When you look at the face of the actual Tommy Wiseau, there is real pain there. That face has been through something dark and mysterious. It’s a miracle that Wiseau survived his past to become such a fearless optimist. He ignored everyone who told him that “going for the Hollywood dream” was foolish. James Franco, in make-up as Tommy, balances that darkness with humor. Mind you, it is entirely intentional this time. Franco channels Wiseau’s mannerisms and speech patterns resulting in a hypnotic performance. The Academy would be negligent if they forgot to nominate Franco come Oscar time. Additionally, the make-up team must be nominated as Franco’s performance is made complete by that face.
There are so many other notable performances, including Paul Scheer, Seth Rogen, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson, and you can see the delight with which all of them rise to the occasion in faithfully re-creating what it must’ve been like to be on the insane set of The Room. In particular, Dave Franco acting with his brother, as Sestero, is especially touching.
“…a remarkable achievement considering director James Franco was able to balance playing the role of Tommy and directing the film… in character!“
I’m not ashamed to admit that the final moments of The Disaster Artist, which transition to real video footage of Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero, made me well up with tears. James Franco tore me apart. The Disaster Artist is a strange validation of Wiseau’s talent. Take your conventional ranking systems of what makes something “quality” and throw them out the f*****g window. Anyone who has seen John Waters‘ brilliantly original Pink Flamingoes understands that our definitions of “beauty,” “quality,” and “success” are all bullshit. As the ultimate underdog, Tommy Wiseau defined his own success, and this is what makes him a hero both as a character in the film and real life.
James Franco and the entire Disaster Artist team have created a modern fable. Someone who went for their dream and achieved it in the most unlikely way possible. We can all relate.
"…Franco and the entire Disaster Artist team have created a modern fable."
