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The Disaster Artist is a 2017 American biographical comedy-drama film produced and directed by James Franco. Written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, the film is based on Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's non-fiction book of the same name and chronicles the making of Tommy Wiseau's 2003 cult film The Room, widely considered one of the worst movies ever made. The film stars brothers James and Dave Franco as Wiseau and Sestero, respectively, alongside a supporting cast featuring Seth Rogen (who also produced), Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson, and Jacki Weaver.
Principal photography began on December 8, 2015. A work-in-progress cut of the film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 12, 2017; it was later screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2017. It also played at the 2017 San Sebastián International Film Festival, where it won its top prize, the Golden Shell, the first American film to do so since A Thousand Years of Good Prayers in 2007.
Distributed by A24 in the United States and Warner Bros. Pictures in international markets, the film had limited release on December 1, 2017, before opening wide on December 8, 2017. The Disaster Artist received positive reviews from critics, most notably for James Franco's portrayal of Wiseau, as well as its humor and screenplay. It was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2017, and received two nominations at the 75th Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor – Musical or Comedy for James Franco. Franco also received a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Plot[]
In San Francisco, 1998, 19-year old aspiring actor Greg Sestero meets a mysterious man named Tommy Wiseau in his acting classes with Jean Shelton. After Wiseau attempts to perform a scene from Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, the performance is ripped apart by Shelton. Sestero becomes infatuated by Wiseau's fearlessness on stage. Over the coming months, Sestero and Wiseau form a strong, albeit bizarre, friendship. Eventually, on Wiseau's suggestion, the two move to Los Angeles to really give their acting careers a chance.
After a few weeks, Sestero signs with Iris Burton, one of the top young talent agents at the time. Wiseau, on the other hand, faces rejection from agencies, casting directors, and Hollywood insiders. During this time, Sestero develops a relationship with Amber, whom he meets at a nightclub. Wiseau begins growing jealous and temperamental, feeling dejected and hopeless and ready to return to San Francisco. Sestero's auditions also dry up. He shares his frustrations with Wiseau, wishing that he could simply make a movie to supply himself with a role. Wiseau takes this suggestion literally.
Over the next three years, Wiseau writes The Room, and presents it to Sestero. Despite recognizing its incoherence, Sestero insists to Wiseau that the script is great. Wiseau offers him the role of Mark, along with an associate producer credit. Sestero reluctantly accepts. They rent out Birns & Sawyer, a production house in North Hollywood. Wiseau insists on buying all of the production equipment himself, as well as insisting that the film be shot on 35mm film and HD Digital simultaneously. The employees of Birns & Sawyer introduce Wiseau to Raphael Smadja and Sandy Schklair, who work as his cinematographer and script supervisor respectively. Schklair, however, essentially performs all the director responsibilities for Wiseau. Production initially starts out smooth, but Wiseau grows increasingly narcissistic and demanding. He verbally lashes out at crew members, repeatedly forgets his lines, shows up late nearly every day, and refuses to supply his crew with basic needs such as drinking water. This culminates in Carolyn Minnott (who plays Claudette) fainting from exhaustion.
The crew grows more resentful of Wiseau, with many questioning his behavior despite an endless supply of money that nobody knows the source of. During prep for a sex scene, Wiseau humiliates Juliette Danielle (who plays Lisa) by pointing out how "disgusting" her body acne is in front of the entire crew. Smadja reaches his limit, and Wiseau briefly fires him. Having filmed near-constant behind-the-scenes footage, Wiseau reveals that he knows everybody hates him, and believes that nobody, including Sestero, is interested in seeing his vision through. One afternoon, Sestero and Amber happen upon Malcolm in the Middle star Bryan Cranston, who invites the bearded Sestero to fill in for a small lumberjack part in a Malcolm episode currently shooting. Sestero begs Wiseau to postpone shooting his beard-free scenes by a day to accommodate Cranston's opportunity, but Wiseau refuses, disillusioning Sestero even further and causing Amber to split up with him. On the last day of shooting, Sestero finally calls Wiseau out for being entitled and selfish throughout the course of their friendship, and questioning his age, background, and source of income. They get into a brief physical altercation and do not see each other for eight months.
Eventually, Wiseau invites Sestero to the premiere of The Room. To Sestero's surprise, Schklair, Smadja, and the entire cast and crew attend. Wiseau introduces the film, and as it goes on, the entire audience gradually erupts in laughter over the horribly made movie. Wiseau walks out of the theater, upset with this reaction, but Sestero comforts him, telling him that while it may not have been the response he hoped to receive, they've never seen an audience have a better time at the movies. With this bit of perspective, Wiseau returns to the front of the theater as the credits roll, takes credit for his "comedic" movie, and receives a standing ovation from the audience.
Real-life clips of Wiseau attending screenings of The Room play, and title cards explain that the film made $1,800 against its reported $6 million budget during its initial release (Wiseau kept it running for two more weeks, allegedly to qualify for the Academy Awards), but has since become a profitable cult film. Wiseau and Sestero remain friends, and to this day, Wiseau's age, past life and source of income remain a mystery. Scenes from The Room are then compared side-by-side with reenactments of the scenes preformed by The Disaster Artist's cast.
In a post-credits scene, Wiseau has an odd verbal exchange with Henry (played by the real Tommy Wiseau), who offers to hang out, but Wiseau refuses.
Cast[]
- James Franco as Tommy Wiseau, the writer, director, producer, and actor who portrays Johnny in The Room
- Dave Franco as Greg Sestero, the line producer and actor who portrays Mark in The Room
- Seth Rogen as Sandy Schklair, the script supervisor and de facto first assistant director of The Room
- Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle, the actress who portrays Lisa in The Room
- Alison Brie as Amber, Greg Sestero's girlfriend
- Jacki Weaver as Carolyn Minnott, the actress who portrays Claudette in The Room
- Paul Scheer as Raphael Smadja, the first DP of The Room
- Zac Efron as Dan Janjigian, the actor who portrays Chris-R in The Room
- Josh Hutcherson as Philip Haldiman, the actor who portrays Denny in The Room
- June Diane Raphael as Robyn Paris, the actress who portrays Michelle in The Room
- Megan Mullally as Mrs. Sestero, Greg Sestero's mother
- Jason Mantzoukas as Peter Anway, the representative of Birns & Sawyer
- Andrew Santino as Scott Holmes, the actor who portrays Mike in The Room
- Nathan Fielder as Kyle Vogt, the actor who portrays Peter in The Room
- Sharon Stone as Iris Burton, Greg Sestero's agent
- Melanie Griffith as Jean Shelton, the teacher of an acting class attended by Wiseau and Sestero
- Hannibal Buress as Bill Meurer, the owner of Birns & Sawyer, a film equipment and production space rental firm
- Bob Odenkirk as Wiseau's method acting teacher
- James Dean as Jim Stark (archive footage)
- Judd Apatow as a film producer accosted by Wiseau
Kristen Bell, Ike Barinholtz, Adam Scott, Kevin Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Lizzy Caplan, Danny McBride, Zach Braff and J. J. Abrams appear as themselves in a prologue discussing The Room and its reputation. Other roles include John Early as Burton's executive assistant Chris Snyder, Joe Mande as DP Todd Barron, Charlyne Yi as costume designer Safowa Bright-Asare, Kelly Oxford as makeup artist Amy Von Brock, Tom Franco as Karl, Zoey Deutch as Tommy's acting classmate Bobbi, Sugar Lyn Beard as an actress auditioning for Lisa, Brian Huskey as a bank teller, Randall Park as Greg's acting classmate Rob, Jerrod Carmichael as an actor friend of Greg's, Casey Wilson as a casting director, Lauren Ash as the florist in The Room's "Hi, doggie" sequence, and Angelyne as herself. Bryan Cranston makes an uncredited cameo appearance as himself. Greg Sestero appears as an assistant casting director, while Tommy Wiseau appears in a post-credits scene as a character named Henry.
Production[]
Development[]
In February 2014, Seth Rogen's production company Point Grey Pictures announced it had acquired the book and film rights to The Disaster Artist. James Franco was set to direct and play Wiseau, and his brother Dave Franco was cast as Sestero. James Franco stated The Disaster Artist was "a combination of Boogie Nights and The Master". According to Franco, Wiseau initially had hoped Johnny Depp would play him. In April 2016, the title was reported to have changed from The Disaster Artist to The Masterpiece, though The Disaster Artist was confirmed as the official title when the film's SXSW premiere was announced.
Casting[]
In June 2014, James Franco's younger brother, Dave Franco, informally announced at a midnight showing of The Room that he had been cast in the co-starring role of Greg Sestero. Wiseau praised the decision in a Q&A session. The film is the first collaboration of James and brother Dave, as the younger Franco has said that he had sought different projects deliberately, specifying in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, "I didn't want people to think I was riding his coattails." As New Line Cinema sought to acquire The Disaster Artist in October 2015, one of the film's producers, and frequent Franco collaborator, Seth Rogen, was in negotiations to play The Room's script supervisor, Sandy Schklair. The remainder of the principal cast were revealed in the days prior to the beginning of filming, in early December 2015: Josh Hutcherson as Philip Haldiman, Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle, Jacki Weaver as Carolyn Minnott, Hannibal Buress as Bill Meur, Andrew Santino as Scott Holmes, and Zac Efron as Dan Janjigian. Dave Franco's wife, Alison Brie, joined the cast in the role of Sestero's then-girlfriend, Amber, and Sharon Stone was later announced to have been cast as Hollywood talent agent Iris Burton. Sestero stated in January 2016 that Bryan Cranston had been cast in the film in an undisclosed role. In November 2016, he was revealed to be playing himself during his time working on Malcolm in the Middle.
Filming[]
Principal photography began on December 8, 2015, in Los Angeles, and ended on January 28, 2016. Among the locations used was The Ojai Apartments on Whitley Terrace in Hollywood. Dave Porter composed the film's score.
Release[]
The film had its premiere, in a work-in-progress form, at South by Southwest on March 12, 2017. In May 2017, A24 acquired distribution rights to the film, and set the film for a limited release on December 1, 2017, before a wide release on December 8. Warner Bros. Pictures distributes the film internationally, and it received an IMAX release in selected areas as well. On October 25, 2017, A24 mounted a billboard on Highland Avenue in Los Angeles that replicated the original The Room billboard that Wiseau kept up from 2003 to 2008.
The film was released on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on March 13, 2018. As of February 20, 2019, its estimated US home media sales were $1,288,213.
Reception[]
Box office[]
The Disaster Artist grossed $21.1 million in the United States and Canada and $8.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $29.8 million, against a production budget of $10 million.
The film grossed $1.2 million from 19 theaters in its limited opening weekend, finishing 12th at the box office and averaging $64,254 per venue, one of the highest averages of 2017. The film had its wide expansion the following week, alongside the opening of Just Getting Started and I, Tonya and was projected to gross around $5 million from 840 theaters over the weekend. It ended up making $6.4 million, finishing 4th at the box office. The following week, despite being added to 170 additional theaters, the film dropped a more-than-expected 57% to $2.7 million, finishing 8th. In its third weekend of wide release it made $884,576 ($1.2 million over the four day Christmas frame), dropping to 17th.
Critical response[]
The Disaster Artist received a standing ovation at its initial screening at South by Southwest. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Disaster Artist holds an approval rating of 91% based on 350 professional reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. Its critical consensus reads, "Oh, hai Mark. The Disaster Artist is a surprisingly poignant and charming movie-about-a-movie that explores the creative process with unexpected delicacy." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned The Disaster Artist a score of 76 out of 100 based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film an 81% overall positive score and a 66% "definite recommend".
Erik Childress of The Playlist dubbed James Franco's performance his "best... since his Oscar-nominated turn in 127 Hours." Further, he wrote that "as a director it is nice to finally see him embrace the comfort zone of comedy with enough cameos to rival Robert Altman's The Player." Peter Debruge of Variety said it had a "genuine capacity to delight, whether or not the audiences in question have seen The Room."
Writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, saying: "As a director, Franco succeeds beautifully at bringing coherence to chaos, a word that accurately describes the making of this modern midnight-movie phenomenon. Do you need to see The Room to appreciate The Disaster Artist? Not really." Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a hilarious, heartening celebration of failure".
Manohla Dargis of The New York Times wrote that it is "a divertingly funny movie, but its breeziness can also feel overstated, at times glib and a bit of a dodge". Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film three out of five stars, writing that it brings up unanswered questions, and "has room for improvement". Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club gave the film a rating of "C", calling it a "lousy tribute" and asking, "will anyone who hasn't seen The Room actually be able to piece together a sense of this Z-grade sensation from watching The Disaster Artist?"
Accolades[]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | March 4, 2018 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Nominated | |
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 8, 2018 | Best Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Nominated | |||
| Casting Society of America | January 18, 2018 | Studio or Independent – Comedy | Rich Delia | Nominated | |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | December 12, 2017 | Best Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Nominated | |||
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | January 11, 2018 | Best Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Nominated | |||
| Best Comedy | The Disaster Artist | Nominated | |||
| Best Actor in a Comedy | James Franco | Won | |||
| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association | December 13, 2017 | Best Actor | James Franco | 2nd Place | |
| Detroit Film Critics Society | December 7, 2017 | Best Film | The Disaster Artist | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | James Franco | Won | |||
| Dorian Awards | February 24, 2018 | Best Performance of the Year – Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Campy Film of the Year | The Disaster Artist | Nominated | |||
| Empire Awards | March 18, 2018 | Best Comedy | The Disaster Artist | Nominated | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle | December 23, 2017 | Best Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Runner-up | |||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | January 12, 2018 | Best Picture | The Disaster Artist | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Won | |||
| Golden Globe Awards | January 7, 2018 | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | The Disaster Artist | Nominated | |
| Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | James Franco | Won | |||
| Golden Tomato Awards | January 3, 2018 | Best Comedy Movie 2017 | The Disaster Artist | 3rd Place | |
| Gotham Awards | November 27, 2017 | Best Actor | James Franco | Won | |
| Hollywood Film Awards | November 5, 2017 | Hollywood Screenwriter Award | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Won | |
| Houston Film Critics Society | January 6, 2018 | Best Actor | James Franco | Won | |
| IGN Awards | December 19, 2017 | Best Comedy Movie | The Disaster Artist | Nominated | |
| Best Lead Performer in a Movie | James Franco | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | James Franco | Nominated | |||
| Independent Spirit Awards | March 3, 2018 | Best Male Lead | James Franco | Nominated | |
| IndieWire Critics Poll | December 19, 2017 | Best Actor | James Franco | 4th Place | |
| London Film Critics Circle | January 28, 2018 | Actor of the Year | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | January 12, 2018 | Best Actor | James Franco | Runner-up | |
| National Board of Review | January 9, 2018 | Top Ten Films | The Disaster Artist | Won | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Won | |||
| Online Film Critics Society | December 28, 2017 | Best Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Runner-up | |||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | December 11, 2017 | Best Actor | James Franco | Runner-up | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Won | |||
| Best Comedic Performance | James Franco | Runner-up | |||
| San Francisco Film Critics Circle | December 10, 2017 | Best Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Nominated | |||
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | September 30, 2017 | Golden Shell | The Disaster Artist | Won | |
| Feroz Zinemaldia Prize | The Disaster Artist | Won | |||
| Satellite Awards | February 10, 2018 | Best Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Won | |||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | January 21, 2018 | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Seattle Film Critics Society | December 18, 2017 | Best Picture | The Disaster Artist | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Nominated | |||
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | December 17, 2017 | Best Actor | James Franco | Runner-up | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Won | |||
| Best Scene | Sixty-seven takes of "I did not hit her" | Won | |||
| Toronto International Film Festival | September 17, 2017 | People's Choice Award, Midnight Madness | The Disaster Artist | 2nd Place | |
| USC Scripter Awards | February 10, 2018 | Best Screenplay | Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell | Nominated | |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | December 8, 2017 | Best Actor | James Franco | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Nominated | |||
| Writers Guild of America Awards | February 11, 2018 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber | Nominated |
Accuracy[]
Although based on a true story, the film dramatizes and omits several events:
- In the film Tommy gets the inspiration to write The Room simply as a feature film vehicle for him and Greg; in real life it started out as a play and Tommy was inspired after seeing The Talented Mr. Ripley.
- Greg's mother is a native French speaker and thus has a corresponding accent, which Greg used for his role in the horror movie Retro Puppet Master. Megan Mullally's portrayal of his mother does not have a distinct accent.
- While the turmoil on set is depicted in the film, the real-life production had a much higher turnover rate, going through three different sets of crew (opposed to just the two members fired in the film).
- At the time The Disaster Artist is set, Greg had never met Bryan Cranston in real life, and was not forced to choose between The Room and shooting an episode of Malcolm in the Middle. He was reluctant to shave his beard due to wanting to dissociate himself from The Room.
- While the film depicts the premiere of The Room being met with laughter and applause, the real initial screening was received poorly and many audience members walked out in the first five minutes; it took time for its cult status to develop.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
References[]
External links[]
- The Disaster Artist at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Disaster Artist at FilmAffinity
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