Sthella!!!
Tommy Wiseau is an interesting fellow. No one knows where he is really from, how old he is, and where he gets his loads of cash. He and his new found friend, Greg, are aspiring artists that can’t quite catch a break in the industry. To remedy this, the two decide to make their own movie, The Room, a movie notoriously known for how bad it was.
What a transformation. James Franco, through method acting, has embodied Tommy Wiseau on the screen. Whatever accent that is, he had it to a tee. That alone kept us laughing all the way through. The whole idea and portrayal of a real human being is a bit mean in concept, but it was funny. I guess if someone can get away with this, it’s James Franco.
Little brother Dave did a great job as well. He plays the timid guy who needs a push to make an impact on the world. The way that he portrayed his character, Greg, he really came off as a rookie actor, the ones that you would really see in acting classes. Seeing the two on screen, really felt like they were different people and not related to each other at all.
***Warning: Spoilers***
Aside from the Franco brothers, there were a lot of fun cameos. You can’t have James without Seth Rogan as the script supervisor. Paul Scheer was a producer. Josh Hutcherson is an actor. The list goes on and on. The weird part was that the main cameos of Seth and Paul didn’t really have funny parts. They were more of the straight man of most situations, uncommon for what I usually see them as. They had some moments, but I guess someone has to do it, opposite to Tommy’s comedic portrayal.
With Tommy’s antics, some dramatic scenes came up. Because of Tommy’s arc and lack of production knowledge, it caused tension between characters. It’s good that there is a tonal contrast in the movie, but most of these scenes didn’t feel very impactful and had little consequence.
Regardless of the humor, there is an important message here. It may be a tired theme, but following your dream is an important one. This real story, although they were well funded, may give confidence to anyone to strive for anything. Although the 2 stars may not have gotten famous for what they wanted, they’ve made an impact through their film.
This is one of the best comedies of the year. With James Franco’s transformation into Tommy Wiseau, that’s enough to sell a ticket. This is a pretty funny movie at the expense of the person that it derives from. The comedy is great, but it undercuts the drama. Run out and watch it today!