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1.07k reviews for:
The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made
Greg Sestero
4.29 AVERAGE
1.07k reviews for:
The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made
Greg Sestero
4.29 AVERAGE
This was surprisingly well written and stands on its own. The Room, however, does not stand on its own and makes no sense without this. (Ok - it still makes no sense but you kind of better understand why it's such a mess)
I only wish the rest of this resilient cast and crew could somehow profit off of the earnings of this book.
I only wish the rest of this resilient cast and crew could somehow profit off of the earnings of this book.
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
If you enjoy The Room, this is a must read. If you enjoy Hollywood stories, this is a must read. If you enjoy books about the creative process and how people deal with it, this is a must read. The Disaster Artist is simply incredible.
I can't decide if the author meant this book to be a comedy, a psychological analysis, or a tale of friendship through hardship. Of course, reality's never just one thing, but it's weird to have a book jump around so much.
You've got the hilarity of Tommy being eccentric, and everyone stunned.
Then there's the backstory of how Greg met Tommy, which is also fairly funny. Then Tommy breaks down, which is actually frightening. Greg's unlicensed pop analysis of Tommy's behavior was probably unnecessary; we could have drawn our own conclusions.
There's also a weird deep backstory about "T---------" in Eastern Europe (Poland?), then "Pierre" in France, then "The Birdman" in America, which is ostensibly about how Tommy got he way he currently is. The Wikipedia entry for Wiseau is a mess, and a lot it refers back to this book, with no other sources.
The end is like "he had a dream! he made it work!" which puts a weird bow on a book that was really about a man forcing others to live in his unpleasant delusion.
Overall, though, the book's pretty compelling. I love The Room (in that same sarcastic way all assholes do) and it was interesting to watch its messy birth.
You've got the hilarity of Tommy being eccentric, and everyone stunned.
Then there's the backstory of how Greg met Tommy, which is also fairly funny. Then Tommy breaks down, which is actually frightening. Greg's unlicensed pop analysis of Tommy's behavior was probably unnecessary; we could have drawn our own conclusions.
There's also a weird deep backstory about "T---------" in Eastern Europe (Poland?), then "Pierre" in France, then "The Birdman" in America, which is ostensibly about how Tommy got he way he currently is. The Wikipedia entry for Wiseau is a mess, and a lot it refers back to this book, with no other sources.
The end is like "he had a dream! he made it work!" which puts a weird bow on a book that was really about a man forcing others to live in his unpleasant delusion.
Overall, though, the book's pretty compelling. I love The Room (in that same sarcastic way all assholes do) and it was interesting to watch its messy birth.
First off, I LOVED this book.
For those considering reading this, treat this book as if it is a sequel to the movie. I can't imagine that you'd enjoy this book as much if you haven't seen the movie. Greg Sestero does his best to explain things in the book, but it's no substitute for seeing the scenes in the movie that he's referring to.
Sestero's account of his relationship with Tommy Wisseau and the making of the room was hilarious, and very well written (I'm sure this is due to Tom Bissell). Greg has a knack for telling a story.
Even though I rated it 5 stars, I do have some criticism. Sestero always painted himself as the smartest man in the room, and Tommy always as ubiquitously gaffe prone. He was always self-aware, and Tommy was always self-unaware. I was sometimes eye-rolly at how excessively thoughtful and component Sestero painted himself. He always SO insightfully saw things in their true light. You're cool Greg, we get it.
For those considering reading this, treat this book as if it is a sequel to the movie. I can't imagine that you'd enjoy this book as much if you haven't seen the movie. Greg Sestero does his best to explain things in the book, but it's no substitute for seeing the scenes in the movie that he's referring to.
Sestero's account of his relationship with Tommy Wisseau and the making of the room was hilarious, and very well written (I'm sure this is due to Tom Bissell). Greg has a knack for telling a story.
Even though I rated it 5 stars, I do have some criticism. Sestero always painted himself as the smartest man in the room, and Tommy always as ubiquitously gaffe prone. He was always self-aware, and Tommy was always self-unaware. I was sometimes eye-rolly at how excessively thoughtful and component Sestero painted himself. He always SO insightfully saw things in their true light. You're cool Greg, we get it.
The Room is a drama that is also a comedy that is also an existential cry for help that is finally a testament to human endurance.When I first started reading The Disaster Artist I didn’t expect to see a certain darkness behind the nature of Tommy and Greg’s friendship, despite the amounts of humor written by Sestero.
The Disaster Artist is told in two timelines: one is how Greg Sestero and the entire cast and crew of The Room survive working with Tommy Wiseau. The second is about how Greg and Tommy’s friendship progresses over the years.
I laughed at most parts, cringed at others when I felt second hand embarrassment for Tommy, felt disappointed when reading about Greg’s life when he had a chance at a career, and I also thought a lot about the nature of the friendship between Greg and Tommy.
Don’t fool yourself when watching the movie or reading this book. Tommy Wiseau is a terrible man who only knows how to manipulate people around him to get what he wants and expects to be loved and respected without giving an ounce of it himself. His behavior caused many to quit working on The Room and he made his co-stars extremely uncomfortable.
Sestero tells this story with a lot of moments in which he seems to realize a certain truth about Tommy. In the end, I can’t tell if he despises Tommy or admires him. But even with his writing tone that feels omnipresent to Tommy Wiseau’s character, he pretty much might be since Greg was the reason Tommy got stuff done in The Room.
If you can get through The Room, then you can read this. It’s an enjoyable read, and the less you know about Greg and Tommy, the more fun it’ll be for you.
Any fan of The Room NEEDS to read this book. I've wasted so many hours of my life watching this movie, and reading about all the craziness that went into making it has made me appreciate it so much more. The excerpts of the script are some of the best things ever put to page. The book is one part making-of and one part Johnny and Greg's relationship. Its a weird, sad, crazy story.
Who is Tommy Wiseau? While the book and it's author(s) don't know, it puts a nice "what-if" sort of picture together.
Who is Tommy Wiseau? While the book and it's author(s) don't know, it puts a nice "what-if" sort of picture together.
I read this book when it came out, and it absolutely blew me away. I think a lot of people who pick up this book (or have seen the movie) may assume that this is just a story about some dumb people who made a bad movie, but due to the storytelling, manages to be an extremely nuanced story about the American idea of success and fame.
The two central characters, Greg and Tommy, are two different visions of the American dream: one, an all American with the tools to achieve fame, and the other, the immigrant who has worked his way towards success. The real story may be changed a bit to fit this story, but the facts of the real life story take you down so many odd twists and turns to reveal new ideas and problems with the American narrative.
It is also mind bendingly funny- I read this on a car trip and fully annoyed my family by scream laughing every five minutes.
I was totally shocked by this book and what it manages to be, and as a former Hollywood wannabe, I could not recommend it more.
The two central characters, Greg and Tommy, are two different visions of the American dream: one, an all American with the tools to achieve fame, and the other, the immigrant who has worked his way towards success. The real story may be changed a bit to fit this story, but the facts of the real life story take you down so many odd twists and turns to reveal new ideas and problems with the American narrative.
It is also mind bendingly funny- I read this on a car trip and fully annoyed my family by scream laughing every five minutes.
I was totally shocked by this book and what it manages to be, and as a former Hollywood wannabe, I could not recommend it more.
Great story, and GREAT behind the scenes tidbits on the making of The Room. I don't have the sympathy for Tommy Wiseau that Greg Sestero hopes I would feel, I came away from this despising him. What a giant asshole. Major props to the people that could put up with him, especially Greg.
I also listened to the audiobook version. If you are at all interested in this book then I couldn't recommend it enough. It's read by Greg Sestero (Mark) and he does a KILLLLLLER Tommy Wiseau impression that would be severely lacking from the print version.
I also listened to the audiobook version. If you are at all interested in this book then I couldn't recommend it enough. It's read by Greg Sestero (Mark) and he does a KILLLLLLER Tommy Wiseau impression that would be severely lacking from the print version.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced