The disaster artist

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Movie
German title The disaster artist
Original title The disaster artist
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2017
length 104 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director James Franco
script Scott Neustadter ,
Michael H. Weber
production James Franco,
Evan Goldberg ,
Vince Jolivette ,
Seth Rogen ,
James Weaver
music Dave Porter
camera Brandon consolation
cut Stacey Schroeder
occupation

The Disaster Artist is an American comedy film with tragic elements by James Franco based on a book of the same name by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell . The book is about the story of the making of the film The Room by Tommy Wiseau from 2003. A working version of the film was presented on March 12, 2017 as part of the South by Southwest Film Festival . The film was released in selected US cinemas on December 1, 2017.

As part of the Golden Globe Awards 2018 , Franco was named Best Actor in the role of Tommy Wiseau . At the 2018 Academy Awards , Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber were nominated for the best adapted screenplay .

action

In 1998, the budding but shy actor Greg Sestero got a role in Waiting for Godot and is preparing for it in an acting class in San Francisco led by Jean Shelton. Then Sestero meets Tommy Wiseau, who is just as an outsider as he is and who takes him under his wing. Sestero and Wiseau are rejected in their world, but both chase after their dreams. Wiseau takes the young actor to Los Angeles, where he owns an apartment that he rarely uses. Wiseau would like to be a great director, Sestero dreams of becoming a real actor, so they decide to make their own film, which Wiseau wants to fund. The eccentric Wiseau has long black hair and likes to wear dark clothes, which makes him look like a rocker, while he calls Sestero "Babyface". Wiseau becomes jealous when he notices that his new boyfriend likes to flirt with the bartender Amber, who quickly becomes his girlfriend, and also finds an agent Sestero.

Wiseau not only directs the film The Room , which they want to make, he also writes the script, which has a negative effect on the film project because nobody tells him that he makes all sorts of mistakes in his work. He shoots the film without common sense and recreates an alley in the film studio in which the film is set, although there is a street directly in front of the studio where he could relocate the shooting because Wiseau believes that real films must necessarily have an artificial one Feature film set. Production is also made more expensive by the fact that he decides to shoot the film both digitally and in 35mm format. In addition to his incompetence as a director, author and producer, he also develops airs and insists, for example. B. on having your own bathroom on the set. The expectations he has of the actors when auditioning are also strange. So he instructs them to speak in an incomprehensible way and to mime impossible, seemingly surrealistic scenes. In his behavior towards Sestero, too, he becomes increasingly uncontrollable and begins to patronize him more and more, even if it is impossible for him to finish the film without him.

Literary template

The film is based on the book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room by actors Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell . Sestero starred as Mark in Tommy Wiseau's 2003 film The Room , whose chaotic genesis he reports in the book, and is also a good friend of Wiseau. In the book he describes how he himself tried desperately to stay afloat as a young actor and of his relationship with the mysterious director, who in the past had revealed little about his childhood and youth. In interviews after the publication of The Room in 1968 or 1969, Sestero had indicated as possible years of birth, but Sestero reports in his book that, according to his immigration papers , he must have been born in an Eastern Bloc state in the 1950s.

According to Sestero, the eccentric director had repeatedly contradicted himself in the stories about his life. In addition to describing the circumstances of their getting to know each other, Sestero focuses in his book on the difficulties and strange experiences he had with him behind the scenes while making the film, but also on the emergence of an unlikely friendship with Wiseau.

Wiseau's film earned a spot on the list of the worst movies of all time because of a script he didn't seem to understand himself, many incoherent subplots, grotesque drama, and anatomically improbable sex scenes. When he presented his film in June 2003, the audience did not know what to do with the "narcissistic homunculus" with his long black hair and his Harlequin romance look and with his film, according to Peter Debruge of Variety . Though Wiseau had booked two Los Angeles cinemas showing many hopeful Oscar nominees, fewer than 200 viewers were willing to pay for the film, which is said to have cost around $ 6 million, on its opening weekend.

Nevertheless, there were some moviegoers who wanted to watch the film again and again and, similar to the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show , began to develop little rituals while watching the film and to throw things at the screen in some scenes. The innumerable and sometimes hilarious mistakes in The Room - despite its inglorious reputation in film history - ensured that it became a cult film; first for visitors from Los Angeles and then around the world.

When Sestero wrote his book, Wiseau said that he could only imagine two actors who would play him, Wiseau, if the book were to be made into a film, namely James Franco and Johnny Depp .

production

Staff and genre

James Franco directed the film and also acted as one of the producers alongside Evan Goldberg , Vince Jolivette , Seth Rogen and James Weaver . The script adaptation of Greg Sesteros and Tom Bissell's novel was carried out by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber . The film smooths and condenses parts of the story that is told in the novel.

At the premiere of the film, Franco said, "After reading the book, I always said that I somehow identified with Tommy." By his own admission, Franco really respected him for bringing Wiseau to Hollywood like it did many thousands or millions of people have done and made this movie. "I resemble him in ways I hate to admit," added Franco, saying he loves Hollywood stories and here is a Hollywood story about outsiders who tried to make it there but who did was also incredibly crazy. Seth Rogen, producer, said "It would have been easy to make a movie that just made fun of The Room [...], but we love it."

Variety's Peter Debruge describes the film as a "dysfunctional buddy movie ".

occupation

James Franco directed and played the mysterious and unsuccessful filmmaker Tommy Wiseau in the film James Franco directed and played the mysterious and unsuccessful filmmaker Tommy Wiseau in the film
James Franco directed and played the mysterious
and unsuccessful filmmaker Tommy Wiseau in the film

James Franco , who also directed, plays Tommy Wiseau in the film . Franco said of his preparation: "I rehearsed the role of Tommy the way I did when I played James Dean ." His younger brother Dave Franco took over the role of Greg Sestero in the film , Alison Brie plays his new friend Amber. In the spring of 2017, shortly after the premiere of the film, it was announced that Dave Franco and Alison Brie, who had been engaged since August 2015, were married. Melanie Griffith plays Greg's acting teacher Jean Shelton and Seth Rogen plays supervisor Sandy Schklair. Bryan Cranston plays himself as an actor in the film during his time when Malcolm was shot in the middle of it. In addition to Cranston, a number of other well-known actors have taken on minor roles or a cameo appearance in the film, such as Sharon Stone , JJ Abrams , Zac Efron and Judd Apatow , who plays a producer in the film, but also Ari Graynor , Josh Hutcherson , June Diane Raphael , Nathan Fielder and Jacki Weaver who audition for Wiseau in the film. Other actors include Paul Scheer , Hannibal Buress , Jason Mantzoukas and Megan Mullally .

Filming and film music

The film was shot with the working title The Masterpiece in Los Angeles , and thus also at one of the locations of the film The Room .

The score was composed by Dave Porter . The soundtrack for the film includes 30 pieces of music and was released for download on December 8, 2017 by WaterTower Music .

publication

A work-in-progress version of the film was presented on March 12, 2017 at the South by Southwest Film Festival , where the film celebrated its world premiere and received a standing ovation. At this screening, in addition to director James Franco , his brother Dave and producer Seth Rogen , Greg Sestero and Tommy Wiseau were also present, whose film The Room was shown afterwards. In September 2017, the film was presented at the Toronto International Film Festival in the Midnight Madness section and in the same month at the San Sebastián International Film Festival , where it was awarded the Golden Shell for best film.

The film rights are owned by Warner Bros. / New Line . While the international distribution rights are with New Line , A24 took over the distribution rights in North America.

The film was released in selected US cinemas on December 1, 2017 and in German cinemas on February 1, 2018.

synchronization

The German synchronization was for a dialogue book and the dialogue director of Kim Hasper on behalf of RC Production Kunze & Wunder GmbH & Co. KG .

role actor Voice actor
Tommy Wiseau James Franco Marcel Collé
Greg Sestero Dave Franco Konrad Bösherz
Bobbi Zoey German Shandra Schadt
Iris Burton Sharon Stone Martina Treger
Bonnita Boudreau Sugar Lyn Beard
Amber Alison Brie Farina Brock
Dan Janjigian Zac Efron Daniel hose
Sid Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Sandy Schklair Seth Rogen Tobias Kluckert
Jean Shelton Melanie Griffith Ilona Schulz
Philip Haldiman Josh Hutcherson Amadeus Strobl
Henry Tommy Wiseau
Robyn Paris June Diane Raphael Carolina Vera
Erica Chase Eliza Coupe
Peter Jason Mantzoukas Jan-David Rönfeldt
Juliette Danielle Ari Graynor Laurine Betz
Nate Jason Mitchell
Bryan Cranston Bryan Cranston Bodo Wolf
JJ Abrams JJ Abrams Axel Malzacher
Zach Braff Zach Braff Kim Hasper

reception

Age rating

In the USA, the film received an R rating from the MPAA , which corresponds to a rating of 17 and over. In Germany the film is FSK 12 . The statement of reasons for the release states: “In a mostly calm, episodic narrative style and with a lot of irony, the film addresses the tragedy of artistic failure, but also the value of friendship and solidarity, and ultimately strikes a conciliatory tone. Although children under the age of 12 can be irritated by the often coarse language, individual sex scenes and a depiction of a suicide attempt , children as early as 12 are able to place these aspects in context and to distance themselves. The lovingly ironic attitude of the film opens up to them based on the media experience they have already gained, so that there is no risk of impairment for them. "

Reviews and grossing results

The film has so far won over 91 percent of the Rotten Tomatoes critics and received an average rating of 7.8 out of a possible 10 points. As part of the 2017 Golden Tomato Awards , the film came third in the Best Comedy Film category .

The Verge's Adi Robertson says the film is not just the rare example of a genuinely hilarious biopic , but also a subtle meta-commentary on the state of the cult films . The film is more interesting than a pure character study by disaster artist Tommy Wiseau , according to Robertson, and thematically the film has a lot in common with Ed Wood by Tim Burton from 1994 about the infamous director of Plan 9 from outer space . Where this invited the viewer directly into Wood's psyche, The Disaster Artist Wiseau keep Wiseau at a distance and show the director through the eyes of Sestero. What also makes the portrayed Wiseau and the film more interesting, according to Robertson, is that it shows an unrealistically optimistic person and thus represents a counterpart to Ed Wood and the bittersweet end of his career and how he ultimately fails in the film. Regarding the acting performance of the protagonist, Robertson says that the boyish James Franco is not the perfect cast for the role of Tommy Wiseau, but that he captures his unmistakable European accent and his resounding way of speaking, whereby Franco consistently demonstrates his skills. The fictional Wiseau is also designed to be even more bombastic than its real counterpart, which can sound relatively normal in interviews, according to Robertson. In addition, Franco does not make fun of Wiseau, according to Robertson, but rather mystifies him as the patron saint of all those who lived their dreams against all odds, even - or especially - when these dreams are simply horrible.

Adrian Daub of Zeit Online explains that the heart of The Disaster Artist is the shooting and the precisely recreated scenes of The Room , in which Franco is actually amazingly similar to Tommy Wiseau. Franco shows his tragicomic protagonist a sympathy that shows that he recognizes Wiseau as a kind of hapless doppelganger of himself, Daub continues.

Frank Schnelle from epd Film says that James Franco, himself an unpredictable representative of his profession, leaves no doubt as to how much he admires Wiseau's will to assert himself: “He makes him a colorful, unique protagonist - and thanks to the fact that he is like Wiseau director and main actor in personal union is, by the way, an interesting meta-level. “However, the film remains consistently an insider event, which ultimately cuts in the same notch and makes no move to give its characters depth, says Schnelle. The conflict between Greg and Tommy is frighteningly simple and formulaic, Greg, balancing between loyalty and self-assertion, literally flattens out over the course of the story, and Tommy remains a joke until the end, from whom we never find out what drives her inside.

David Kleingers says in Spiegel Online that it is James Franco's interpretation of the (art) character Tommy Wiseau that makes the film interesting beyond the anecdotal: “In his game, Franco cleverly refrains from psychologizing the essence of Wiseau or his narcissism, hubris and often belittling inconsiderate behavior in the manner of Ed Wood . "

Josh Kurp of UPROXX explains that the film release in the USA was scheduled by A24 at the start of the film awards season in December 2017 and that the nomination of James Franco at the 2018 Academy Awards, which was often not considered impossible by critics, explains that the Academy loves films about the entertainment industry, such as La La Land , Birdman and The Artist .

The film's worldwide revenue from theatrical screenings has so far been around 28 million US dollars.

Awards

On December 18, 2017, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Dave Porter's work (film music) was on a shortlist from which the nominations in the category Best Film Music at the 2018 Academy Awards were made. Below is a selection of nominations and awards from other film awards.

Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2018

Golden Globe Awards 2018

Gotham Awards 2017

Hollywood Film Awards 2017

  • Honored with the Hollywood Screenwriter Award (Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber)

Independent Spirit Awards 2018

National Board of Review Awards 2017

  • Award for the best adapted screenplay (Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber)
  • Inclusion in the top 10 movies

Academy Awards 2018

Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards 2017

  • Award for the best original screenplay
  • Nomination for Best Actor (James Franco)

San Sebastián International Film Festival 2017

  • Award for best film with the Golden Shell (James Franco)

Satellite Awards 2017

  • Award for the best adapted screenplay (Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber)
  • Nomination for Best Film Actor (James Franco)

Screen Actors Guild Awards 2018

Toronto International Film Festival 2017

  • First runner-up in the Midnight Madness section (James Franco)

Writers Guild of America Awards 2018

  • Nomination for the best adapted screenplay (Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber)

The German Film and Media Assessment FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the rating particularly valuable.

Web links

Commons : The Disaster Artist  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Certificate of Release for The Disaster Artist . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 175185 / K). Template: FSK / maintenance / type not set and Par. 1 longer than 4 characters
  2. ↑ (REVIEW) Disaster Artist (SXSW Premiere with Seth Rogen, James & Dave Franco) , In: SUPER HAPPY NERD TIME, accessed on May 27, 2019
  3. ↑ a b c d Adi Robertson: The Disaster Artist is a hilarious biopic about the making of The Room In: theverge.com, March 14, 2017.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Jen Yamato: James Franco's 'The Disaster Artist': A great movie about the greatest bad movie? The SXSW reaction In: Los Angeles Times, March 14, 2017.
  5. ↑ a b c Peter Debruge: SXSW Film Review: 'The Disaster Artist' In: Variety, March 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ a b c d Christopher Rosen: James Franco's 'The Disaster Artist' receives a standing ovation In: Entertainment Weekly, March 13, 2017.
  7. ^ The Disaster Artist. Trivia In: imdb.com. Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  8. ↑ Michael Rechtsshaffen: 'The Disaster Artist': Film Review. SXSW 2017 In: The Hollywood Reporter, March 13, 2017.
  9. ↑ James Franco's little brother got married! In: Bunte.de, March 14, 2017.
  10. ↑ Christopher Hooton: 'The Disaster Artist': James Franco's film about Tommy Wiseau's disasterpiece The Room is being tipped for an Oscar In: independent.co.uk, March 14, 2017.
  11. ↑ a b c Amanda N'Duka: James Franco's 'The Disaster Artist' A Hit In The Room At SXSW In: deadline.com, March 13, 2017.
  12. ↑ 'The Disaster Artist' Soundtrack to Be Released , In: FILM MUSIC REPORTER, accessed on May 27, 2019
  13. ↑ Eric Kohn: James Franco's 'The Disaster Artist' Is the Biggest Sales Title at SXSW, If the Studio Decides to Sel In: indiewire.com, March 13, 2017.
  14. ↑ Toronto International Film Festival 2017. Official Film Schedule In: tiff.net. Retrieved on August 23, 2017 (PDF; 852 kB)
  15. ↑ Nancy Tartaglione: Toronto Sets Midnight Madness & Docs Lineup With Franco's 'The Disaster Artist', Spurlock's 'Super Size Me 2', More In: deadline.com, August 1, 2017.
  16. ↑ San Sebastián Film Festival: James Franco wins Golden Shell In: stern.de, October 1, 2017.
  17. ↑ Jack Giroux: A24 Releasing James Franco's 'The Disaster Artist' During Awards Season In: slashfilm.com, May 16, 2017.
  18. ↑ Start dates Germany In: insidekino.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  19. ↑ German synchronous index: German synchronous index | Movies | The disaster artist. Accessed March 31, 2018 .
  20. ^ The Disaster Artist In: parentpreviews.com. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  21. ^ Reasons for approval for The Disaster Artist In: Voluntary Self-Control of the Film Industry. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  22. ↑ The Disaster Artist In: Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  23. ↑ Best-reviewed Comedies 2017 In: Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  24. ↑ Adrian Daub: "The Disaster Artist": What are embarrassing dreams in Hollywood? In: Zeit Online. January 31, 2018, accessed February 1, 2018 .
  25. ↑ Frank Schnelle: Review of 'The Disaster Artist' In: epd Film.
  26. ↑ David Kleingers: Hollywood parody "The Disaster Artist": The stair joke of film history. In: Spiegel Online . January 30, 2018, accessed June 9, 2018 .
  27. ↑ Josh Kurp: James Franco Might Actually Get An Oscar Nomination For His Movie About 'The Room' In: uproxx.com, May 16, 2017.
  28. ^ The Disaster Artist In: boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  29. ↑ Zack Sharf: Oscars 2018: Best Original Score Shortlist Includes 'The Shape of Water', 'All the Money in the World' and More In: indiewire.com, December 18, 2017.
  30. ↑ Kristopher Tapley, 'Shape of Water' Leads Critics' Choice Film Nominations In: Variety, December 6, 2017.
  31. ↑ Winners & Nominees 2018 In: www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  32. ↑ Kimberly Nordyke: Hollywood Film Awards: 'The Big Sick' to Receive Comedy Ensemble Award In: The Hollywood Reporter, October 23, 2017.
  33. ↑ Hilary Lewis: 2018 Independent Spirit Award Nominations Revealed In: The Hollywood Reporter, November 21, 2017.
  34. ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro: National Board Of Review Winners: 'The Post' Comes Up Strong With Best Pic, Best Actress Meryl Streep, Best Actor Tom Hanks In: deadline.com, November 28, 2017.
  35. ↑ 2017 Awards Winners ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.phoenixfilmcriticssociety.org archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: phoenixfilmcriticssociety.org. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  36. ↑ The Disaster Artist In: sansebastianfestival.com , Retrieved May 27, 2019
  37. ↑ 65th San Sebastian Film Festival 2017 Awards In: sansebastianfestival.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  38. ↑ Steve Pond: 'Dunkirk', 'The Shape of Water' Lead Satellite Award Nominations In: thewrap.com, November 29, 2017.
  39. ↑ Rebecca Rubin: SAG Award Nominations In: Variety, December 13, 2017.
  40. ↑ 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' Wins Toronto Film Festival Audience Award In: VARIETY, Retrieved May 27, 2019