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A review by mchester24
The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero, Tom Bissell
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.