The Disaster Artist (spoiler)

[cyclonefence]

I was looking forward to this movie, mostly because I'd never heard of the cult film, The Room, which is apparently popular midnight fare. I heard Terry Gross interview James Franco, and that heightened my interest.

Here is the spoiler: This movie is about a man with at best a severe speech impediment and at worst severe brain damage which affects his ability to speak, and as a person who works with disabled people I would say it's the latter.

This is one of the cruelest movies I've ever seen. I'm not easily offended by mocking portrayals of disabled people in movies--I thought "Tropic Thunder" was hilarious--but this movie made me *very* uncomfortable, and I considered at a couple of points walking out.

One of the "mysteries" is where Tommy Wiseau got all his money. In the first part of the movie we learn he was in a serious auto accident which was "very bad for Tommy." I think it's obvious that the money came from an insurance payout for that accident, and the payout was apparently huge--he has seemingly endless supplies of money--because the brain damage from the accident was so severe.
Multi-million dollar payouts are usually made to provide the victim with a way to support himself for the rest of his life, since the injuries are too severe for him to be able to support himself.

I'm disappointed in everyone involved with this movie, and in Terry Gross, too.

[NBachers]

1. Are you referring to a movie called "The Room," or a movie called "The Disaster Artist?"

[cyclonefence]

2. "The Disaster Artist"

[FSogol]

3. "The Disaster Artist" is a movie about the making of the movie, "The Room" n/t

[FSogol]

4. I've seen The Room, but haven't seen the Disaster Artist yet.

I never got the feeling Wiseau was disabled or speech-impaired. He's Eastern European and English is his 2nd or 3rd language. He's a dopey, terrible ham-actor who somehow got his crappy movie made.

The Room contains strange scenes, like when him and his tuxedo-clad friends throw a football around, standing 3 feet apart or when the camera focuses on silverware over and over. Characters appear and disappear with no warning and some words, like fiancee don't appear to be in his vocabulary. The Room is a terrible movie, but Wiseau pulled if off, so that counts for something, I guess.

[cyclonefence]

5. I'm second-guessing myself

You may be right, of course, that what I'm hearing as dysarthria due to brain damage is merely a weird accent, and that his behavior (this is all from The Disaster Artist, so I'm seeing what James Franco presented, rather than Wiseau's version of himself) which to me seems more "off" than goofy might be just goofy.

Further, if I am right, and there is a disability at play here, who am I to condemn Franco's movie as exploitation of a person with severe disabilities? Wiseau is doing what he wants, making his movie the way he wants it made, not allowing anything to block his road. Which is admirable and demonstates the kind of independence we all aspire to, however "abled" we are. And Franco himself told Terry Gross that Wiseau's pleasure at seeing his story told was touching and real, and I have to believe him.

I'm going to try to see The Room. For now, I'm backing up from my original harsh reaction to The Disaster Artist.

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. Well, the movie is based on a book by Greg Sestero

who is played by Dave Franco in the movie. Tommy was pretty much happy with it.

[cyclonefence]

7. Yep

Tommy, according to James Franco, was delighted to see his story on the big screen. That's what I'm torn about--I saw the movie as exploitation; the object of what I considered exploitation is pleased with it and apparently doesn't feel exploited. There are plenty of examples in movies and in life of people who have been exploited not realizing they were being exploited and being delighted by the attention. On the other hand, who am I (to quote the Pope) to judge?

[Chalco]

8. I loved this movie!

I think you may have missed the backstory and the fact that Tommy Wiseau was totally behind The Disaster Artist. I watched The Room a couple of days after seeing The Disaster Artist. Let's assume you're right that Wiseau won a ton of money after a car accident (I don't think it would be too hard to find out if this was true in public records), but The Room was really a disaster. He wrote, directed and produced it. The acting was horrible. Disaster Artist took it to another level. Tommy doesn't care. He's able to laugh at himself which is a good quality to have.