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The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made
by
The hilarious and inspiring story of how a mysterious misfit got past every roadblock in the Hollywood system to achieve success on his own terms: a $6 million cinematic catastrophe called The Room.
Nineteen-year-old Greg Sestero met Tommy Wiseau at an acting school in San Francisco. Wiseau’s scenes were rivetingly wrong, yet Sestero, hypnotized by such uninhibited acting, ...more
Nineteen-year-old Greg Sestero met Tommy Wiseau at an acting school in San Francisco. Wiseau’s scenes were rivetingly wrong, yet Sestero, hypnotized by such uninhibited acting, ...more
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Kindle Edition, 289 pages
Published
October 1st 2013
by Simon & Schuster
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Start your review of The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made
Ha ha ha. What a story, Mark.
For those of you who aren't familiar with The Room, it is a glorious piece of American cinema directed, written, and produced by the handsome devil Tommy Wiseau––who also plays the lead role in the film, naturally.
… Okay, okay. So basically, this film is often regarded as being one of the absolute worst movies of all time. (Maybe only rivaled by the equally-ridiculous "Troll 2.") And Tommy Wiseau looks like a creepy muppet. That said, I'm a huge fan of The Room because I'm a sucker for hilarious ...more
… Okay, okay. So basically, this film is often regarded as being one of the absolute worst movies of all time. (Maybe only rivaled by the equally-ridiculous "Troll 2.") And Tommy Wiseau looks like a creepy muppet. That said, I'm a huge fan of The Room because I'm a sucker for hilarious ...more
This was a fascinating book about the making of the worst movie I have ever seen, The Room. And in reading this book I learned that The Room was made with all seriousness and not as, like, a parody of a bad movie. At the center of the narrative is Tommy Wiseau, a man who is secretive about his past, and everything in his life but who also wants to be a star, who wants, like all of us, to be seen and understood and loved. This book is fucking hilarious, told through the eyes of Tommy’s friend and
...more
Mar 02, 2014
David
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
le-cahiers-du-cinema
Optimal mental health—if such a thing there be—probably lies somewhere roundabout midway on the self-awareness continuum, but often without thinking, people assume that 'not giving a fuck what other people think' is a sort of modern virtue, suggesting confidence, strength of character, and (if nothing else) the sheer convenience of living only for oneself. If we stop and scrutinize the concept, however, we soon realize that it's an ideal sorely in conflict with the fundamental nature of our live
...more
In 2003, a movie called 'The Room' opened in Los Angeles. The film - a drama about a woman (Lisa) who betrays her fiancé (Johnny) with his best friend (Mark) - was written, directed, and financed by Tommy Wiseau, who also stars as Johnny.
The movie, often called "one of the worst films ever made", garnered less than $2,000 in it's initial run and looked like it was headed for the movie junkyard. Wiseau, however, had other ideas. The auteur kept the movie open and continued to advertise it on a l ...more
Tommy Wiseau is a weird, weird dude who spent $6 million of his own money to make a terrible, terrible movie.
No book has ever made me laugh as hard and as often as this one did.
(This review was originally written for and posted at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography's site. Again, I preordered this bad boy well before I knew I'd be writing about it for anyone other than myself and GR.)
In the long-running tradition of so-bad-it's-good entertainment, 2003's The Room is a fairly recent but impressively groan-worthy addition. Its low-budget approach to visual effects, a script held together by non sequiturs and the wealth of glaring continuity errors make it ...more
In the long-running tradition of so-bad-it's-good entertainment, 2003's The Room is a fairly recent but impressively groan-worthy addition. Its low-budget approach to visual effects, a script held together by non sequiturs and the wealth of glaring continuity errors make it ...more
I can remember when I was living in Los Angeles and seeing a billboard advertising for "The Room" movie, and there being an RSVP with a phone number. The billboard was there forever, but I had forgotten about it until I ordered the DVD online and saw the same image on the cover. It was funny to learn that Tommy Wiseau (whom the story is mostly centered on) paid for this prime billboard spot for five years...yes, FIVE YEARS! At $5,000 per week for the advertising space times fives years, I believ
...more
Dec 12, 2017
emma
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
4-and-a-half-stars,
funny,
non-ya,
memoir,
library,
recommend,
historical,
reviewed,
nonfiction
I was going to write a full review of this, but really everything I has to say boils down to the following list of directions.
One: Watch the movie “The Room.” (IMMEDIATELY.)
Two: Read this book.
Three: See “The Disaster Artist.”
Bonus points if you choose to listen to either of the How Did This Get Made? podcast episodes about it.
Double bonus points if you, like me, develop a crush on Jason Mantzoukas following the above.
That is all.
---
review to come ...more
One: Watch the movie “The Room.” (IMMEDIATELY.)
Two: Read this book.
Three: See “The Disaster Artist.”
Bonus points if you choose to listen to either of the How Did This Get Made? podcast episodes about it.
Double bonus points if you, like me, develop a crush on Jason Mantzoukas following the above.
That is all.
---
review to come ...more
“Maybe I am too unique”
- Tommy Wiseau
The Room is a popular choice for the best worst movie ever*. It was a GIGANTIC VANITY PROJECT bankrolled by, produced by, starring, written and directed by a guy called Tommy Wiseau who was more than a little odd.
He was a guy in his 40s, long dyed black hair, looked like one of those heavy metal band guys who’ve been doing drugs and staying up late for 35 solid years, his face looked facelifted, puffy and like he never went outside and slightly melted,
and he ...more
Jan 22, 2018
Nenia ✨️ Socially Awkward Trash Panda ✨️ Campbell
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
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Vox did a video about The Room recently with the co-author of this book, Tom Bissell, called Why people keep watching the worst movie ever made. He said of it in the interview: "[The Room] is like a movie made by an alien who has never seen a movie but has had movies thoroughly explained to him."
That sentence is scarily appropriate, and goes a long way towards explaining why people thought this book was important enough that it not only ...more
Unlike the people rating a book they haven't read, I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an advance copy and have in fact read it, and as an avid fan of the 2003 cult hit, 'The Room' (I've seen it around 35 times) I can assure you it's everything I hoped it would be! Greg Sestero, star of the Room and Tommy Wiseau's right hand man (and line producer) reveals to us some of the greatest mysteries of the cinematic universe: how did this movie get made, and what is the deal with Tommy Wiseau? It
...more
Surprisingly well written story about making of one of the worst ones.
If you by any chance don't know what The Room is, it's what is considered to be one of the worst movies ever made. It is not just bad it's so catastrophic that it's actually quite fun to watch. Everything in that movie is so weird, like approximation of human interaction from someone who heard fascinating stories about humans but has not actually seen one.
This book about making of that movie, about mysterious weirdo behind it ...more
If you by any chance don't know what The Room is, it's what is considered to be one of the worst movies ever made. It is not just bad it's so catastrophic that it's actually quite fun to watch. Everything in that movie is so weird, like approximation of human interaction from someone who heard fascinating stories about humans but has not actually seen one.
This book about making of that movie, about mysterious weirdo behind it ...more
Oh man, I LOVED this. I usually don’t read nonfiction, but the story surrounding the genesis and production of The Room is as fascinatingly bizarre as the movie itself. The story paints Tommy Wiseau as a megalomaniacal weirdo auteur, whose supreme lack of talent is only eclipsed by his unrelenting drive. Sure, this is partly a cautionary tale about unchecked hubris, but it’s also a tribute to friendship and never-saying-die, and in that regard, the book is elevated way beyond mockery into someth
...more
I am a super fan of The Room and I am obsessed with that mystical muppet Tommy Wiseau so of course I had to blow off work yesterday and read this book in one sitting the day it came out. I cannot keep my stupid comments in my pocket anymore. I have to review this masterwork. I had ridiculously high expectations for this book and I am happy to say it totally delivered. I don't know if I have ever laughed out loud so hard when reading a book in my life. This is so consistently funny I had tears in
...more
"Tommy, can you hear me?"
What a great anecdote from the wealthiest of all story-plot-novel mines: Hollywood USA!
The story is engrossing, the locales all have sunshine and beach particles; the darkness comes in the form of ambition, but the power of friendship overcomes it all!
Great read! The film is likewise great, though it's got that whole Jimmy Franco pee-ew ness to it, as to be lesser than this magnificent book. Truly one of a kind.
What a great anecdote from the wealthiest of all story-plot-novel mines: Hollywood USA!
The story is engrossing, the locales all have sunshine and beach particles; the darkness comes in the form of ambition, but the power of friendship overcomes it all!
Great read! The film is likewise great, though it's got that whole Jimmy Franco pee-ew ness to it, as to be lesser than this magnificent book. Truly one of a kind.
As earnestly terrible as The Room is as a movie, there's something unseemly and desperate about Greg Sestero's expose. Yes, the behind-the-scenes look at the disastrous filming production and production process are just as jaw-dropping as the quality of the finished product, but the creepiness of Sestero and Wiseau's relationship--from both parties, let's be real here--just made me feel sorry for Tommy and empathize less with Greg, who just seems like a standard LA douche telling all kinds of pe
...more
I kept seeing videos about this book on Youtube after I watched, and laughed out loud at honest trailer and videos about The Room, supposedly the most weird and aggressively BAD independent movie ever made.
'You're tearing me apart, Lisa!'
Who can ever forget this one! LOL
Oh why oh why there also is a Disaster Artist movie trailer here!? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qab3... ...more
'You're tearing me apart, Lisa!'
Who can ever forget this one! LOL
Oh why oh why there also is a Disaster Artist movie trailer here!? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qab3... ...more
I read this account of the Best Worst Movie Ever Made after seeing the film. I loved the movie in December and I savored every word of Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's story just as much. It was at once weirdly touching and laugh-out-loud funny. And, of course, I heard in my head the incredible voice of Tommy Wiseau every time the man with the (forgive me) vision spoke.
I found this book incredibly sad.
The Disaster Artist is an amazing book, and I don’t mean that in the same way that people say the film The Room is amazing, i.e., amazingly bad. I mean that it is actually a really amazing character study of one Tommy Wiseau, the wealthy, earnest and completely bizarre auteur behind what has been called "the Citizen Kane of bad movies." As is often the case, truth is stranger than fiction, and the character of Johnny from the film only scratches at the surface of the weirdness of the real-life T
...more
So, in my review of Ready Player One I announced a slew of my favorite movies. Now it's only fair to announce my least favorite movies. They are as follows;
Suicide Squad, Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Green Lantern, Mother, Foodfight, Annabelle: Creation, The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ghostbusters (2016) and The Cure for Wellness.
The Room however, is in a completely different ball park from th ...more
Suicide Squad, Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Green Lantern, Mother, Foodfight, Annabelle: Creation, The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, The Hobbit Trilogy, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Ghostbusters (2016) and The Cure for Wellness.
The Room however, is in a completely different ball park from th ...more
Jul 18, 2017
Alex
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
artists and "artists"
Shelves:
2018
You probably know how much you're going to like this just from reading the title. Maybe you've seen the movie, starring the rich man's Shia La Boeuf. It was good. The book is well ghost-written. There are sortof boring parts where Greg Sestero talks about anything other than the making of The Room. There's a truly bizarre refusal to just outright examine the idea that Tommy Wiseau is gay and this whole thing was about hitting on Greg. I'm not going to actually watch The Room; it's probably borin
...more
Sep 11, 2018
Marianna Neal
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
audiobooks
Tommy Wiseau is an inspiration when it comes to never giving up. Greg Sestero is an inspiration when it comes to doing an impression of Tommy Wiseau. This book is not as heart-warming as the movie (because real life isn't a movie), but it's an excellent read, particularly if you listen to the audiobook narrated by Sestero himself.
...whatever Tommy had been running from, he'd managed to turn and face it down in his script. Instead of killing himself, he wrote himself out of danger.
I took this book with me while crusading through the odder parts of Miami today. I'd barely read fifty pages of it before it started to feel like the universe was trying to align perfectly and make me experience this story in full. For example, barely before 10 am, some woman on the street wandered into the Starbucks I was at. She kept tryin ...more
I took this book with me while crusading through the odder parts of Miami today. I'd barely read fifty pages of it before it started to feel like the universe was trying to align perfectly and make me experience this story in full. For example, barely before 10 am, some woman on the street wandered into the Starbucks I was at. She kept tryin ...more
The Disaster Artist is, hands down, one of the best books I've read in my entire life. If I were to read only one book for the rest of my life, this would be it. If I were to take only one book to a desert island, this would be it. If I were to rate only one book six out of five stars throughout all my existence, THE DISASTER ARTIST WOULD BE IT!
This book is a nonfiction memoir of about 260 pages written by actor Greg Sestero with journalist Tom Bissell, and I read it in the paperback form with t ...more
This book is a nonfiction memoir of about 260 pages written by actor Greg Sestero with journalist Tom Bissell, and I read it in the paperback form with t ...more
For those who, like me, delighted in PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, generally considered to be the worst movie ever made, THE ROOM was, and is, a revelation. Even a movie starring the deceased Bela Lugosi and pocked with flying saucers variously identified by viewers as pie tins or paper plates cannot compare with the awfulness of Tommy Wiseau's self-directed, self-produced, self-written and self-starred-in masterpiece. Made for 6 million dollars, the film's inexplicably cheap-looking and ludicrous se
...more
Dec 18, 2013
juicy brained intellectual
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ebooks,
do-not-own
“Before running the scene one final time, Tommy wanted to talk to the flower shop owner about her dog. “So cute,” he said, as he petted the dog. “Hopefully he doesn’t bite me, my God.”...more
I think the owner somehow misinterpreted this as Tommy wanting the dog out of the next take. “Well,” she said, “he’s actually really old now. He just sits around. He won’t bother anyone. He kind of rules over this counter.”
Tommy nodded, smiling, still gazing down at the motionless little dog. “So is it real thing?”
Dec 26, 2019
Tess Taylor
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-nonfiction,
2019
4- A few weeks ago, on a regular weeknight at home, my husband and I were browsing Amazon Prime for a movie and we happened upon James Franco's The Disaster Artist. Neither one of us had much understanding of what the movie was about, aside from the fact that it was the true story of an eccentric filmmaker. We watched the movie in its entirety, with utter disbelief and enthusiasm. Immediately after finishing The Disaster Artist, we knew we had to track down The Room. We found a bootleg version o ...more
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—
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