg Sestero, and understand why he is even associated with Wiseau.
From the all star cast of supporting characters that can be distracting when watching "The Disaster Artist," and the oddball nature of Tommy Wiseau, I found this movie to be rather entertaining to watch. It could have been more ambitious by going even further into the character and the film making process, and there are some questionable scenes that could have been handled better, however it's still a good movie that's worth checking out. After wards, you might just be encourage to hunt down a copy of "The Room" and see the failed masterpiece yourself.
lovedit ENJOYED IT itsokayitsmehitsterrible
