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The disaster artist
288 pages
A hilarious, jaw-dropping, and surprisingly tender exploration of a spectacularly bizarre friendship and the making of a cinematic disaster.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting at a dive bar with a friend who is recounting the most unbelievable, chaotic, and hilarious story you’ve ever heard, swearing every word of it is true. It moves at a brisk, highly entertaining clip, plunging you into the surreal, ego-driven underbelly of Hollywood through the lens of an utterly baffling friendship. The tone is a masterful balancing act: sharply wry and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, yet anchored by a deep, bewildered empathy for its eccentric central figure. You are constantly oscillating between secondhand embarrassment, sheer disbelief, and a strange, creeping affection. It is a perfect read for anyone fascinated by outsider art, the delusion of the American Dream, and the messy, inexplicable bonds that tie people together against all logic.
- Mood
- absurd
- chaotic
- surreal
- strangely poignant
- Tone
- wry
- affectionate
- bewildered
- hilarious
- empathetic
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the American Dream · toxic friendship · cinematic hubris · outsider art · Hollywood desperation
- The writing
- Sharp, conversational, and highly observant, blending comedic timing with journalistic clarity.
- The arc
- Moves from bewildered amusement at a bizarre friendship to a surprisingly poignant understanding of a deeply flawed, lonely dreamer.
- Who it's for
- Fans of cult cinema, Hollywood history, and bizarre true stories of eccentric personalities and unlikely friendships.
Content notes
- toxic friendship dynamics
- emotional manipulation
- strong language
About the book
"In 2003, an independent film called The Room--starring and written, produced, directed by a mysteriously wealthy social misfit of indeterminate age and origin named Tommy Wiseau--made its disastrous debut in Los Angeles. Described by one reviewer as "like getting stabbed in the head," the six-million-dollar film earned a grand total of $1800 at the box office and closed after two weeks. Ten years later, The Room is an international cult phenomenon. Thousands of fans wait in line for hours to attend screenings complete with costumes, audience rituals, merchandising, and thousands of plastic spoons. In The Disaster Artist, actor Greg Sestero, Tommy's costar and longtime best friend, recounts the film's long, strange journey to infamy, unraveling mysteries for fans--who on earth is "Steven," and what's with that hospital on Guerrero Street?--as well as the question that plagues the uninitiated: how the hell did a movie this awful ever get made? But more than just a laugh-out-loud funny story about cinematic hubris, The Disaster Artist is also a great piece of narrative nonfiction, a portrait of a mysterious man who got past every road block in the Hollywood system to achieve success on his own terms. Written with a gimlet eye but an open heart, The Disaster Artist is the hilarious and inspiring story of a dream that just wouldn't die"--
Description from Open Library.
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