Hold on to your football, America — Tommy Wiseau could finally make it to the Academy Awards.
The fact that this curious enigma might possibly attend the prestigious ceremony in March 2018 — not because of his talent, but because of his unbelievable lack thereof — is just further proof that Hollywood dreams can come true.
Wiseau is the man who wrote, produced and directed 2003’s The Room, which has gained a sizable cult following in the past 14 years and is widely considered to be the best worst movie ever made.
The Disaster Artist, directed by and starring James Franco as Wiseau and featuring Franco's brother Dave as Wiseau’s best friend Greg Sestero, documents how that notoriously awful film was made.
It’s an often fantastic, thoroughly hysterical dissection of the line that separates ambition and talent, and Franco should be a dark-horse favorite to be nominated in at least three categories: Best Actor, Best Director and Best Picture. The film, based on Sestero’s book about his friendship with Wiseau and experience filming The Room, details how the two men met in San Francisco in the late 1990s at an acting class. Sestero was barely out of high school at the time.
The Franco brothers are magnetic in their respective roles, with Dave encapsulating the hopeful optimism of a young man who dreams of stardom. Taking method to a whole new level, James virtually disappears into his character, expertly nailing Wiseau’s thick accent of unknown origin, his off-putting cadence, his odd giggle and his seeming inability to look anyone in the eye.
A running gag throughout the film is Wiseau’s refusal to ever say how old he is, where he was born or how he came to possess enough money to maintain apartments in both Los Angeles and San Francisco — or personally finance the millions he spent making The Room. As Wiseau, Franco tells everyone he is from the bayous of New Orleans, and when asked his age, he simply repeats back the age of whoever he is speaking to, regardless of whether the person is 18 or mid-30s.
Franco paints Wiseau as a tortured artist, naïve as to his lack of knowledge of the film industry, who clings to Sestero’s friendship because Sestero is the only person willing to overlook his extremely eccentric behavior.
It's a marvelously entertaining story, but The Disaster Artist does miss a golden opportunity to provide any real insight into Wiseau’s thought process, or his inspiration for the film itself. The script glosses over the mountain of questions surrounding the real impetus for The Room, other than Wiseau wanting to create something in the vein of Tennessee Williams. Even the cast of the film is left to speculate what The Room is really about, whispering around the craft services table that Wiseau must have known versions of the characters he created — the conniving fiancée, the back-stabbing best friend, the young man he considered to be like a son.
Where The Disaster Artist excels, however, is in its own casting.
Seth Rogen and Paul Scheer shine as script supervisor Sandy Schklair and director of photography Raphael Smadja, respectively. Jacki Weaver and Josh Hutcherson, nearly unrecognizable in a purposefully bad wig, are a riot playing actors Carolyn Minnott and Philip Haldiman.
Then there’s the slew of cameos, including Sharon Stone as a cougar-ish talent agent, Melanie Griffith and Bob Odenkirk as acting coaches, Judd Apatow as a foul-mouthed producer and Bryan Cranston as himself.
Even Wiseau and Sestero make brief appearances playing minor characters.
The Disaster Artist is likely the best movie ever made about the making of a terrible film.
Even more, it stands as a beacon of hope for other aspiring filmmakers who, regardless of ability, might someday make their own mark on Hollywood, whether through fame or infamy.
The Disaster Artist
3.5 out of 5 stars.
R. 103 minutes
Directed by James Franco.
Starring James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Josh Hutcherson, Zac Efron, Alison Brie and Paul Scheer.
Opens in Tampa Bay Dec. 7.
