The Disaster Artist

The Disaster Artist (2017) is about how one of the worst films ever made got made. Greg Sestero meets Tommy Wiseau in an acting class in San Francisco. Wiseau speaks with an accent nobody can place, will not say his age, will not say where he is from, and will not say where his money comes from. The two move to Los Angeles. Unable to get work, Wiseau decides to make his own film: The Room. The shoot is chaos. He writes, directs, stars and finances it. Film and video cameras run at the same time because he does not know the difference. Dozens of takes are needed because he cannot remember his own lines. At some point the crew stops asking what he is doing. The film does not mock him, and that is its real achievement. Wiseau is given not as a joke but as a man with no ability at all who refuses to give up. It is adapted from Greg Sestero's memoir. James Franco directed and played Wiseau, staying in character throughout; he used the accent on set as well. Over the credits the original scenes and the recreations are shown side by side, and the likeness is startling. Where Wiseau's money came from and where he is from are still unknown. It runs 104 minutes. Good for: films about filmmaking, black comedy, and true stories. Less good for: some jokes need knowledge of The Room, and the humour is painful in places.