The Disaster Artist

Normally, when I see a cast with James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, and Zac Efron, I automatically add the film to my “avoid” list. But “The Disaster Artist” is no ordinary film. In fact, it’s an extraordinary film about another extraordinary film.

The film it’s about is “The Room.” For those who don’t know, “The Room” is famous for being the most poorly-made film of all time. But that’s not to say it’s disliked; on the contrary, many viewers can’t get enough of it, because it’s so bad it’s hilarious.

Before I delve into the film at hand, I will make some comments about “The Room.” I’ll admit that I’ve seen most of it. A friend recorded it from TV when it came out, and we watched it together. I was fortunate to have my friend there to fast-forward the several gratuitous, lengthy sex scenes. But there was still plenty of foul language, a bloody suicide, and no redemptive value. So I hope it’s needless to say that I do NOT recommend “The Room.” It would be a waste of your time.

Obviously, “The Disaster Artist” won’t mean as much to those who haven’t seen “The Room,” but I’m pretty sure it will still have something to offer, since it is based on a true story. It doesn’t just exist to mock “The Room,” but to show all sides of the story behind it. It portrays the emotions of the creators both before and after making the film, and does so in a very sensitive way. The film has been called “heartfelt” by many, and I found that word to be the perfect adjective for it. Even Tommy Wiseau, the creator of “The Room,” said that he likes it and agrees with it. That said, the film does not shy away from portraying the hilarious weirdness of the story either.

Unfortunately, there are a things the film SHOULD have shied away from. There are no bare breasts as there were in “The Room,” but James Franco’s hiny is shown several times; and there’s one scene where he’s seen entirely naked—except his sensitive privates are tied up in a bag. The filming of one of the sex scenes is then reenacted.

In addition to this, God’s name is misused 16 times (sometimes with d**n) and Jesus’ name is misused three times. There are a few uses of h**l, over 60 F-words, and over 25 vulgar scatalogical/body slang/derogatory words.

While I was disappointed that these things were portrayed, when there are plenty of better parts of the story they could have been portrayed, I was also pleasantly surprised in some ways. I went into the film expecting just a story, but not any particularly positive messages. But I found a surprising abundance of positive messages in the story.

Tommy and his friend Greg are both good and bad examples. They are generous to each other, they work together as a team, and they don’t give up on their goals. They applaud each other’s good and constructively criticize each other’s bad. When they don’t get along, they forgive each other later.

But the film also demonstrates how pride and stubbornness can lead to downfall. Tommy Wiseau often refused to listen to advice from more experienced filmmakers, acting like a know-it-all. He expected his whole film crew to just do whatever he said without question, which is not how any film crew works.

Sometimes he would also mistreat his crew when under pressure or frustration, putting them down or being unfair to them. (There are also a few suspiciously shady mysteries about him.) All these things played a direct role in how the film didn’t turn out how he’d planned. The ending is an example of how to look at the positive side of things when our plans don’t go the way we wanted.

It’s one of those films that may make you think how much differently things could have turned out if the people involved had been praying and making Godly decisions. And yet, without knowing it, even these filmmakers received grace from God in the end, just not quite how they had expected. How much more, then, should we be encouraged, knowing that we can pray to this gracious God and know that He is on our side if we obey Him!

So, in the end, “The Disaster Artist” is quite a mixed bag. There are lots of “TMI” moments that viewers have to tolerate, but the uplifting way the unique story is told just may get me to watch it again. Children shouldn’t see it at all, and no one should see it without very strong caution.

• Violence: Mild——a scuffling match, angry destruction of inanimate objects, and acting out some death scenes
• Profane language: Heavy—G*d-d*mn (4), Jesus Christ (1), J*sus (2), Oh my G*d (11), My G*d (2), d*mn (1), h*ll (1), holy sh*t
• Vulgar/Crude language: Extreme—also includes “c*cks**king m*therf***ker,” “p*ssy,” “v*g*na,” “d*ck,” “b*tch,” “a**h*le,” “a**,” “cr*p”
• Nudity: Very Heavy
• Sex: Very Heavy

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.