#lostinlimbo

I won’t lie, I originally planned to review The Room before writing my reaction to the Disaster Artist. The more I thought about it, though, the more I didn’t feel I could do so, seriously. We all know it’s a bad movie. We know it’s quite possibly the worst movie ever made in the history of bad movies. We also know it stands apart from other bad films, in that it’s so bad it’s actually entertaining. Enjoyable. Dare I say “classic?” It’s the kind of movie you laugh and cringe and come away from quoting the rest of the night. The kind of movie you go into knowing full-well how awful it is and enjoying yourself, anyway.

I’ve seen a lot of bad movies, and The Room may very well be the only one I came away from with a smile on my face and laughter in my heart. I’d heard about and seen clips from it over the last couple of years, but I didn’t expect the full experience to be so…what it was. I’d honestly watch it again, I would. It’s something you want to share with others and be a part of, yourself. I joked with my friends that it might very well be “the Eighth Wonder of the World” but there is some loose-knit truth in that. It is a wonder. Fourteen years and still, people flock to it. They probably always will.

Where to begin my thoughts on The Disaster Artist. I was really impressed. I didn’t know what to expect going in—most everyone these days knows of Tommy Wiseau and his disasterpiece, The Room. If they haven’t seen it, they’ve at least heard of it, and if they haven’t heard of it, then they probably know someone who does.

There were so so many ways this movie could have gone wrong—everything from the humor to the narrative to Wiseau’s portrayal. I haven’t seen James Franco in a movie for some time, and I go up and down with his performances. I was a bit nervous when I heard he’d be portraying Wiseau, but the trailer looked promising (and admittedly I do find Franco attractive) so I figured I’d at least give him the benefit of doubt. Plus, I really wanted to see both Franco brothers on-screen, together. They didn’t disappoint! Nor did they read on-screen as brothers at all. Which is something I wondered about—if an audience member going into a movie knowing the co-stars were siblings would see them as such, regardless of the role. I didn’t, and I’m really fortunate I didn’t because these two gave quite the performance. Especially James.

Don’t get me wrong, Dave did a fantastic job as well; I genuinely felt his empathy and frustration towards his relationship with Wiseau and his career and the chaotic whirlwind around him. I’ve never read The Disaster Artist but I am definitely thinking about doing so, now.

James though, wow. I’ve never seen him in a role like this, ever. The dedication and commitment to this performance and this man practically oozed from him on-screen. He didn’t entirely look like Tommy Wiseau but he didn’t have to; everything else was spot-on. Biopics (can I call this a biopic?) can be tricky things: sometimes you feel for the person from whom the characters draw inspiration, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you understand their pain and passion, sometimes you don’t. This movie, however? I really felt for both Wiseau and Sestero. They read like real people chasing after dreams they didn’t quite know how to reach but wanted to, desperately. That’s a feeling I myself know well and I was pleasantly surprised by how strongly that part of me resonated with the film. Nothing felt cliché or threadbare; it was all very real…and real is not something I see often from Hollywood, these days. I mean, the first trailer on its own looked promising but trailers can be so deceiving, I didn’t want to get my hopes up beyond a certain point.

Thinking about it, I’m wondering if I in part felt that passion from the film because Franco’s own bled into it. From what I’ve seen, he was pretty invested in adapting not only the book but telling Wiseau’s story. If that was the case, it worked. It worked really well (what is that called? Method acting? Haha…)

This movie also had a fair amount of humor sprinkled in through the drama, particularly scenes involving filming The Room. Now, that could be because I’d just watched the movie for the first time, before, so everything was fresh in my head and the jokes and concerns from the “crew” as Wiseau dragged them through the process reflected thoughts my friends and I shared while watching it.  I can’t tell you how hard we all laughed during the “sex scenes.” Or, of course, the scene in the trailer.

I want to give a shout out to Seth Rogan, here. While not a major character in the film (I’d say more like “moderate”), nor in the most comedic role I’ve ever seen, he managed to be quite funny. Maybe that stems from the environment happening around him, the grounded and skeptic “wtf” voice pinned against Wiseau’s erratic eccentricities.

Also, I had no idea Efron was in the movie. At all. Not until I saw him out of character costume did I realize I’d witnessed him threatening the hell out of “Denny.” Honestly, I really loved how many recognizable actors played such small roles compared to what I usually see them in. This is especially true for the opening of the film.

I’m sure the actors featured received some pointers from Franco/the screenwriter; the way it was shot and how they spoke indicated memorized lines as opposed to interview response. That said, I’d like to think there was some individual honesty and truth in their introduction. I really do think it was the perfect opening, not only to The Room and Tommy Wiseau but the impact they both made. It may not seem like it at first but step back and think about this: how many bad movies gain such infamous status among superstars/well known Hollywood personas? Aesthetically, the scene was lovely as well. Sometimes all you need is flat lighting and a black backdrop to garner attention. An interesting choice, too, to go the ‘non-fiction’ route; normally I only see that in documentaries. I definitely think it added to the film as opposed to hurt it. I will say at first I wasn’t sure if these actors were playing characters or not—I figured by the time Kevin Smith showed up, they weren’t (super glad to see him included, by the way. He would be the kind of guy to talk to about a movie like this!)

Also loved the throwback to Malcolm in the Middle and Bryan Cranston. I know it was in there for a reason but the nostalgic in me still associates Cranston with that show. He’ll always be Hal to me and it was kind of nice to see, on-screen…even if it was a source of conflict for Dave/Greg and a could-have-been turning point in his own career. That hurt, that scene. I wanted so badly for Greg to take that chance, as someone who is very self-motivated and ambitious and can, at times, feel anchored by certain relationships. That said, I understand loyalty to friends and how tough it can be on the heart. On the one hand, you feel for them, maybe even hurt for them. On the other...you see the disaster before the train derails and it’s so hard not to leap off the tracks. I admire Greg’s decision, I do. It shows what kind of guy he is, I think, and more importantly, what kind of friend. I couldn’t help but wonder what his life might be life if he had taken that job…if he’s happy, being a part of this legacy or if there’s something more he wanted, out of reach, because.

Jumping tone for a minute here, my favorite part of the movie by far was the shot-for-shot remake scenes of The Room. Not only were the lines on par, but costume and direction, down to the smallest gesture: like heads tilting back or the way a character smiled. Most of these scenes weren’t even part of the narrative—they weren’t included during the “screening” part of the movie. You’ve really got to love something to take that much time and effort, and pay such attention to detail.

Maybe it’s just me but I feel all of this really speaks to not only the impression The Room has made on the world but also Wiseau’s own self-view. Like…that he marches to his own beat, or seems to, and these actors, however famous they are, aren’t untouchable. He can be like them and achieve what they did. Which is funny because—and I was talking about this to my friends—he kind of did. Everything in the movie, what he said and aspired to be, as Franco or otherwise, came true. He did achieve his dream, and his movie put him on an unforgettable map. Hollywood actors watch and talk about The Room (from the interviews I’ve seen, anyway.)  It’s become a phenomena, a movie so bad it’s actually good; even I’d watch it again and I can’t say that about any other bad movies I’ve seen.