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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
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
"I felt paralyzed, as though I were apologizing to some future audience. The line seemed like a violation of drama, of cinema, of language itself."
Hahaha, what a story Mark! This is the funniest book I have ever read. Period. I had to stop every few minutes because I just couldn't stop laughing. Every line of dialogue from Tommy Wiseau, both in real life and in his fascinating movie script, feels like it was written by an AI. Not just any AI, but an AI that fundamentally doesn't understand the English language, or humanity as a whole.
I picked [b: The Disaster Artist|17404078|The Disaster Artist My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made|Greg Sestero|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373346749l/17404078._SY75_.jpg|24240845] up on a whim while browsing a bookstore, and that has probably been one of the best financial decisions I've made. The Room has been a constant source of comedy ever since I first discovered it a couple of years ago. Watching it makes for an experience that transcends the world of cinema, spiraling into a pit of absurdity. Nothing makes sense. Nothing!! If you haven't already seen this film, I beg that you change that fact about yourself. I promise that you will not regret it. I mean come on, look at this:
WHO DOESN'T RECOGNIZE THAT GUY??
With the movie already being entertaining as is, reading about its tumultuous production history was a hilarious ride. It's fascinating to see how these terrible, terrible scenes were created, because every awful shot has a story behind it. Tommy Wiseau's daring directorial decisions always make for a good laugh because of how utterly strange they could be. This excerpt alone just made me lose my mind:
And the most surprising part about this book? How heartwarming and sad the story truly is. Greg and Tommy's friendship, for as strange and toxic it can be, is quite earnest. No one really knows Tommy's backstory, or how in the world he got $6 million to finance this doomed project, but it's obvious that he has overcome an immense amount of trauma in his life. So for all his inconsiderate, inhuman behavior, like being especially cruel towards the cast and crew, it's hard not to root for the guy. He's trying to achieve his great American dream by any means necessary. And honestly? If he set out to make something that would change the history of cinema, then he did just that. Even if his artistic vision is flawed, he has every right to make those creative choices.
So yeah, uh, please read this book.
Anyway, this is an accurate rendition of me trying to write three 3,000 word essays at once:
Hahaha, what a story Mark! This is the funniest book I have ever read. Period. I had to stop every few minutes because I just couldn't stop laughing. Every line of dialogue from Tommy Wiseau, both in real life and in his fascinating movie script, feels like it was written by an AI. Not just any AI, but an AI that fundamentally doesn't understand the English language, or humanity as a whole.
I picked [b: The Disaster Artist|17404078|The Disaster Artist My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made|Greg Sestero|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373346749l/17404078._SY75_.jpg|24240845] up on a whim while browsing a bookstore, and that has probably been one of the best financial decisions I've made. The Room has been a constant source of comedy ever since I first discovered it a couple of years ago. Watching it makes for an experience that transcends the world of cinema, spiraling into a pit of absurdity. Nothing makes sense. Nothing!! If you haven't already seen this film, I beg that you change that fact about yourself. I promise that you will not regret it. I mean come on, look at this:
WHO DOESN'T RECOGNIZE THAT GUY??
With the movie already being entertaining as is, reading about its tumultuous production history was a hilarious ride. It's fascinating to see how these terrible, terrible scenes were created, because every awful shot has a story behind it. Tommy Wiseau's daring directorial decisions always make for a good laugh because of how utterly strange they could be. This excerpt alone just made me lose my mind:
And the most surprising part about this book? How heartwarming and sad the story truly is. Greg and Tommy's friendship, for as strange and toxic it can be, is quite earnest. No one really knows Tommy's backstory, or how in the world he got $6 million to finance this doomed project, but it's obvious that he has overcome an immense amount of trauma in his life. So for all his inconsiderate, inhuman behavior, like being especially cruel towards the cast and crew, it's hard not to root for the guy. He's trying to achieve his great American dream by any means necessary. And honestly? If he set out to make something that would change the history of cinema, then he did just that. Even if his artistic vision is flawed, he has every right to make those creative choices.
So yeah, uh, please read this book.
Anyway, this is an accurate rendition of me trying to write three 3,000 word essays at once:
Verging on a 4.5!
So let me set the scene first. I saw the film (The Disaster Artist, not The Room) when it came out last year. I bought the book on Kindle cos I had some vouchers. In a bid to get through my backlog of unread books, I made a list, assigned them all a number, and used a randomiser to pick my next read, and this one came up, and I sort of pulled a face cos it wasn’t the one I would’ve picked by a long shot. I was expecting a whole book of ‘wtf this dude is wild, let’s laugh at him’, a bit like the film.
But I really enjoyed it - the bits that didn’t make it into the film were actually really poignant and sad; Tommy has clearly had a very difficult life and was obviously struggling when Greg came into his life, and it was interesting to read that all from Greg’s perspective, while he was dealing with his own problems.
It’s also an interesting look into the life of a a struggling young actor as we follow Greg around LA in the years before The Room - I’d have liked a chapter on Greg’s life after The Room’s release though; what did he do next?
Would recommend if you’re a fan of The Room, or just interested in a little peek behind the Hollywood curtain.
So let me set the scene first. I saw the film (The Disaster Artist, not The Room) when it came out last year. I bought the book on Kindle cos I had some vouchers. In a bid to get through my backlog of unread books, I made a list, assigned them all a number, and used a randomiser to pick my next read, and this one came up, and I sort of pulled a face cos it wasn’t the one I would’ve picked by a long shot. I was expecting a whole book of ‘wtf this dude is wild, let’s laugh at him’, a bit like the film.
But I really enjoyed it - the bits that didn’t make it into the film were actually really poignant and sad; Tommy has clearly had a very difficult life and was obviously struggling when Greg came into his life, and it was interesting to read that all from Greg’s perspective, while he was dealing with his own problems.
It’s also an interesting look into the life of a a struggling young actor as we follow Greg around LA in the years before The Room - I’d have liked a chapter on Greg’s life after The Room’s release though; what did he do next?
Would recommend if you’re a fan of The Room, or just interested in a little peek behind the Hollywood curtain.
A Masterpiece of Pop Culture Psychology
There aren't many books I've read in my life that I've been genuinely sad when they ended. This book earns its place as one of them. I've never seen ' The Room' in full (only via compilations of 'best' bits on YouTube) but it was clear even from them that Tommy Wiseau is a bizarre human being. This book could so easily have been nothing more than a withering take-down of a deluded egomaniac and his so-bad-it's-legendary movie, but instead the author writes with insight and compassion about the complex friend he never stopped trying to understand. The fact that he also starred in that movie (as the double-crossing best friend Mark) gives him the added bonus of being able to report from both sides of the battlefield, as it were. For this reason, I don't believe anyone else could have written this book this well. By the end of it I actually felt sorry for Tommy in many ways, and even though I'd still never want to meet him in person, I'm glad he achieved his dream. Sort of.
There aren't many books I've read in my life that I've been genuinely sad when they ended. This book earns its place as one of them. I've never seen ' The Room' in full (only via compilations of 'best' bits on YouTube) but it was clear even from them that Tommy Wiseau is a bizarre human being. This book could so easily have been nothing more than a withering take-down of a deluded egomaniac and his so-bad-it's-legendary movie, but instead the author writes with insight and compassion about the complex friend he never stopped trying to understand. The fact that he also starred in that movie (as the double-crossing best friend Mark) gives him the added bonus of being able to report from both sides of the battlefield, as it were. For this reason, I don't believe anyone else could have written this book this well. By the end of it I actually felt sorry for Tommy in many ways, and even though I'd still never want to meet him in person, I'm glad he achieved his dream. Sort of.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
funny
informative
fast-paced
I saw <i> The Room </i> for the first time at the start of the month, and boy was it a ride. After reading about the iconic movie for years, it was something else to see it. It was truly beyond anything I could have imagined in every way possible. And Greg Sestero being there in person to add commentary also added a lot. So this was immediately put on hold at the library so I could read more about it. This was a wild account of a wild film. Nothing makes sense. Nothing adds any context to the movie other than that there is no context. Mostly it confirmed that I didn't miss anything in the movie that gave context to random scenes (the tuxedo scene?? the football scene?? the drug sale plotline?).
Anyway, a solid read about a strange movie.
Anyway, a solid read about a strange movie.
What a fun read this was! I've suffered through the movie The Room only once, but it was..... memorable. This book brought sense to the insanity that is this movie. Well.... to the best of it's ability. It's a very entertaining read and will make you want to rewatch many scenes again, as painful as that might be! A must for any "fan" of the movie. Seeing The Room is definitely a requirement first. I'm so sorry. ;-) Looking forward to the movie version of this book and if James Franco wins an Oscar, this will have come full circle. "Oh hi, Mark!"
I really enjoyed this book, it was very entertaining, a nice behind the scenes look at what is commonly referred to the Citizen Cane of bad movies. Greg Sestero did a great job with the narration.
If you think the movie can’t possibly get more bizarre, read this book.
informative
slow-paced
Book gifted from publisher
I watched THE ROOM for the first time a few years ago, introduced to the best worst movie ever by my partner. And I was enthralled. Getting to read the making of was fascinating. Learning about how scenes were made, how people met, the ups and so many downs of the process. It definitely made me want to watch the movie again.
I did find it to be too long and the back and forth of different time periods was sometimes confusing. But overall it was an enjoyable read. My favorite part was close to the end, discussing the flower shop scene, which is my favorite scene. “Hi doggie.”
I watched THE ROOM for the first time a few years ago, introduced to the best worst movie ever by my partner. And I was enthralled. Getting to read the making of was fascinating. Learning about how scenes were made, how people met, the ups and so many downs of the process. It definitely made me want to watch the movie again.
I did find it to be too long and the back and forth of different time periods was sometimes confusing. But overall it was an enjoyable read. My favorite part was close to the end, discussing the flower shop scene, which is my favorite scene. “Hi doggie.”