Cinema Prescription

Synopsis: When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.
Cast: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson, Jacki Weaver
Screenplay: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber (based on The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell)
Directed by: James Franco

Based on a true story of the making of THE ROOM–considered as one of the worst movies ever made, THE DISASTER ARTIST is a hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt story of friendship and the struggle of pursuing the Hollywood dreams. Though not all of the components work for me, it’s still an empathetic look of failures, perseverance and the ability to see the good in terrible circumstances.

James Franco walked in a tight-rope between honoring and parodying the wildly eccentric Tommy Wiseau. And I think Franco really did a pretty good job of balancing both. He didn’t resort into insults towards the man, and never really sugarcoat his passion/ego either, making his performance ‘oddly human’. Dave Franco who played Wiseau’s best friend, although didn’t have showier role like Franco’s Wiseau, turned out to be the real heart of this movie. But the fake beard really bugged me lol.

Having watched THE ROOM so long ago, and being the kind of person who doesn’t really enjoy so-bad-it’s-good movies, I wasn’t really *that*connected with THE DISASTER ARTIST like so many people out there. There are a few loose-ends and a bit self-indulgent moments that didn’t sit well with me. But that being said, Franco could have taken the easy road and made this as a full-on parody, but it’s clear by the end result that there’s enough respect and admiration he has for the source material. It is a great tribute to passion and persistence of those who never give up on their dreams. [B]

A copy of my review on Instagram.