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DokBrowne [ 8.5 ]
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The "Ed Wood" for the 21st century, the veracity of which has been retconned to some degree with Apatow-brand bromance emphasis, by a creative branch of the Apatow clan of course, but embellishing dramatic arcs to suit the worldview of the artist interpreting the true story is always going to be how movies operate, even when they're made by seemingly renegade experimental filmmakers like James Franco. But to pivot yet again, even with the niche subject matter and relatively low budget, this is Franco's coming-out as a legitimate director in the Hollywood system, so it's understandable if he plays it safe thematically this time I guess.
It's a highly entertaining narrative nonetheless, a bittersweet underdog tale and a ballad of loneliness and an absurd chronicle of incompetence, with meta splashes, an insane cast of cool celebrities and unexpected stars (happy to see Melanie Griffith again) and cultural in-jokes (the whole "How Did This Get Made?" team!) (5 co-stars from Franco's "Why Him?" and 9 from "Neighbors", for those keeping count), and an extra layer of commentary on Franco's own eccentricity as an artist, AND it walks the line between pathos and ridicule as well as "Ed Wood" did (just with far less style, which is to say none really).
As "The Room" has become a cult celebration of failure, re-telling Wiseau's story as a high-profile, critically acclaimed and crowd-pleasing ode to friendship, and then ending it on a triumphant note strikes me as the most humane thing anyone could have done for him. For what it's worth, even though there's clearly a painful loneliness inside him that no amount of ironic fandom can cure, I hope this experience fulfills him in a way that the fruits of his career ambitions never could, that in some roundabout way the cosmic balance of dignity tilts in his favor during this brush with legit fame.
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| Weighted Rating | : 7.2 |
| No. Ratings | : 4 | |
| No. Reviews | : 1 | |
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