A Good Movie About a Bad Movie

Yes, admittedly, that sounds weird.  But "The Disaster Artist" is just that.   A comical retelling of the making of perhaps the worst movie ever made.

The latter would be something called "The Room" and frankly I knew nothing about this.  But, from what I gather it is legendary with those Friday midnight shows that played to college campuses about ten years ago.  Not being a college student at this time, I can see how I missed it.

James Franco is the director and star here in a tour de force effort that really is impressive.  Backtracking a bit, "The Room" was written and directed by this mysterious guy named Tommy Wiseau who apparently has access to money despite being most certainly clinically insane.   Wiseau struck up an odd relationship with an out-of-work actor Greg Sestero.   Together, they embark on an adventure that thousands of folks in Los Angeles do---making their own movie.

"The Disaster Artist" is about all that with James Franco as Wiseau and his own brother Dave as the needy and confused Greg.  How a seemingly smart guy like Sestero came under the web of the clearly cuckoo Wiseau is confusing but the end credits tell you they are still working together.  Hmmm.

The production of "The Room" as depicted in "The Disaster Artist" is laugh-out-loud hilarious as you watch people making a movie who clearly have no business doing just that.  The crew knows Wiseau is crazy but they hang in there for the job and ultimately the amusement.  The cool thing about "The Disaster Artist" is that it is peppered with wonderful cameos from the likes of Melanie Griffith, Sharon Stone, and Megan Mullally.  Moreover, supporting roles on the crew are essayed by Zac Efron and Seth Rogen and it's hard to believe that I enjoyed a movie both of those guys are in.

Being a person living in Los Angeles, I got a lot of the inside jokes and I am sure this film will be huge box office amongst the show biz crowd.  I mean, I recognized two locations used in the film from my own experiences...the NoHo Arts Center and the Crest movie theater in Westwood.   But I also think that mainstream audiences can appreciate the comic misadventures of Wiseau and Sestero.  Everybody knows somebody who has a dream, regardless of how strangely misguided it might be.

You laugh a lot at the ineptitude of the folks depicted in "The Disaster Artist" and that's a good thing today when good genuine comedy is hard to find.  It works in this movie because it is real.  At the end of the film, you see the scenes from the real version of "The Room" against what was recreated for "The Disaster Artist."  The attention to detail is amazing.   And you are laughing all over again.

Now I want to seek out "The Room" itself.   How bad can it be?   Well, I'm guessing pretty darn bad.   But see "The Disaster Artist" because it is pretty darn good.

LEN'S RATING:  Three-and-a-half stars.

Dinner last night:  Cream of tomato soup.