Before you dive into this review, please be aware this is for the book not the movie. (Although, I did see the movie prior to buying the book). For those of you who don’t know about ‘The Disaster Artist (the movie)’ it was written and directed by James Franco and tells the story of the making of ‘The Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made’ – The Room; written by, directed by, produced by and starring Tommy Wiseau. You definitely don’t need to see The Room to watch this movie (because it is freaking hilarious on its own) however, I would strongly suggest watching a youtube video on the best moments because it makes the experience so much more worthwhile. ANYWAY, after seeing this movie I was seriously interested to see what actually transpired on the set of The Room because let’s face it, 90% of movies don’t get all the details right. And lo and behold, Greg Sestero (the man who plays Mark) wrote a book.
This book is insanely detailed and really let’s you stare down the barrel of the gun that is Tommy Wiseau. Although there are a lot of aspects of his life we truly don’t know (how old is he, where is he actually from and WHERE does all his money come from) this book helps the reader understand who this quirky, vampire-like guy is. Don’t get me wrong, there are some seriously messed up things this guy does, from treating the cast and crew with immense disrespect to calling the main actress ‘ugly’ because she had a few blemishes. But overall, he’s like a weird adult child who is actually a really sensitive friendly albeit eccentric guy.
What I loved about this book is that not only did it guide you through day to day set life, but it also told the more intimate details of Greg and Tommy’s relationship. The advantages and the pitfalls to the truly awkward, cringing moments that made me take a breather.
I took a lot away from this book, not just the hilarity of The Room’s scenes but just how truly genuine Tommy Wiseau really is. He had a dream and he made it happen and screw what other people thought. He liked what he was doing, he believed in it and he did it (even if it didn’t turn out quite as he planned). Now years later, The Room has crazy cult success and with James Franco’s The Disaster Artist hitting theaters, there’s really no stopping his fame.
Overall, I’d say this book is an easy read and very interesting to say the least. I laughed, I teared up, I was appalled and I was satisfied with the ending. If you have the chance to read it, DO IT. If you’re any fan of the iconic film ‘The Room’ you will love this book. And with that I’ll say, ‘I did not hit her, it’s bullshit, I did not hit her. I DID NAAWWTT. Oh, hi Mark.’
Advertisements Share this:
