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mchester24's review
4.0
After having watched "The Room" numerous times (including at a screening attended by Tommy Wiseau himself) and getting excited about the movie made about this book, I came into reading this book with the same general questions everyone else has. Who is Tommy Wiseau? Why does he act the way he does? Where did he get the money to self-make this movie? And, most importantly to me, is Tommy in on the joke?
In the very readable first-hand account from the other main actor in "The Room," who also turned out to be Tommy's closest friend (though that seems to not be reciprocal), we get a resounding answer to that last question-- no. Tommy does in fact find his movie to be a masterpiece and elevates him as an actor to the level of his idols in Marlon Brando, James Dean, and the rest of the Hollywood elite.
While much of the book, like the viewing of "The Room", is taken up by simultaneously laughing, cringing, and simply feeling bewildered at the actions and decisions of Tommy Wiseau-- Greg Sistero also succeeds (as much as can be possible) in giving you a glimpse into Tommy's head. That insight shows that Tommy is indeed more than a self-congratulatory fool-- but also a rather tragic figure, an insecure and temperamental artist, a lonely and at times defeated man-- but a man so incredibly dedicated to proving his worth in this world, country, and the city of LA. Despite what you may think of him, he did succeed in making an impact on Hollywood-- it just isn't in the way he intended (though he won't hear any of that, nor will he ever).
By weaving together the story of the filming of "The Room" with the backstory of how he became Tommy's friend/tenant/roommate/employee/confidant, Greg Sistero manages to place the reader in Greg's own shoes and understand the force of personality that helped Tommy overcome the odds and get his movie made. For anyone who is a fan of this movie, you definitely won't regret picking up this book. If nothing else, during the time I read this book it gave me reason to look up clips of the movie on YouTube as they were being discussed in the book and laughing at them all over again, understanding the pain the other actors or the cameraman or the makeup artist was going through for that scene.
In the very readable first-hand account from the other main actor in "The Room," who also turned out to be Tommy's closest friend (though that seems to not be reciprocal), we get a resounding answer to that last question-- no. Tommy does in fact find his movie to be a masterpiece and elevates him as an actor to the level of his idols in Marlon Brando, James Dean, and the rest of the Hollywood elite.
While much of the book, like the viewing of "The Room", is taken up by simultaneously laughing, cringing, and simply feeling bewildered at the actions and decisions of Tommy Wiseau-- Greg Sistero also succeeds (as much as can be possible) in giving you a glimpse into Tommy's head. That insight shows that Tommy is indeed more than a self-congratulatory fool-- but also a rather tragic figure, an insecure and temperamental artist, a lonely and at times defeated man-- but a man so incredibly dedicated to proving his worth in this world, country, and the city of LA. Despite what you may think of him, he did succeed in making an impact on Hollywood-- it just isn't in the way he intended (though he won't hear any of that, nor will he ever).
By weaving together the story of the filming of "The Room" with the backstory of how he became Tommy's friend/tenant/roommate/employee/confidant, Greg Sistero manages to place the reader in Greg's own shoes and understand the force of personality that helped Tommy overcome the odds and get his movie made. For anyone who is a fan of this movie, you definitely won't regret picking up this book. If nothing else, during the time I read this book it gave me reason to look up clips of the movie on YouTube as they were being discussed in the book and laughing at them all over again, understanding the pain the other actors or the cameraman or the makeup artist was going through for that scene.
daumari's review
5.0
I listened to the audiobook version of this, and I truly believe this is the definitive way to consume this book. Sure, you could read The Disaster Artist at your own pace (often why I prefer dead tree editions to audiobooks), but the magic of this particular one is that [a:Greg Sestero|6949593|Greg Sestero|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] narrates his own (co-written) book, and absolutely nails Tommy Wiseau's vocal cadence. Part of this likely comes from their decade-long friendship; part of this is likely derived from Greg knowing French and having a French/Sicilian mother (who he also imbues with an accent whenever she appears).
It would definitely help if you've seen The Room before reading/listening to this book. I've seen James Franco's adaptation of this, and think he could've lingered a little longer on Greg's early days of acting (was he not able to get the rights to Retro Puppetmaster?), nor was the late act speculation on T./Pierre/Birdman's origin story before he became Thomas P. Wiseau.
It would definitely help if you've seen The Room before reading/listening to this book. I've seen James Franco's adaptation of this, and think he could've lingered a little longer on Greg's early days of acting (was he not able to get the rights to Retro Puppetmaster?), nor was the late act speculation on T./Pierre/Birdman's origin story before he became Thomas P. Wiseau.
deepbutdazzlingdarkness's review against another edition
4.0
“Tommy’s favorite American holiday was Thanksgiving, but he didn’t just celebrate Thanksgiving Day. He celebrated Thanksgiving Month, eating a full turkey dinner every day for the next thirty days. I once asked him about this. His explanation: “We live in America. Anything is possible. I love living American life.”
One of the funniest paragraphs I’ve ever read in my life. This book is so good and hilarious.
One of the funniest paragraphs I’ve ever read in my life. This book is so good and hilarious.
dhrvtika's review
4.5
The only thing more baffling about watching the room and wondering how it got made, is reading this book and still wondering how any of this happened
mcc's review against another edition
2.5
I chose this book because I wanted something lighthearted and many people said it was very funny. Well...I wasn't able to find the humor in it. I went through a whole range of emotions about this guy writing a book all about his "best friend" who is obsessed with secrecy about his life. I assumed they had ultimately had a falling out so was shocked to find that they still claim to be best friends to current day which just adds a lot to the fascinating complexity of the relationship between these two men. THAT is the real interesting story of this book.
I appreciate that Sistero wrote this book with some compassion, asking the right questions about what happened in Tommy Wiseau's past to make him the person he became, and I think he is probably right about the fact that a lot of it was trauma informed. Which is why I felt really bad and guilty listening to this account of "Hey, what a weirdo - right!?". I was glad he took it to another level rather than just poking fun at him (hence I threw in that extra half star), but it was still just super weird to be consuming this man's story told by someone else without it being clear whether or not he endorsed or gave consent to have this story told.
I appreciate that Sistero wrote this book with some compassion, asking the right questions about what happened in Tommy Wiseau's past to make him the person he became, and I think he is probably right about the fact that a lot of it was trauma informed. Which is why I felt really bad and guilty listening to this account of "Hey, what a weirdo - right!?". I was glad he took it to another level rather than just poking fun at him (hence I threw in that extra half star), but it was still just super weird to be consuming this man's story told by someone else without it being clear whether or not he endorsed or gave consent to have this story told.