I was constantly wondering whether James Franco was highly intelligent or just plain crazy, 'The Disaster Artist' might be the film that finally shifts the scale to the intelligent side.
Rating 4,5/5
'The Disaster Artist' is a biographical dramedy that shows the making of the now cult classic, 'The Room'.
When the film initially premiered in 2003, it was heralded as one of the worst movies ever made, but it became a cult classic years later, with a large fan base. I have been wanting to watch The Room for a long time and, after watching 'The Disaster Artist', it is now positioned even higher on my must-watch list.
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Watching Tommy Wiseau’s (James Franco) insane process and overall lack of common sense is both hilariously funny and very disturbing. Franco gives a fantastic performance and fully inhabits the essence of Wiseau.
The reason for this is that he chose to use method acting throughout the filming of the project, which he also directs. While he was filming 'The Disaster Artist', he was directing the film as Wiseau.
This might sound extreme, but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. He was portraying Wiseau as he directed, produced and acted in 'The Room'.
This then creates a fully immersive environment for everyone involved. While initially noticing that Franco enlisted all of his comedy actor friends to be in the film, including his brother Dave Franco (who plays Greg Sestero) – causing slight eye-rolling by this reviewer – this never takes away from the genius of the film as a whole.
One really notices the brilliance of what Franco did at the end of the film, where there is a side-byside comparison of scenes from 'The Room' with those from 'The Disaster Artist'. It is, literally, note for note the same. Franco surprised in managing to accurately duplicate Wiseau’s speech patterns and body language.
Very few actors are really transformative and Franco is capable of taking on any role and nailing it.
The script is also amazing and the screenwriters strike a great balance between showing the zaniness of Wiseau without making fun of him. The supporting cast also does a great job of fully immersing themselves in a very weird filming situation and it all feels highly realistic.
Overall, 'The Disaster Artist' is a triumph through and through. James Franco’s biographical dramedy will most likely draw new fans to take a look at 'The Room', to see what the end product of the “so bad it’s good” film is.