The humor of The Room comes from its poor production, bad acting, and unintentionally ridiculous lines. While watching the film, one has to wonder, "What was the thought process behind this?" Well, wonder no more. Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's book, The Disaster Artist, pulls back the curtain and reveals the absurd backstory of The Room.
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| “That's the thing with Tommy: Even before he was famous, he acted like he was famous. Maybe that's what, in the end, best explains him. Maybe that's what explains the whole thing.” -Greg Sestero, The Disaster Artist |
Sestero tells all about his involvement with this wonderfully strange film, and his relationship with the mysterious Tommy Wiseau. The chapters alternate between Sestero's budding relationship with Wiseau back when Sestero began his acting career, and the making of The Room. The Disaster Artist is an example of how truth can be stranger than fiction. At times Wiseau can be good natured and generous, his bright disposition inspiring Sestero to follow his dreams of becoming an actor. This is the man who provided Sestero with a place to live in Los Angeles and dreamed of being like James Dean. Then other times Wiseau is ill humored and stingy, acting irrationally and stubbornly. This is the man who demanded the entire The Room cast to show up to the studio everyday, even when unnecessary, while Wiseau himself would show up several hours late. When it came to the filming of The Room, it was Wiseau's way or the highway. And several crew members did indeed choose the highway, fed up with the antics of this strange and unreasonable man.
After reading The Disaster Artist, Tommy Wiseau remains as mysterious as ever, if not more so. How did he make his large fortune? Where did his accent come from? What exactly happened in his past? Is he possibly a crime lord, or even a vampire? Not even Sestero knows for sure. Yet the book delivers captivating insights into what it was like to work with and know Wiseau, a man truly unlike any other.
