The Disaster Artist (film)
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''The Disaster Artist'' is a 2017 American
biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
starring, co-produced and directed by
James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-Ma ...
. It was written by
Scott Neustadter Scott Eric Neustadter (; born 1977) is an American screenwriter and producer. He often works with his writing partner, Michael H. Weber. The two writers are best known for writing the screenplay for the romantic comedy film ''500 Days of Summer' ...
and Michael H. Weber, based on
Greg Sestero Gregory Sestero (born July 15, 1978) is an American actor, filmmaker, model and author, best known for his role as Mark in the 2003 cult film ''The Room'', as well as for his well-received memoir ''The Disaster Artist'', detailing his experiences ...
and
Tom Bissell Tom Bissell (born January 9, 1974) is an American journalist, critic, and fiction writer. In 2021, he co-developed the television series ''The Mosquito Coast (TV series), The Mosquito Coast'' based on the novel of the same name. He is also known ...
's 2013 non-fiction book of the same title. The film chronicles an unlikely friendship between aspiring actors
Tommy Wiseau Thomas P. Wiseau ( or ) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for writing, producing, directing, and starring in the 2003 film ''The Room'', which has been described by many critics as one of the List of films considered the worst, w ...
and Sestero that results in the production of Wiseau's 2003 film ''
The Room ''The Room'' is a 2003 American drama film written, produced, executive produced and directed by Tommy Wiseau, who stars in the film alongside Juliette Danielle and Greg Sestero. The film centers on a melodramatic love triangle between amiable ...
'', widely considered one of the worst films ever made. ''The Disaster Artist'' stars brothers James and
Dave Franco David John Franco (born June 12, 1985) is an American actor. He began his career with small roles in films such as '' Superbad'' (2007) and '' Charlie St. Cloud'' (2010). Following a starring role in the ninth season of the comedy series '' Scr ...
as Wiseau and Sestero, respectively, alongside a supporting cast featuring
Alison Brie Alison Brie Schermerhorn (born December 29, 1982) is an American actress. Her breakthrough came with the role of Trudy Campbell in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), which won her a Screen Actors Guild Award. She gained recognition fo ...
,
Ari Graynor Ariel Geltman Graynor (born April 27, 1983) is an American actress, known for her roles in TV series such as ''I'm Dying Up Here'', ''The Sopranos'' and ''Fringe'', in stage productions such as ''Brooklyn Boy'' and ''The Little Dog Laughed'', and ...
,
Josh Hutcherson Joshua Ryan Hutcherson (born October 12, 1992) is an American actor and producer. Hutcherson began acting in the early 2000s and appeared in several commercials and minor film and television roles before landing his first major role in 2002 in ...
,
Jacki Weaver Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s as a symbol of the Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as '' Stork'' (1971), ''Alvin Purp ...
, and
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...
.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began on December 8, 2015. A work-in-progress cut of the film premiered at
South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
on March 12, 2017; it was later screened at the
2017 Toronto International Film Festival The 42nd annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 7 to 17 September 2017. There were fourteen programmes, with the Vanguard and City to City programmes both being retired from previous years, with the total number of films down b ...
on September 11, and also played at the 2017
San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in th ...
, where it became the first American film to win its top prize, the
Golden Shell The Golden Shell ( es, Concha de Oro; eu, Urrezko Maskorra) is the highest prize given to a competing film at the San Sebastián Film Festival. It was introduced in 1957. In 1953 and 1954, the highest prize had been called the Gran Premio. In 19 ...
, since ''
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers ''A Thousand Years of Good Prayers'' is a 2007 American drama film directed by Wayne Wang and starring Faye Yu, Henry O, Vida Ghahremani and Pasha D. Lychnikoff. It is adapted from the short story by Yiyun Li and shot on a high-end high-def ...
'' in 2007. Distributed by
A24 A24 is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. It is based in New York City. A24 was founded in 2012 by Daniel Katz, David Fenkel and John Hodges. Pr ...
in North America and
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...
internationally, ''The Disaster Artist'' began a
limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
on December 1, 2017, before opening wide on December 8, 2017. It received positive reviews from critics, with the chemistry of the Francos and their portrayals of Wiseau and Sestero, as well as the film's humor and screenplay, receiving praise, and was chosen by the
National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...
as one of the top ten films of 2017. At the
75th Golden Globe Awards The 75th Golden Globe Awards honored film and American television of 2017, and was broadcast live on January 7, 2018, from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST by NBC. This Golden ...
, James Franco won the award for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy; the film was also nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Franco also received a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at the 24th Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the film earned a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the
90th Academy Awards The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2017, and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was held on March 4, ...
.


Plot

In
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
in 1998, 19-year-old Greg Sestero befriends Tommy Wiseau in Jean Shelton's acting class after Tommy gives a protracted and bizarre interpretation of a scene from ''
A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...
''. Greg is impressed by Tommy's fearlessness, though Tommy also exhibits unusual habits and mannerisms; for instance, he can afford apartments in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, but he will not discuss his personal life or the source of his wealth. Tommy also insists he is from
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
, despite his pronounced European accent. At Tommy's suggestion, the two move to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to pursue acting careers. Greg signs with talent agent
Iris Burton Iris Burton (born Iris Burstein, September 4, 1930 – April 5, 2008) was an American dancer and talent agent, who discovered and represented many famous child actors during her career. Personal life and early career Burton was born as Iris ...
and regularly attends auditions. At the same time, Tommy is consistently rejected by agencies, acting teachers, casting directors, and producers. He also seems to think that Amber, Greg's new girlfriend, is sabotaging his friendship with Greg. When Greg's auditions begin to dry up because of his lack of talent, he shares his frustrations with Tommy, who decides to make a film for them to star in. Tommy writes the screenplay for ''The Room'', a
melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
about a
love triangle A love triangle or eternal triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with so ...
between banker Johnny (played by Tommy), his fiancée Lisa, and his best friend Mark (played by Greg, who is also given a
line producer A line producer is a type of film or television producer who is the head of the production office management personnel during daily operations of a feature film, advertisement film, television film, or TV program. A line producer usually works on o ...
credit). They rent production space from Birns & Sawyer, from whom Tommy insists on buying, rather than renting, all of the production equipment he will need. He also decides to shoot the film on
35 mm film 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film 35 mm film is a film gauge used in filmmaking, and the film standard. In motion pictures that record on f ...
and HD Digital simultaneously, which is another costly and unnecessary measure. The production house employees introduce Tommy to Raphael Smadja and Sandy Schklair, who are hired as cinematographer and script supervisor, respectively. Actress
Juliette Danielle Juliette Danielle Worden (born December 8, 1980) is an American actress best known for portraying Lisa, the love interest of Johnny in the 2003 film '' The Room''. Career ''The Room'' Danielle was the female lead in Tommy Wiseau's cult film ''Th ...
is cast as Lisa. Production starts relatively smoothly, but Tommy's controlling behavior and inexperience cause the situation to deteriorate. He forgets his lines, arrives late, and refuses to supply his crew with basic needs, such as drinking water and air conditioning. No one receives a full script, and the cast and crew are baffled by the film's nonsensical plot and Tommy's inexplicable directorial and acting choices. During preparation for a sex scene, which is being filmed shortly after Greg has told Tommy that he is moving in with Amber, Tommy refuses to film on a closed set, doesn't put on a robe between scenes, and humiliates Juliette by pointing out the acne on her shoulder to the entire crew. When confronted about this, Tommy responds by revealing that he regularly watches the extensive behind-the-scenes footage of the production, so he knows what the cast and crew members have been saying about him behind his back, and he accuses everyone, including Greg, of not supporting his vision. While ''The Room'' is still filming, Greg and Amber run into
Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...
, who is in the same Pilates class as Amber, at a cafe. He says he is directing an upcoming episode of the TV show he is on, ''
Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American family television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes. The series follows a dysfunctional ...
'', and invites Greg to play a lumberjack, mainly because Greg has a beard. Greg is scheduled to shave his beard soon for ''The Room'', so he begs Tommy to delay shooting those scenes, but Tommy refuses. Greg reluctantly chooses to finish the film and give up the opportunity to be on ''Malcolm''. On the last day of shooting, which is on location back in San Francisco, a frustrated Greg accuses Tommy of selfishness and duplicity throughout their friendship and questions his actual age and origins. The two fight, and Greg storms off. By June 2003, Amber and Greg have split up, and Greg has started working in theatre. Tommy has finished work on ''The Room'' in the eight months since their falling out, and he invites Greg to the premiere. Greg initially is reluctant, but Tommy convinces him to come and, to his surprise, the entire cast and crew also attend. The capacity audience reacts with bemused silence and then, increasingly, with laughter to Tommy's poor performance, script, and film making techniques. A devastated Tommy storms out of the theater, but Greg brings him back and points out that the audience's enthusiastic response is something to be proud of while reconciling their friendship. With renewed optimism, Tommy takes the stage as ''The Room'' ends and expresses his appreciation of the warm reception for his "comedic" film. He invites Greg to join him, and the pair receive a standing ovation. In a
post-credits scene A post-credits scene (commonly referred to as a stinger or credit cookie) or mid-credits scene is a short clip that appears after all or some of the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV series, or video g ...
, Tommy meets Henry, a partygoer (played by the actual Tommy Wiseau) who asks Tommy if he wants to hang out. He refuses, though he does recognize Henry's familiar "New Orleans" accent.


Cast

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...
,
Ike Barinholtz Isaac Barinholtz (born February 18, 1977) is an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer. He is best known for his starring roles in the comedy series ''MADtv'' (2002–2007), '' Eastbound & Down'' (2012), ''The Mindy Project'' (20 ...
, Adam Scott,
Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...
,
Keegan-Michael Key Keegan-Michael Key (born March 22, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He co-created and co-starred alongside Jordan Peele in Comedy Central's sketch series ''Key & Peele'' (2012–2015) and co-starred in USA Netw ...
,
Lizzy Caplan Elizabeth Anne Caplan (born June 30, 1982) is an American actress. Her first acting role was on the television series ''Freaks and Geeks'' (1999–2000). She received wider recognition with roles in the films ''Mean Girls'' (2004) and ''Cloverfi ...
,
Danny McBride Daniel Richard McBride (born December 29, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. He starred in the HBO television series ''Eastbound & Down'', '' Vice Principals'', and ''The Righteous Gemstones'', also co-creating th ...
and
J. J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as '' Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' F ...
appear as themselves in a prologue discussing ''The Room'' and its reputation. Other roles include John Early as Burton's executive assistant Chris Snyder,
Joe Mande Joseph Mande (born March 16, 1983) is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. Early life Mande was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico to Louis Mande, a lawyer, and Deborah Mande, a judge. He moved to St. Paul, Minnesota at the age of te ...
as DP Todd Barron,
Charlyne Yi Charlyne Amanda Yi (born January 4, 1986) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and writer. Their performances include music, magic, games, and often audience participation. Their screenwriting debut, the feature film '' Paper Heart'', wo ...
as
costume designer A costume designer is a person who designs costumes for a film, stage production or television show. The role of the costume designer is to create the characters' outfits or costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. The costume ...
Safowa Bright-Asare, Kelly Oxford as
makeup artist A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions incl ...
Amy Von Brock, Tom Franco as Karl,
Zoey Deutch Zoey Francis Chaya Thompson Deutch ( ; born November 10, 1994) is an American actress. She is daughter of director Howard Deutch and actress-director Lea Thompson. She gained recognition for her roles in the film '' Everybody Wants Some!!'', t ...
as Tommy's acting classmate Bobbi,
Sugar Lyn Beard Stephanie Lyn Beard (born August 27, 1981), better known by her stage name Sugar Lyn Beard, is a Canadian actress and radio personality. Her radio host persona uses the name "Suga BayBee", and as co-host of YTV (TV channel), YTV's ''The Zone (YTV ...
as an actress auditioning for Lisa,
Brian Huskey Brian Huskey (born September 8, 1968) is an American character actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for his roles in comedy programs such as '' People of Earth'', ''Childrens Hospital'', ''Veep'', and ''Another Period''. He also provides ...
as a bank teller,
Randall Park Randall may refer to the following: Places United States *Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community * Randall, Indiana, a former town *Randall, Iowa, a city *Randall, Kansas, a city * Randall, Minneso ...
as Greg's acting classmate Rob, Jerrod Carmichael as an actor friend of Greg's, Casey Wilson as a casting director,
Lauren Ash Lauren Elizabeth Ash (born February 4, 1983) is a Canadian actress and comedian based in Los Angeles, but originally from Belleville, Ontario. Ash is best known among television audiences for her role as Dina Fox on the sitcom '' Superstore''. ...
as the florist in ''The Room''s "Hi, doggie" sequence, and
Angelyne Angelyne (born Ronia Tamar Goldberg, September 12, 1950) is an American singer, actress, media personality, and model who came to prominence in 1984 after the appearance of a series of iconic billboards in and around Los Angeles, California, wi ...
as herself.
Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...
makes an uncredited cameo appearance as himself. Greg Sestero appears as an assistant casting director, while Tommy Wiseau appears in a post-credits scene as a character named Henry.


Production


Development

In February 2014, Seth Rogen's production company
Point Grey Pictures Point Grey (PGP) is an American independent film and television production company founded in 2011 by Canadian comedians and filmmakers, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. History Founded by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in February 12, 2011, the com ...
announced it had acquired the book and
film rights A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
to ''The Disaster Artist''. James Franco was set to direct and play Wiseau, and his brother Dave Franco was cast as Sestero. James Franco stated ''The Disaster Artist'' was "a combination of ''
Boogie Nights ''Boogie Nights'' is a 1997 American period comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It is set in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley and focuses on a young nightclub dishwasher who becomes a popular star of pornographic fil ...
'' and '' The Master''". According to Franco, Wiseau initially had hoped
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
would play him. In April 2016, the title was reported to have changed from ''The Disaster Artist'' to ''The Masterpiece'', though ''The Disaster Artist'' was confirmed as the official title when the film's SXSW premiere was announced.


Casting

In June 2014, James Franco's younger brother, Dave Franco, informally announced at a midnight showing of ''The Room'' that he had been cast in the co-starring role of Greg Sestero. Wiseau praised the decision in a Q&A session. The film is the first collaboration of James and brother Dave, as the younger Franco has said that he had sought different projects deliberately, specifying in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, "I didn't want people to think I was riding his coattails." As
New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...
sought to acquire ''The Disaster Artist'' in October 2015, one of the film's producers, and frequent Franco collaborator, Seth Rogen, was in negotiations to play ''The Room''s
script supervisor A script supervisor (also called continuity supervisor or script) is a member of a film crew who oversees the continuity of the motion picture including wardrobe, props, set dressing, hair, makeup and the actions of the actors during a scene. The ...
, Sandy Schklair. The remainder of the principal cast were revealed in the days prior to the beginning of filming, in early December 2015: Josh Hutcherson as Philip Haldiman, Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle, Jacki Weaver as Carolyn Minnott, Hannibal Buress as Bill Meur, Andrew Santino as Scott Holmes, and
Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' trilo ...
as Dan Janjigian. Dave Franco's wife, Alison Brie, joined the cast in the role of Sestero's then-girlfriend, Amber, and
Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress. Known for primarily playing femme fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the recipient of various ...
was later announced to have been cast as Hollywood
talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...
Iris Burton. Sestero stated in January 2016 that Bryan Cranston had been cast in the film in an undisclosed role. In November 2016, he was revealed to be playing himself during his time working on ''Malcolm in the Middle''.


Filming

Principal photography began on December 8, 2015, in Los Angeles, and ended on January 28, 2016. Among the locations used was The Ojai Apartments on Whitley Terrace in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
. Dave Porter composed the film's score.


Release

The film had its premiere, in a work-in-progress form, at South by Southwest on March 12, 2017. In May 2017, A24 acquired distribution rights to the film, and set the film for a limited release on December 1, 2017, before a
wide release In the American motion picture industry, a wide release (short for nationwide release) is a film playing at the same time at cinemas in most markets across the country. This is in contrast to the formerly common practice of a roadshow theatrical re ...
on December 8.
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of ...
distributes the film internationally, and it received an
IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...
release in selected areas as well. On October 25, 2017, A24 mounted a billboard on Highland Avenue in Los Angeles that replicated the original ''The Room'' billboard that Wiseau kept up from 2003 to 2008. The film was released on
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
,
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
and digital download on March 13, 2018. As of February 20, 2019, its estimated US home media sales were $1,288,213.


Reception


Box office

''The Disaster Artist'' grossed $21.1 million in the United States and Canada and $8.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $29.8 million, against a production budget of $10 million. The film grossed $1.2 million from 19 theaters in its limited opening weekend, finishing 12th at the box office and averaging $64,254 per venue, one of the highest averages of 2017. The film had its wide expansion the following week, alongside the opening of ''
Just Getting Started ''Just Getting Started'' is the seventh studio album by the Canadian rock band Loverboy, released in 2007. It was their first album of original material since 1997, and their first album to feature bassist Ken Sinnaeve. For fans who purchase ...
'' and ''
I, Tonya ''I, Tonya'' is a 2017 American biographical film directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Steven Rogers. It follows the life and career of the American figure skater Tonya Harding and her connection with the 1994 attack on her rival Nancy ...
'' and was projected to gross around $5 million from 840 theaters over the weekend. It ended up making $6.4 million, finishing 4th at the box office. The following week, despite being added to 170 additional theaters, the film dropped a more-than-expected 57% to $2.7 million, finishing 8th. In its third weekend of wide release it made $884,576 ($1.2 million over the four day Christmas frame), dropping to 17th.


Critical response

''The Disaster Artist'' received a standing ovation at its initial screening at South by Southwest. On the
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, ''The Disaster Artist'' holds an approval rating of based on professional reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "Oh, hai Mark. ''The Disaster Artist'' is a surprisingly poignant and charming movie-about-a-movie that explores the creative process with unexpected delicacy."
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned ''The Disaster Artist'' a score of 76 out of 100 based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by
PostTrak PostTrak is a U.S.-based service that surveys film audiences for film studios. History The service conducts surveys in the top 20 markets in the U.S. and Canada with the use of polling cards and electronic kiosks. A PostTrak report for a film ...
gave the film an 81% overall positive score and a 66% "definite recommend". Erik Childress of ''The Playlist'' dubbed James Franco's performance his "best... since his Oscar-nominated turn in ''
127 Hours ''127 Hours'' is a 2010 biographical psychological survival drama film co-written, produced and directed by Danny Boyle. The film stars James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn and Clémence Poésy. In the film, canyoneer Aron Ralston must find a ...
.''" Further, he wrote that "as a director it is nice to finally see him embrace the comfort zone of comedy with enough cameos to rival Robert Altman's '' The Player.''" Peter Debruge of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said it had a "genuine capacity to delight, whether or not the audiences in question have seen ''The Room''." Writing for ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'',
Peter Travers Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...
gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, saying: "As a director, Franco succeeds beautifully at bringing coherence to chaos, a word that accurately describes the making of this modern midnight-movie phenomenon. Do you need to see ''The Room'' to appreciate ''The Disaster Artist''? Not really."
Justin Chang Justin Choigee Chang (born January 3, 1983) is an American film critic and columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times''. He previously worked for ''Variety''. Early life Justin Chang graduated from the University of Southern California in 2004. Chan ...
of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' called the film "a hilarious, heartening celebration of failure".
Manohla Dargis Manohla June Dargis () is an American film critic. She is one of the chief film critics for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Career Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times'', ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that it is "a divertingly funny movie, but its breeziness can also feel overstated, at times glib and a bit of a dodge".
Peter Bradshaw Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''. Early life and education Bradshaw was educated at Haberdashers ...
of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the film three out of five stars, writing that it brings up unanswered questions, and "has room for improvement".
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Ignatiy Igorevich Vishnevetsky (; russian: Игнатий Игоревич Вишневецкий; born September 5, 1986)Vishnevetsky, Ignati''Time Indefinite'': "A Talk with Sergei Loznitsa" '' Mubi'' is a Russian-American film critic, essayi ...
of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the film a rating of "C", calling it a "lousy tribute" and asking, "will anyone who hasn't seen ''The Room'' actually be able to piece together a sense of this Z-grade sensation from watching ''The Disaster Artist''?"


Accolades


Accuracy

Although based on a true story, the film dramatizes and omits several events: * In the film Tommy gets the inspiration to write ''The Room'' simply as a feature film vehicle for him and Greg; in real life it started out as a play and Tommy was inspired after seeing ''
The Talented Mr. Ripley ''The Talented Mr. Ripley'' is a 1955 psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. This novel introduced the character of Tom Ripley, who returns in four subsequent novels. It has been adapted numerous times for screen, including ''Purpl ...
''. * Greg's mother is a native French speaker and thus has a corresponding accent, which Greg used for his role in the horror movie ''Retro Puppet Master''. Megan Mullally's portrayal of his mother does not have a distinct accent. * While the turmoil on set is depicted in the film, the real-life production had a much higher turnover rate, going through three different sets of crew (opposed to just the two members fired in the film). * At the time ''The Disaster Artist'' is set, Greg had never met Bryan Cranston in real life, and was not forced to choose between ''The Room'' and shooting an episode of ''Malcolm in the Middle''. He was reluctant to shave his beard due to wanting to dissociate himself from ''The Room''. * While the film depicts the premiere of ''The Room'' being met with laughter and applause, the real initial screening was received poorly and many audience members walked out in the first five minutes; it took time for its cult status to develop.


Notes


References


External links

* * * *
''The Disaster Artist''
at ''
History vs. Hollywood ''History vs. Hollywood'' is a television show on the History (U.S. TV channel), History Channel in the United States. On the show, experts are interviewed on the historical accuracy of a film that is based on a historical event. For example, the ...
''
Official Screenplay
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