The Disaster Artist Afterthoughts

"Be Cool" - Tommy Wiseau

I honestly thought The Room was a horror film. Or at least a thriller. Actually, it was quite a thrill.

I came across with The Disaster Artist and The Room, I'm not sure how, but I think it's when I was stalking James Franco on his Wikipedia page because it's been a while he's been on any project, and he took his rather controversial Instagram page down (I actually quite enjoyed following him). I saw this movie called The Disaster Artist that he was working on, it must've been a year before it was released in September (the early release). I read The Disaster Artist book Wikipedia page and was immediately drawn. Then, I clicked on The Room and was not drawn. I don't enjoy serial killer type of horror movies, and it seemed like The Room fit that description pretty perfectly because have you seen the movie poster? It is fucking terrifying. And then right before I closed the tab because of Wiseau's interesting choice of movie poster - thank god I did - I saw these three words: "melodramatic love triangle." And thought to myself, that face...melodramatic? I have just finished watching The Silence of the Lambs then, and I just thought Wiseau would be the opposite of melodramatic because his face reminded me so much of Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. And boy oh boy, was it melodramatic. I read the plot on the Wikipedia page and was like "I have no fucking clue what this movie is about. But seems like someone cared enough to make it into a movie." Watched as many clips analyzing and mocking/fanboying the film on YouTube as possible and was instantly excited to watch James Franco's film. It took a year and a half for me to get to watch it (today), and boy was it worth it. Tommy's speech at The Room's Premiere captured both films perfectly: "This's my movie. This's my life."

Tommy Wiseau defied all odds. He made me, a kid who wants to make it in film, feel unstoppable. If Tommy could do it, surely I can. But, what really got me thinking during this movie was the character/actor Greg. I had read the book prior to watching the movie and understood that the book was from his own point of view, so obviously the book has a more sympathetic tone on Greg. But, half way through the movie, I realized, no matter how normal and even smart Greg is portrayed in the book or in the movie, his biggest weakness is not having enough courage (or maybe real acting talent). He is scared all time about what he should do with himself and his career. Without Tommy, he wouldn't even have left San Francisco. Tommy was the one who brought him out of his shell. Who made him comfortable albeit making everyone else uncomfortable. This also highlights the importance of teamwork and bond. This movie wouldn't have made the impact it did on me if it weren't for the focus on the friendship between Tommy and Greg. No one can "make it" in the world or be sucessful without a parter or two. Everyone needs a support, a partner, and, often, a trustful naysayer to keep one engaged and motivated. Steve Jobs had Wozniack and Tommy had Greg (or Greg had Tommy).

I highly recommend reading The Disaster Artist book on top of watching The Room and The Disaster Artist movie. In the book, you get so much more out of the reason behind Wiseau's interesting artistic choices, such as naming the character Mark (this movie and character might out-live Matt Damon's legacy).

It's a shame that this movie wasn't nominated for Best Picture or even Best Actor at the Oscars. Whether or not it was because of Franco's sexual allegations or it's just not the type of film the Academy was looking for, we should all agree on the fact that it was a brilliant film. It is a beautiful comedy, and it taught the most important lesson in the world: In the end, the phenomenon of The Room has allowed me to realize that, in life, anything is possible. The Room is a drama that is also comedy that is also an existential cry for help that is finally a testament to human endurance. It has made me reconsider what defines artistic success or failure. If art is expression, can it fail? Is success simply a matter of what one does with failure? Many of us want to embark on a creative life and never take the chance—too stifled by our self-awareness or fear to try. All the odds were against Tommy Wiseau becoming a filmmaker, yet something pushed him to go for it—something powerful enough to inspire a global phenomenon. - Greg Sestero (played Mark in The Disaster Artist) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsWMKgpdeBg

https://www.avclub.com/oh-hi-mark-here-s-an-exclusive-look-at-the-introduc-1798239188

Lastly, it was amazing to see Franco do something that he is truly passionate about. I really like him since Spiderman. He's done some crazy stuff and to see him make a film that he is proud of has been incredible. I can only wish that he learns from these allegations - true or not - and keep making brilliant films. No one, and I mean NO ONE, could have told this story. Franco is weird, and even weird enough to make a biopic (essentially) of Mr. Tommy Wiseau.

Shoutout to Esme and Joban! Y'all are pretty amazing :)

The Disaster Artist. 2018/01/27 1:40pm. The Shattuck Cinema.