THE DISASTER ARTIST

Based on a true story, THE DISASTER ARTIST is a highly unusual, comical biopic about the unlikely real-life friendship between filmmaker Tommy Wiseau and actor Greg Sestero, two hapless losers who meet in a San Francisco acting class and bond over having an unshakable – and largely unmerited – belief in themselves and their talents. THE DISASTER ARTIST is very funny and well made, with strong pro-capitalist elements, but it contains many “f” words and other obscenities and a scene where the two would-be filmmakers comically film a sex scene for their movie, so extreme caution is advised.

Greg is an idealistic yet largely clueless actor mesmerized by Tommy’s ability to draw seemingly endless waves of energy and emotion onstage in their acting class. Fascinated by his energy, they become fast friends, sharing their showbiz dreams to the point they uproot their lives and become roommates in Los Angeles.

While Tommy is very friendly and highly charismatic, he remains a man of mystery throughout, claiming to spend $6 million on THE ROOM despite the fact that it looks like it cost $500,000, and never explains where he derives his extensive funding. He is highly energetic as a director on-set, catching all around him in his waves of enthusiasm even though, in their more reflective moments, he and Greg are aware they’re trapped in a disaster in the making.

Will they, and their careers, survive?

THE DISASTER ARTIST shines a good-natured light on the underbelly of show business dreams, revealing the world of microbudget filmmaking that floods Los Angeles. While it features frequent obscenities and several strong profanities, the movie generally applies a comical tone to the characters and their behavior, good and bad..

Besides the foul language, the movie’s biggest offense probably comes from an extended sequence that depicts the filming of a sex scene in THE ROOM, which was so poorly shot, lit, composed, and edited, and then inexplicably had this footage repeated elsewhere in the movie. The scene includes some nudity, including brief upper female nudity, lots of rear male nudity and a quick shot of Tommy clumsily having encased his private parts in papier mache, a sight which garners lots of laughs and snickers from the crew making THE ROOM. James Franco not only directs THE DISASTER ARTIST as if he were actually Tommy Wiseau. He also immerses himself in a bizarre yet appealing performance.

Despite is objectionable elements, THE DISASTER ARTIST is a well-made, infectious comedy and biopic that shows a positive, pro-capitalist depiction of loyal friendship and the American Dream. It makes for enjoyable and sometimes even inspiring viewing, but MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution, even for adults.