I actually saw Tommy Wiseau’s magnum opus The Room a few weeks before seeing The Disaster Artist for the first time. And while it’s certainly not something that I would call ‘good’, it’s also an incredibly fascinating film.It’s clear that a lot of passion went into it, and that Tommy Wiseau genuinely believed he was making an Oscar-worthy masterpiece.

Fourteen years later, James Franco takes it upon himself to actually make an Oscar-worthy masterpiece based on Tommy Wiseau’s cult hit. Normally, I’m not a fan of biopics but part of the reason I like this film so much is because it is telling such an interesting true story. I think it’s important that people know going in that this film is based on a true story. If you didn’t know, you’d never guess that everything that happens in this film really happened.

The film is very similar to Ed Wood. Even though it makes fun of Wiseau a little bit, it also celebrates him. He might be a complete lunatic, but he had a vision, and he saw it through to the end. Many people want to be movies, and he deserves recognition for actually getting the movie made, even if it didn’t turn out exactly how he expected.

James Franco does an incredible job transforming himself into Tommy Wiseau, while his brother Dave plays the role of the straight man to perfection. The rest of the star-studded cast do a great job at making these roles their own.

What really spoke to me was the film’s ending. As a wannabee storyteller myself, I get worried sometimes about the possibility that other people might not like my story. Seeing this movie made me have a personal epiphany.

First, no matter how good I think my work is, there’s always the slight possibility that it’s garbage and I just don’t see it. Second, it really doesn’t matter what other people think of my work, because all art is subjective. But if you truly put passion into your story, you can complete it.

You can share your vision with the world. That, at least, is something.

**** out of ****