eading this book is like glimpsing the face of God - especially if that face were pockmarked, had black spaghetti noodles for hair, and no understanding whatsoever of the concept of irony. Yeah, that was a potshot at Tommy, but I swear it's the last one in this review.
Let me make this crystal clear: "The Disaster Artist" is a hilarious book. Greg Sestero has always been the voice of the audience (and our liaison) when it comes to solving the mystery that is Tommy Wiseau, and there couldn't be a better, wittier, or more delightfully self-deprecating guide to tenderly take your hand and lead you into the beautiful Samuel Beckett nightmare dystopia of "The Room." He did every fan of the Tommy Wiseau universe an incredible service by sharing the story behind some of the biggest enigmas of "The Room": Why does Johnny laugh at the fact that a woman was beaten up so badly she had to go to a hospital on Guerrero Street? What's the reason for there being two Peter the Psychologists? Why didn’t they just film the roof scenes on an actual roof? Where the heck does Tommy Wiseau come from, and how did he manage to raise millions of dollars to make this movie? Although not all mysteries are neatly solved, Sestero's narration does the near-impossible in contextualizing the life of Tommy Wiseau in such a way that all of his baffling directorial and acting choices, not least being the fact that he decided to make a movie in the first place, well, kind of make sense against the backdrop of Tommy’s very strange life.
Like I said, this book is incredibly funny - so much so, my level of enjoyment when reading was on par with the joy I experience every time I watch "The Room.” But “The Disaster Artist” is not a book that exploits the oddities of Tommy Wiseau for its own benefit, or to Tommy’s detriment. What makes this book transcend the boundaries of the exposé I initially expected it to be is the fact that Greg and Tommy find genuine friendship in each other, much to my bewilderment. More than that, there’s intense complexity, tension, jealousy, loyalty, and affection within their relationship, and Sestero demonstrates this beautifully. He’s managed both to give the audience all the juicy details we’ve wanted for a number of years, and to do so with immense sensitivity and empathy for his friend. He also reveals what I can only assume is a unifying experience of rejection and false hope for aspiring actors in Hollywood, and very poignantly demonstrates his own struggle to find his place in Tinseltown. I found the interplay between encouragement, competition, and outright jealousy between Tommy and Greg not only fascinating, but also very honest and refreshing. The “Talented Mr. Ripley” section of the book was one of the (many) moments when I found myself forgetting I was reading a book about how a movie was made rather than a prize-winning novel. *Side note: after the intensity of that segment, Tommy’s “Mark Damon” moment had me laughing for days… I’m having a laughing fit just thinking about it. It was such a perfect tonal shift, and one of many examples of Sestero’s abilities as a storyteller.* After reading about Sestero’s own journey, I feel so glad for him that he’s found in “The Room” prosperity and the affection of a very loyal audience of cult film enthusiasts (myself included).
When I started this book, Tommy was nothing more to me than a narcissistic oddball, or a specimen in a fish tank, albeit one who I found strangely charming and affectionate for all his idiosyncrasies. After finishing “The Disaster Artist,” though, I can clearly see all the ambiguities to Tommy’s personality that were so fastidiously hidden in “The Room.” He was at times frustrating, charitable, manipulative, courageous, obsessive, and even possibly vampiric in his nocturnal activities, along with a host of many other shades. I found myself utterly heartbroken for him at pivotal moments in the book, and by the time I arrived at the retelling of Tommy’s life story, honestly amazed at this individual’s sheer force of will. It is, quite simply, miraculous that the world has been given the gift of “The Room” given how utterly Sisyphean the journey to its completion really was, and I thank Tommy and everyone else involved for doing it.
Don’t get me wrong: Tommy is not Johnny, however much he’d like to be. But you know what? After reading “The Disaster Artist,” I can honestly say that I prefer Tommy. Johnny can leave his stupid comments in his pocket for all I care.
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Monika Reviews
A Great Tell-All Book About Sestero's Life and the Making of the Best Worst Movie Ever Made!!!
I'm absolutely stoked that James Franco is making a movie based on this book. With all the recent news about it, I decided to re-read it and get ready. First off, let me say that I had the pleasure of meeting Greg Sestero earlier this year during a screening of The Room. He signed my book and blu-ray copy of the film. He was very cool and laid back.Greg Sestero was a young struggling actor. He took Jean Shelton's acting classes and that's when he met Tommy Wiseau, the weirdest craziest guy you'll ever hear about. Their friendship is almost depressing because Tommy is much older, but very secretive about his age, his past, and where exactly he comes from. Everytime I read Tommy's dialog, I can't help but hear that strange accent. While Greg gets acting gigs for Retro Puppet Master, and Days of Our Lives, Tommy is still left in the darkness with no agents wanting him to be in a movie. Tommy goes through a deep depression, and begins writing a script for a movie called The RoomTommy Wiseau sounds like he is very difficult to work with; shouting at his actors, hiring and firing people, filming scenes that make no sense, forcing Greg to shave his beard, all while Tommy can't even remember half his lines or where to stand. It's funny, but sad at the same time because we sympathize with Greg for putting up with Tommy's shenanigans, we sympathize for Tommy because he just wants to be seen and wants people to know who he is. It's a great book for anyone that obsesses over The Room like I do. I highly recommend THE DISASTER ARTIST!!!
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