Oh, Hi Mark: The Disaster Artist

Well, what can I say James Franco has managed to take all of the strange and awkward energy that makes The Room a beautiful disaster and turned it into one of the best biopics in recent years. If you've seen the original you know this couldn't have been an easy feat to accomplish so hats off to James Franco for pulling off such an astounding task.

The Disaster Artist for those who may be out of the loop is a 2017 biographical comedy-drama about the making of the 2003 cult classic The Room which was directed, produced, written, and stars Tommy Wiseau. James Franco Plays the infamous Tommy Wiseau and Dave Franco plays Wiseau's best friend Greg Sestero. With actors such as Seth Rogan, Ari Graynor, Hannibal Buress, and Paul Scheer to name a few making up the rest of the cast who helped bring The Room to life.

Now let's get into it. From the moment James Franco steps on the stage (literally) and speaks I knew this movie was going to be hilarious. James Franco perfectly embodies Tommy Wiseau capturing all of his weird quirks, awkward sentences, and strange behaviors. Honestly, he deserves some recognition for his role as Wiseau. Dave Franco also does an amazing job of portraying Greg Sestero who is Tommy's loyal companion who he meets during acting classes and wants to believe his new best friend is actually a theatrical genius and not just a rapist vampire (one of my favorite jokes throughout the movie).

Starting from the moment Tommy and Greg meet to the end of the film, you will be laughing, especially if you've watched The Room previously (seriously if you haven't seen it you owe it to yourself to do so) and get the references they make throughout the film. The whole filmmaking process that Tommy puts the crew through seems like something pulled directly from a mockumentary. Which adds to the whole thing seeming like one huge prank on the crew and Greg...but, of course, this isn't a prank and Tommy was 100% serious.

All of the most memorable scenes from The Room make an appearance in The Disaster Artist, Denny awkwardly pillow fighting Lisa and Johnny, Johnny buying flowers, Johnny awkwardly laughing at domestic abuse,YOU'RE TEARING ME APART, LISA!, I did not hit her I did NOOOT Oh, Hi Mark, it's all present and just as hilarious as it was when it was still confusing the shit out of people back in the early 2000's. It's very apparent when watching The Disaster Artist that James Franco truly wanted to capture what it was like making The Room as he made sure to give life to all aspects of Tommy's insane project and the many mysteries surrounding it. You're never quite sure what the hell Tommy is talking about, you're certainly sure Tommy doesn't know how to structure a movie, and you're never sure how old he is, where he's from (he says New Orleans...but he's not fooling me), or where he's getting the money to fund the project from.

In the end, The Disaster Artist is a success on all fronts. It succeeds at being a buddy comedy, It succeeds at being a biopic, and it succeeds at capturing all the awfulness, awkwardness, bad acting, poor structure, and questionable behaviors of The Room and all involved in its production. If you're a fan of The Room you owe it to yourself to see this movie, and even if you haven't seen The Room but you want a good laugh you owe it to yourself to go see The Disaster Artist.

Score: 5/5