For those like me who are big fans of Tommy Wiseau's disastrous melodrama The Room, we've been eagerly anticipating The Disaster Artist since it was first announced. James Franco stars in and directs this adaptation of Greg Sestero's first-hand account of what it was like to work on such an insane film.
While the first trailer focused on the humor and behind-the-scenes absurdity, this new one clearly shows the film's ambitions for major end-of-year awards. It also never mentions the name of the movie they're making, so A24 is definitely trying to pick up some people who are fans of James Franco and co-star Seth Rogen, but may have no clue what The Room is.
So whether you just like comedy or have a long-term relationship with loving Tommy Wiseau's masterpiece, this film is going to be right up your (fake) alley.
The Disaster Artist opens in limited release on December 1 before going wide on December 8.
About Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about.
I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague.
Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work.
In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo.
I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.
