HYSTY MOVIE HOUSE // The Disaster Artist

It’s hard to love James Franco. The actor has shown a lot of promise in films such as Milk, Spring Breakers, and especially 127 Hours. However, much of his other work has included exercises in pretension such as writing, directing, and starring in woeful adaptations of William Faulkner novels, and his own banal attempts at fiction (one of which was also adapted to film, starring him). It’s strange that amongst Franco’s failures in high-art, the one which shows his brilliance is The Disaster Artist, a celebration of trash films.

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Based on Greg Sestero’s memoir, The Disaster Artist tells the strange story behind the making of The Room, the 2003 cult film often considered the worst film ever made. The film follows Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), an aspiring actor who lacks confidence. In an acting class, Greg meets the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), another aspiring actor who is awful at it but is confident. After years of rejection, Tommy decides to write, direct, produce, and star in his own film, The Room, with Greg cast as the second lead.

…the strength of the character of Wiseau and Franco’s performance make the film.

The Room is an interesting piece of bad filmmaking, filled with terrible acting, dodgy dialogue, and subplots disappearing completely. As awful as it is, the sheer bizarreness of it offers a lot of fun (live screenings are not to be missed). The Disaster Artist doesn’t offer much on the mysteries surrounding the film, such as Wiseau’s origin, age, or where he gets his money, but it offers the chance for Franco to play a career-defining role.

Franco gets lost in this character to the point you can’t tell it’s him. He perfectly mimics Wiseau’s accent, squint, and that famous laugh. Along with shouting catchphrases – “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!” – the role lets Franco indulge his wilder instincts, especially a memorable dance sequence to Corona’s Rhythm Of The Night.

The film doesn’t go as deep into mythologies as fans would hope, but it does offer more than a documentary could, as shown by unnecessary bookending clips. Along with Franco’s bizarrely captivating performance, the film explores the bromance between Wiseau and Sestero, with the former showing much more depth. Dave Franco’s Sestero is good, but the role feels more like an audience surrogate for reactions to Wiseau’s behaviour. Other characters also feel underutilised, but they do get great moments, especially a scene-stealing cameo by Zac Efron.

The Disaster Artist is definitely the James Franco show, letting him indulge his strangeness. It’s a shame there isn’t more story, as it is a fascinating one, but the strength of the character of Wiseau and Franco’s performance make the film. The Disaster Artist may not make you laugh “What a story,” but it will make you go “What a character”.

The Disaster Artist is in cinemas now.

DIRECTOR: James Franco

PRODUCER: A24

RATING: 7/10

CAST: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen

STICK THIS NEXT TO: The Room, Ed Wood, They’re A Weird Mob