The Disaster Artist (Abides)
A review with brevity (if not wit)
Imagine you were driving and passed a really bad car wreck but no matter how hard you try you just could not stop yourself from rubbernecking.
What would it take to make that rubbernecking not feel wrong?
Would rubbernecking be okay if the destroyed car was full of the dead bodies of Nazi Slave-Owning Clowns?
Okay, that is funny, but a little dark, let’s try again.
Would rubbernecking be okay if it turned out that you knew in advance that the accident would actually a miracle for everyone involved, that all would be uninjured, and that all would be gifted with incredible amounts of narcissistic courage and a seemingly never-ending reserve of undeserved optimism?
If you decide rubbernecking would be okay (under those very specific conditions)…you will absolutely love James Franco’s movie “The Disaster Artist.”
What (The Hell) Is “The Disaster Artist?”
“The Disaster Artist” is a movie about the making of one of the worst (best) movies of all time (Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 film “The Room”).
Mr. Wiseau, an independently wealthy acting student, decided to write, direct, fund, produce and star in his own movie after moving to Los Angeles and finding no acting work (he spent over 6 million dollars of his own money funding the film).
The movie was created as a drama but after bombing in its original (very limited release) it made back its sizeable costs as a comic cult classic and midnight movie.
“The Room” has, in fact, often been lovingly referred to as the “Citizen Kane of Bad Movies.”
This would make “The Disaster Artist” the “Citizen Kane” of scripted documentaries about bad movies (You can’t really call the movie a mockumentary because Franco treats Wiseau’s story with so much love, kindness, and respect).
Franco’s impersonation of Wiseau is full of ticks and affectations but he clearly sees him as a peer and admires how, against all common sense, he lived out a very particular Hollywood version of the American Dream.
It is hard for me to admit that I really enjoyed “The Disaster Artist” because until tonight I never much cared for James Franco as an actor (it took every inch of my resolve to make it to the theater tonight).
An example? Hmm…
I would rather be forced to spend two hours in Pyongyang at a dinner party with Kim Jong Un and Dennis Rodman than watch Franco’s North Korea comedy “The Interview” again.
Let’s just say that until tonight, I did not get the whole James Franco phenomena.
Tonight, I found Mr. Franco’s acting and directing a revelation.
His is a great performance and one that will probably be remembered for years (realizing how perfectly he nailed Mr. Wiseau during the side-by-side clips at the end of the movie is equally impressive) .
I don’t want to get too serious here because “The Disaster Artist” is a really fun and incredibly funny movie.
So, forget about the accolades, because you will have a great time seeing (rubbernecking) this movie (real-life “entertaining” car crash) and you will probably be smiling all the way home.
Thinking Out Loud
- The Disaster Artist cast is a veritable “who’s who” of the American comedy scene. Some of the many comedians who have roles include: Seth Rogan, Hannibal Buress, Nathan Fielder, Charlyne Yi, Jerrod Carmichael, Paul Scheer, Keegan-Michael Key, Bob Odenkirk (and former standup comedian Judd Apatow).
- This is a Franco family production. The two main roles are played by James and Dave Franco, James is the director, and Tom Franco appears as well.
- It was good to see Melanie Griffith and Sharon Stone on screen again. I am constantly confused by how we exile almost all of our good actresses once they reach a “certain age” while 80-year-old male actors like Morgan Freeman still get to star in new movies (“Just Getting Started” starring Freeman and 71-year-old Tommy Lee Jones is opening today). Did Griffith and Stone just forget how to act (or are we really that sexist and shallow)?
Josh is a blogger and freelance writer who writes about television, movies, music, politics, race, ethics, and whatever else seems interesting at the time.
Conclusion: Very Funny, Strangely Memorable, Highly Recommended
