The Room & The Disaster Artist

DISCLAIMER: I neither intend to make any judgments, mock, nor bully any individuals in this article.

< This is an unconventional number in this series where I talk about two unconventional films for an exceptional, unconventional film experience >

The Room (2003)

Written, produced, and directed by (and starting) Tommy Wiseau

*SPOILER FREE

It is time that we talk about the elephant in Hollywood, the greatest worst film ever made, the "Citizen Kane of bad movies", the 2003 anti-masterpiece The Room.

The Room is a romantic drama (or so it was meant to be) following Johnny, a San Franciscan successful banker who lives happily and quietly with his fiancée Lisa who cheats on him with his best friend Mark.

This is the very definition of a messy film, the bizarre plot, the inconsistencies, the narrative flaws, the confused characters and acting, the irrelevance and the technically incorrect sex that goes in the billy button scenes, this a disaster story and storytelling that - by some mysterious force by the God of cinema - becomes a bliss, sets on the top of the world, and achieves what every film hopes to achieve.

This is an experience of a lifetime, a fun ride of a different kind. Sitting through this film is so hilarious that you feel like you're sitting on a nuclear bomb that's falling down and it's tickling you, you're not sure if you'll die from the blast first or from laughter.

The Room, despite its horrible making process and catastrophic fate, is so bad that it's so great, it had a cult-following, was re-released in theaters in different occasions and it had a remarkable success and thrived in popular culture, a documentary was made about it, a musical, a video game, and two books were written on it, including The Disaster Artist, which leads us to our second feature in this article:

The Disaster Artist (2017)

Directed by (and starting as Tommy Wiseau) James Franco

*SPOILER FREE

We have a saying in Arabic that translates as "the misfortunes of some people are advantages to others". The misfortune of The Room was an advantage to The Disaster Artist.

The Disaster Artist is a biographical comedy-drama following Tommy Wiseau and his unlikely friendship with actor Greg Sestero that results in the production of Wiseau's 2003 film The Room, the worst film ever made.

Based on The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero & Tom Bissell, this is a masterful adaptation and, unlike its subject film, one of the best biographies in 21st century cinema.

James Franco who acts and directs in and as The Disaster Artist about an artist who acts and directs.. wait, yes that was right, continue.. makes a work of craftsmanship behind the camera and in front of it, alongside an A cast of comedic actors including Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, and Tommy Wiseau himself.

The Disaster Artist is a satirical masterpiece, a disaster re-imagined and re-created with class. This is cinema reminding us that at the end of the day, good artists and bad artists, aspire to... okay I'm going to stop here.

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The Room is available to watch on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video

The Disaster Artist is available to watch on Google Play, HBO Max, and on Amazon Prime Video

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