Yesterday morning, a gift from the movie gods was bestowed upon us all. Hot off of the film’s highly praised reception at the Toronto International Film Festival, a Full Trailer was released for The Disaster Artist. As I said back when the Teaser debuted, among modern day cult films, The Room stands tall. Not since The Rocky Horror Picture Show has a midnight movie captured audience adoration like Tommy Wiseau’s “masterpiece”. Even in Hollywood, it’s an iconic picture. As such, it was never a huge shock that a look at its inception was going to receive the cinematic treatment, especially after an acclaimed book about its making hit shelves. What’s surprising is that A-list talent has surrounded it from top to bottom, including A24 distributing. The Disaster Artist made waves at SXSW before TIFF, and now will continue to build buzz in advance of its December release date. The Trailer can be seen below, but first, another dive into Wiseau’s world!
Once again, for those of you who aren’t aware of the movie, here’s a primer. It’s a look at how an unlikely friendship bloomed between struggling actors Greg Sestero (Dave Franco) and Tommy Wiseau (James Franco). Their chance meeting in an acting class would allow Greg to observe the unique character that Tommy was, supremely untalented and perhaps the weirdest human being on the planet, but also wildly passionate about movies. It also would lead to Tommy casting Greg in a film he’d written, planned to direct, and also starred in. It was The Room, which has been called the Citizen Kane of bad movies and has usurped The Rocky Horror Picture Show in some ways as this generation’s midnight movie. The rest is history. The elder Franco directs an adaptation of Sestero’s book by scribes Scott Neustadter and Michael H Weber. Supporting players include Alison Brie, Zoey Deutch, Zac Efron, Ari Graynor, Melanie Griffith, Josh Hutcherson, Jason Mantzoukas, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Seth Rogen, Sharon Stone, Jacki Weaver, and many more, including cameos from J.J. Abrams, Judd Apatow, Kristen Bell, Zach Braff, Lizzy Caplan, and Bryan Cranston, among others.
Not only does this look hilarious, it appears to be really touching as well. The Full Trailer again shows us the ineptitude of Wiseau and the struggle that making every moment of The Room was, but it also includes the humanity of Sestero and Wiseau’s relationship. The Ed Wood vibe is even stronger here than it was in the Teaser. Without any question in my mind, Neustadter and Weber’s adaptation of Sestero’s book appears to be spot on. As for Franco, he seems incredibly committed, not just in his performance, but in capturing The Room itself. Reviews so far have been effusive in that praise. That may end up serving the flick well come the winter when it seeks to become an offbeat entry into the precursor season.
Would Oscar notice this? The Disaster Artist would certainly seem on the surface like a pretty hard sell for A24, but some of the initial reporting out of SXSW back earlier this year speculated that it could be a player, while TIFF has done nothing to suggest otherwise. In fact, some have already started beating the drum for it. A slyly targeted campaign, building off of perhaps another festival bow, would probably be the smartest way to go about doing it. That way, the chances in Best Picture, Best Director/Best Actor/Best Supporting Actor (for the elder Franco), and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Neustadter and Weber). Franco in the Supporting category and the script seem like the safest ways to try and make a dent this year, but anything is possible. It likely won’t happen, but things like Best Production Design and Best Costume Design would be apt nominations, considering what they’re doing here. A lot will depend on how it’s received in the winter against more overt prestige fare, though for now, it’s definitely in play.
December can’t get here soon enough, as The Disaster Artist might very well be a classic in the making. One look at the Trailer below should sell you on it. While it’s true that Franco as a director has been at best a mixed bag so far to date, this should catapult the A-lsit actor into the filmmaking big leagues. This film hits at the beginning of December and should at least be a cult classic in the making, if not an out and out smash hit. Enjoy the Full Trailer and check back in for further updates on this one. If you love The Room, expect to fall in love with The Disaster Artist…
Here now is the Full Trailer for The Disaster Artist:
Stay tuned for much more on The Disaster Artist this winter!
