Take a photo of a barcode or cover
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
reflective
medium-paced
It's been a while since I've disliked a book this intensely.
The Disaster Artist, at heart, is a tale of two thoroughly dislikable parasites. One, the author, is a disingenuous humble bragger, and the other, as described by the author, is a creepy, dense, socially inept bully. Both are using each other for personal gain but only the creepy guy doesn't try to hide his intent.
Greg Sestero painfully, monotonously and repetitively fills virtually every page with every pejorative adjective available to describe Tommy Wiseau. His complaints are manifold and include the observed and the speculative. It's credible enough but he effectively uses a nuclear bomb to kill a moth. Tiring doesn't begin to describe his style. The obvious question is why would he spend any time with Wiseau if he's such an awful and creepy guy. The obvious answer is that Sestero is desperate and sees something to be gained from staying close. But that's not how Sestero tells it. In his world, after exhaustively telling us what an awful guy Wiseau is he takes a step back to tell us he either pities Wiseau or he sees some kind of ineffable quality that he finds endearing. In this regard he completely lacks credibility. He can't be the guy completely in the know with these kind blind spots. He even goes so far to say he didn't recognize a few famous people along the way (I forget the details and didn't highlight anything but recall thinking it was laughably absurd) and had never heard of The Lord of the Rings series by Tolkien. (He tried out for a movie role and didn't get it because he was too tall. Wow, imagine trying out for a role you're too tall to qualify for. That makes sense.)
This book is awful and Tom Bissell should be embarrassed to have participated in this money grab. The Room was a horrendous enough movie to merit a book soon after the film was released. That would have been interesting. But Sestero waited 10 years, when the film gained cult status, to try to cash in again. A review of IMDB indicates that Sestero and Wiseau collaborated on another crappy film in 2017. It looks like Sestero is trying to ride the Wiseau coattails again and again.
I'd be more interested to read Tommy Wiseau's memoirs of his experiences with Greg Sestero. It would probably be indecipherable but at least it wouldn't be dishonest.
The Disaster Artist, at heart, is a tale of two thoroughly dislikable parasites. One, the author, is a disingenuous humble bragger, and the other, as described by the author, is a creepy, dense, socially inept bully. Both are using each other for personal gain but only the creepy guy doesn't try to hide his intent.
Greg Sestero painfully, monotonously and repetitively fills virtually every page with every pejorative adjective available to describe Tommy Wiseau. His complaints are manifold and include the observed and the speculative. It's credible enough but he effectively uses a nuclear bomb to kill a moth. Tiring doesn't begin to describe his style. The obvious question is why would he spend any time with Wiseau if he's such an awful and creepy guy. The obvious answer is that Sestero is desperate and sees something to be gained from staying close. But that's not how Sestero tells it. In his world, after exhaustively telling us what an awful guy Wiseau is he takes a step back to tell us he either pities Wiseau or he sees some kind of ineffable quality that he finds endearing. In this regard he completely lacks credibility. He can't be the guy completely in the know with these kind blind spots. He even goes so far to say he didn't recognize a few famous people along the way (I forget the details and didn't highlight anything but recall thinking it was laughably absurd) and had never heard of The Lord of the Rings series by Tolkien. (He tried out for a movie role and didn't get it because he was too tall. Wow, imagine trying out for a role you're too tall to qualify for. That makes sense.)
This book is awful and Tom Bissell should be embarrassed to have participated in this money grab. The Room was a horrendous enough movie to merit a book soon after the film was released. That would have been interesting. But Sestero waited 10 years, when the film gained cult status, to try to cash in again. A review of IMDB indicates that Sestero and Wiseau collaborated on another crappy film in 2017. It looks like Sestero is trying to ride the Wiseau coattails again and again.
I'd be more interested to read Tommy Wiseau's memoirs of his experiences with Greg Sestero. It would probably be indecipherable but at least it wouldn't be dishonest.
I found this book a total pleasure to read; well-written, concise, and funny, and also oddly inspiring. Greg Sestero's account of Tommy Wiseau's determination and complete lack of regard for what people think of him make me want to move through life cackling, with my football always at the ready. I heartily recommend it to anyone with even just a small amount of knowledge about the industry.
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
An interesting, strange and humerous look behind the scenes during the creation of the "best worst movie", Tommy Wiseau's The Room, written by Mark "Ohai Mark" Sestero. Bring spoons.
Very enjoyable. I suggest watching the movie first then reading this then watching the movie again.
Wow. This story was really crazy, mainly because Tommy Wiseau sounds like a total crazy person. But I thought it was highly entertaining and well written. I couldn't put this book down and finished it in 5 days.
If you're a fan/fascinated by The Room, this book is a must read!
If you're a fan/fascinated by The Room, this book is a must read!
This memoir/tell-all was written by Greg Sestero, the actor/"line producer"/friend of Tommy Wiseau. The book leaps between exploring the growth of his friendship with Tommy and the filming of The Room.
Sestero writes honestly about his experiences and as honestly as he can about Tommy, while understanding the humor and ridiculousness of it, but never veering into mocking.
The most fascinating part is that Tommy sees himself as James Dean, and Greg sees him as Tom Ripley, but if there's anyone he is closest to, it's James Gatsby. From the mysterious background, the "American Dream" that's gone off the rails, and the oppressive loneliness, he's Jay Gatz if he had never transitioned to the smoothness of Jay Gatsby, but had still acquired all the money and perseverance.
This is a fascinating book about a film so bad it's almost unbelievable and a man so bizarre he is somewhat unbelievable as well.
Sestero writes honestly about his experiences and as honestly as he can about Tommy, while understanding the humor and ridiculousness of it, but never veering into mocking.
The most fascinating part is that Tommy sees himself as James Dean, and Greg sees him as Tom Ripley, but if there's anyone he is closest to, it's James Gatsby. From the mysterious background, the "American Dream" that's gone off the rails, and the oppressive loneliness, he's Jay Gatz if he had never transitioned to the smoothness of Jay Gatsby, but had still acquired all the money and perseverance.
This is a fascinating book about a film so bad it's almost unbelievable and a man so bizarre he is somewhat unbelievable as well.
The Disaster Artist is about what you'd expect. Sestero's story told as it interweaves with that of the one, the only Tommy Wiseau and his magnum opus. Told in a split narrative fashion, alternating the early friendship of Sestero and Wiseau with juicy tidbits from the set of the Room leading up to its Hollywood premiere the book paints as complex a portrait of a man as mysterious as Wiseau as possible. Speculating at times or narrating from Wiseau's own tall tales the book nonetheless manages to shed some light on what drives the creative madness of Tommy Wiseau.