The Disaster Artist

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a film that is exceptionally fun to watch if you've seen The Room but doesn't offer much for those who haven't. I would give The Disaster Artist a 6.5/10.

This is a really strong example of a satirical biopic, you can't help but laugh at the absurdity of this true story and the seemingly random development of events and characters. The examination of Tommy Wiseau as a character is very interesting; you come to understand why people view him as a villain, while at the same time coming to grips with his almost tragic struggle living as an outsider and an oddity. The soundtrack for the film is a lot of fun and places you right back into the late 90s excellently; I personally quite enjoyed Corona's 'Rhythm of the Night' and how Franco made use of that song.

James Franco, who played Tommy, gives a remarkably strong performance as one of the leads for this film; Franco lends all his energy to crafting Tommy as an erratic, chaotic and fascinating individual. Seth Rogen, who played Sandy, lends a nice critical lens to this film; it's really enjoyable to watch Rogen scoff his way through the film belittling Franco's character. Zac Efron, who played Dan, plays a role that can really go between two hilarious extremes; Efron's tough and intense portrayal of a gangster mirrored by his more reasonable actor persona is one of the funnier aspects of the film. Megan Mullally, who played Mrs Sestero, gives quite an accurate portrayal as a frantic, frenzied mother; Mullally's conflict with Franco's role is a nice exchange at the front of the film.

However, the best performance came from Ari Graynor, who played Juliette. This is a role I was surprised by, I didn't really know what to make of the actress who would be portraying the leading woman from The Room but I was pleasantly surprised. Graynor delivers an ecstatic character, who is grounded in a passion to find her big break and make a respectable acting career for herself. Yet the challenges she faces on-camera are ones that you can't help but feel uncomfortable with at times, it's an aspect of the film that feels like it really has something to say. Overall, Graynor portrays an actress who is embarrassed by the film but is a character you really care about as an audience member.

The Disaster Artist is let down because it doesn't always feel like it has something to tell, there will be incredibly long moments where the narrative doesn't further itself and the pacing slows right down. This is ultimately because the film only really knows how to express itself in two ways; it can either push an exaggerated comedic style or a flat telling of the making of The Room. This is the sort of movie that can be made purely from googling facts off a Wikipedia page and it doesn't exactly show a great deal of insight into characters or the film's events. The cinematography is boring to watch, with scenes feeling tight and cramped. The editing goes completely hand in hand with this, allowing for a gradual and boring progression of plot and visuals.

Dave Franco, who played Greg, shows in this film that he can't really succeed at delivering a serious leading role; Franco's flat tone and emotionless portrayal makes him hard to connect with. Alison Brie, who played Amber, is really only in this film to incite conflict in the plot and does little else; Brie's role as a love interest doesn't work due to the lack of chemistry between herself and Franco. Jacki Weaver, who played Carolyn, doesn't have a great deal of screen presence in this film; Weaver's role sadly feels like an afterthought as another means to film time and point out a flaw in The Room. Paul Scheer, who played Raphael, is eclipsed throughout this film by Rogen; Scheer certainly tries to push his role in his scenes but he ultimately comes off as one character too many. Josh Hutcherson, who played Philip, seems like an awkward choice for casting; Hutcherson feels apart from the rest of the cast and doesn't always look like he knows what he's doing. Jason Mantzoukas and Hannibal Buress, who played Peter and Bill respectively, are very mundane characters who are surprisingly not funny for a pair of strong comedic talents; Mantzoukas and Buress are cameos that fail to pay off and just wind up with too much screen time. Nathan Fielder, who played Kyle Vogt, is often in this film to be background filler; Fielder feels more like a stand-in to ham up The Room scenes rather than an actual character. Charlyne Yi, who played Safoya, is quite a timid role that never much makes her mark upon this film; Yi attempts to be humourous but her attempts at comedy often fall flat.