James Willis’s Reviews > The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made > Status Update

Nearing the end now, Greg Sestero submits his family to a test screening of ‘The Room’ and notes that their uncontrollable laughter at what is undoubtedly a monumental cinematic failure, but also an unintentional piece of comedic genius, was an early hallmark for the cult status ‘The Room’ would go on to earn in years to come.

Greg Sestero reveals a bit more about Tommy Wiseau’s origin story, by confabulating loosely related threads and tidbits of information Tommy had drip fed to him over the years into a semi-congruent journey from the deprivation of war-torn Eastern Europe, to living as an illegal immigrant in Strasbourg and Paris, before finally arriving in New Orleans in pursuit of what Tommy believes is the ‘American dream’

Moving deeper into this book reveals more about the fractious relationship between Tommy, Greg, and the film crew. Greg Sestero recalls with great detail the extreme paranoia and jealousy Tommy had over Greg’s few other friendships in LA, and how Tommy used this to manipulate the young and naive Sestero. He also reveals the disastrous series of events that led to Raphael and the film crew abandoning the project.

If you have ever seen ‘The Room’, and the biopic spoof ‘The Disaster Artist’ starring the Franco brothers (which is based upon this book), and found yourself caught between tears of joy and pure bewilderment at the man and mystery that is Tommy Wiseau, then you must read this book. Greg Sestero recounts how he met Tommy in search of stardom, and how that dream turned into a bizarre yet beautiful friendship.