This is the validation his fans have been waiting for the last few years.
Star and director James Franco has crafted one of the biggest Oscar-bait movies this season in The Disaster Artist, a re-creation of the making of The Room, widely regarded as one of the worst movies ever made. Having never seen that film, I wasn't entirely sure what I was walking into. Thankfully, Franco and his filmmaking team make it totally accessible, and by the end I felt that I had seen all of The Room that I will ever need to see. Franco himself plays that film's actor and director Tommy Wiseau, and his performance is one for the ages. A masterful blending of movement and vocal work, mystery, and stunningly perfect comedic delivery, Franco as Wiseau will surely be in the race for an Oscar.
The Disaster Artist chronicles the development and production of the cult film while it also recounts the affectionate friendship between Wiseau and Greg Sestero (played to perfection by Dave Franco), his line producer and fellow actor. The film is far more than a buddy bromance or situational comedy about failed moviemaking. It's a consummate work of art, a film about the artistic process and the toll it takes on his craftsmen. Not unlike Birdman and other films, it has both side-splitting humor and deeply moving pathos, asking the audience to consider our own perspective on celebrity life and movie culture, and ultimately what we would do in pursuit of our dreams. Like this film's depiction of Wiseau, is it so bad to "fail" when we managed to chase and achieve our own goals?
As a movie about movies, this flick is also a meta-commentary on filmmaking, and in that regard Franco shines still more bright. He has loaded the film with stars and cameos, from Bryan Cranston playing himself to Jacki Weaver (who always deserves more screen time) as a supporting actress. Josh Hutcherson and Zac Efron pop in as newbie actors, Alison Brie and Sharon Stone and Megan Mullally play some of the women in Sestero's life. Really, the whole thing sounds like an ensemble piece. But it's not, and though it could have easily been an old fashioned madcap comedy, Franco -- I think rightly -- keeps everything realistic. Bizarre, certainly, but grounded in honest hopes and fears that resonate in an age when art and freedom of expression are being assailed by our government.
And, of course, it's just fabulous entertainment.
IMDb: The Disaster Artist
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