--- title: "The Disaster Artist: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-disaster-artist/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-disaster-artist" critics_score: 76 critics_reviews: 23 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Disaster Artist (2017): what the critics said Critics' score 76 from 23 reviews: 19 positive, 4 mixed, 0 negative. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 December 2017. James Franco delivers a meticulous, affectionate recreation of the chaotic making of Tommy Wiseau’s cult disasterpiece The Room, turning the story into a tragicomic tour de force. The film succeeds by convincingly portraying Wiseau not just as a terrible filmmaker but as a genuine, if deluded, dreamer, much like Tim Burton’s Ed Wood. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/dec/03/the-disaster-artist-james-franco-tragicomic-tour-de-force) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 8 December 2017. In the spirit of Ed Wood and The Producers, the film celebrates the phenomenon of a work so bad it’s good, with Franco nailing the deluded overachiever Tommy Wiseau through pitch-perfect accent, appearance and volatile behaviour drawn from the source memoir. It tracks the odd-couple friendship and disastrous production with hilarious, meta energy. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/film-review-the-disaster-artist-wrnvwzvzc) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Rating Critics Pick. 13 March 2017. Festival review. This studio-made comedy is the most fascinating movie of James Franco's wildly eccentric oeuvre and the best and most professional entry on his résumé. It captures the sheer ineptitude of Wiseau’s endeavor while providing a revisionist take on “The Room’s” transformation into an inadvertent comedy. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/festivals/the-disaster-artist-review-james-franco-tommy-wiseau-the-room-1202007596/) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2017. The film is a sincere and sporadically funny tribute to failing in Hollywood and the noble pursuit of dreams despite ridicule. It praises the earnest tone, the recreation of scenes from The Room, and Franco's performance as Wiseau as a comedy masterclass. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/disaster-artist-review/) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 4/4/3. 6 December 2017. The review finds the film funny, heartfelt and bizarre, with Franco's performance as Wiseau being sincere and mesmerizing. It praises the warmth and compassion but notes it falls into formulaic territory and doesn't fully ignite as a cult classic. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-disaster-artist) ## Sight and Sound — Matthew Taylor Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2017. The critic praises Franco's portrayal of Tommy Wiseau as a sensational physical performance that captures his mannerisms and self-delusion poignantly. The film is seen as spinning tragicomic gold from the source material's absurdity, though it highlights the pathos in Wiseau's delusions. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-disaster-artist-spins-comic-gold-from-dramatic-dross) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★. 29 November 2017. The Disaster Artist is an ode to gloriously terrible filmmaking and a hilarious comedy-drama that succeeds as the spiritual successor to Ed Wood. It singles out Franco's performance as Wiseau for its manic energy, pathos, and perfect capture of the character's mannerisms. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-disaster-artist-review-106922) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 November 2017. The movie serves as the ultimate showcase for James Franco's performance as Wiseau, thrilling in its timing and relish despite some queasiness about laughing at the subject. It dodges deeper questions about talent and audience enjoyment in its tidy ending. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/11/james-franco-the-disaster-artist-movie-review.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2017. Franco’s shrewd, affectionate and squirmingly funny new movie approaches “The Room” in a spirit of mocking celebration and offers a sincere tribute from one iconoclast to another. It is a timeless chronicle of incompetence, jealousy and delusions of grandeur that works as an extended series of comic bits. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-disaster-artist-review-20171130-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Jake Cole Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 September 2017. The film perfectly communicates the surreal hell of The Room's production and reconciles Franco's sides as director and actor, but it is less successful at examining the central friendship. It remains a loving tribute to how bad movies can leave a lasting impression. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-disaster-artist/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Michael Rechtshaffen Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2017. Festival review. The critic calls it a wildly funny Ed Wood-esque ode to great bad moviemaking that works well as a work in progress. Franco excels in dual roles as director and star, leading a strong ensemble in a blend of comedy and pathos. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/disaster-artist-review-985475/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2017. The ha-ha comedy is an ode to bad taste and dubious intentions that recounts the making of a friendship and the absurdly inept movie it produced. Franco recreates the production of “The Room” with an assured, energetic touch and an appealing cast, though the breeziness can feel glib. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/30/movies/the-disaster-artist-review-ames-franco-tommy-wiseau.html) ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2017. The film is funny and entertaining with a sincere attempt to explain The Room, but it avoids real confrontation with its subject and too readily validates the failure at its center. It offers an easy, feel-good take on Wiseau compared to more nuanced treatments of failure. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-disaster-artist-and-i-tonya-examine-failure-and-cu-1820853802) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 3/5. 20 November 2017. The critic describes it as an affectionate making-of that's half as weird as the real thing, good for fans of The Room but undernourished in its central relationship and more conventional than hoped. Praises the recreation of scenes and Franco's impression but notes it's square. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-disaster-artist) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2017. Franco displays a wicked joy in portraying the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau and brings special verve to scenes of the fictionalized Tommy working with his cast and crew. The comedy never gets past Tommy’s mask of mystery, staying on the surface and leaving little more than a trail of amusing anecdotes. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/the-disaster-artist) ## HeyUGuys — Nathan McVay Rating 5/5. 14 March 2017. Festival review. The critic calls the film surprisingly outstanding and a brilliant tribute, praising James Franco's career-best performance as Tommy Wiseau. They single out the heartfelt bond between the two friends and their shared dream as the emotional core that makes the absurdity work. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-disaster-artist-review/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating A-. 30 November 2017. The critic praises the film's emphasis on friendship and humanizing Wiseau rather than mere fan service, blending humor with genuine sweetness and charm. James Franco's performance and the brothers' on-screen chemistry are singled out for making Wiseau a sympathetic, three-dimensional figure. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-disaster-artist-review/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 November 2017. Franco turns the making of a very bad movie into a very good one with a good-natured tribute that focuses on the friendship and creative process. The film succeeds as a human comedy with a three-dimensional lead performance and strong supporting turns, comparable to Ed Wood. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2017/11/the-disaster-artist-review-james-franco-tommy-wiseau-the-room-zac-efron-1202217024/) ## NME — Olly Richards Rating 4/5. 6 December 2017. Franco directs and stars in a kinder, better film than a simple farce, delivering a very funny, affectionate celebration that includes heart-wrenching moments and a strangely inspiring Hollywood tale of pursuing dreams. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/disaster-artist-film-review-2168667) ## The Ringer — K. Austin Collins Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2017. The critic finds the film funny, sincere, and revealing, crediting its understanding of 'anti-genius' and Wiseau's aspirations for making it more than a simple comedy. Franco's nuanced performance and the tense making-of sequences are highlighted as particularly effective. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2017/11/30/movies/the-disaster-artist-film-review-james-franco) ## The Wrap — Sam Fragoso Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2017. Franco has made an ambitious, seriocomic portrait that succeeds as a good movie about a bad one and an endearing love letter to Wiseau. The film excels thanks to Franco's impeccable comedic timing and full commitment to capturing Wiseau's earnestness and accent. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-disaster-artist-review-james-franco-tommy-wiseau-the-room/) ## Paste — Jim Vorel Rating 8.0. 30 November 2017. The review lauds James Franco's remarkable, transformative performance as Tommy Wiseau as the film's greatest strength and one of his career highlights. It notes the film is most rewarding for fans of The Room due to its detailed recreations but may feel less accessible to newcomers. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-disaster-artist/the-disaster-artist-review) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 3/5. 6 December 2017. The film succeeds as a feel-good comedy about two clueless dreamers who create a one-of-a-kind work, but it largely amounts to an amusing re-enactment that fails to dig beneath the surface of Wiseau's character or match the craft of similar films like Ed Wood. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-disaster-artist-review-2/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-disaster-artist.md