History Film / TheDisasterArtist

* AdaptationalNationality: Greg's French heritage is written out of the film, when in the book he showed a lot of pride in this. His mother also shows no hint of being a French immigrant. It's also never explicitly mentioned that Markus, the boy that Tommy hires to film all the on-set crew under the guise of a making-of {{documentary}}, is Czech.

** Greg getting the part in ''Retro Film/PuppetMaster'' is never brought up, and Tommy's jealousy of him is transferred to Amber being around Greg. Greg, however, indeed wound up doing ''The Room'' out of desperation after parts dried up, as depicted in the film. In addition, Tommy only began his attempts at modelling after seeing Greg get SAG status from ''Retro Puppet Master''.

* BerserkButton: Under normal circumstances, Tommy Wiseau comes across as a generous, if intense and very strange, man who would give the shirt off his back (and most of his apartment space) to a friend in need. However, he gets extremely upset if you ask about his mysterious past. He also has a bit of a HairTriggerTemper when things aren't going his way.

* ComedicSociopathy: It's implied that several of the crew members at the premiere aren't just laughing at how bad the movie is so much as thrilled at their abusive former boss making an idiot out of himself and eventually killing himself on-screen.

** Sandy Schklair is combined with Byron, a stagehand whom Greg came to call the "director of yelling", who started doing Sandy's job once Sandy started phoning it in and, eventually, quit when a better opportunity came up. Sandy is seen working and commenting on the suicide and sex scenes, when according to the book the real Schklair had left the production before those scenes were filmed. He's even at the premiere of the movie, when in the book it's explicitly stated that he wasn't invited.

*** Greg's French background and Tommy's coinciding hatred of all things French is adapted out, with his real-life French mother an American in the film. Additionally, Greg did land a few roles and small parts (his most prominent one helped by his skills with French), but the film omits his other projects, brushing off his modelling work with a single line and his lead role in ''Retro Puppet Master'', in order to streamline his decision to joining Tommy's production.
*** There were far, far, ''far'' more ridiculous antics that went on during the production of ''The Room'', including several walkouts and turnovers as well as the original actor for Mark (who Tommy conspired to remove from the role so Greg could portray him), but filming them all would require another adaptation in itself (as well as likely making Tommy beyond sympathy or redemption) and as such the film chooses a few key scenes to establish Tommy's belligerent incompetence.

* NiceToTheWaiter: The producer that Tommy approaches in the restaurant is an inversion. After Tommy is kicked out, he snaps at the maître d' for not acting faster.

* PointyHairedBoss: Everyone that Tommy hires for his film is infinitely more qualified and rational than he, but he's the one in charge, and they just go along with whatever he wants whenever he isn't being ''too'' much of a {{jerkass}}.

-->'''Mrs. Sestero''': Yeah. And I just turned ''fourteen''.

-->'''Tommy''': Because, it's real Hollywood movie!

* UndyingLoyalty: Greg to Tommy. He gives up a bigger role in a TV show to help his friend make his dream, even if it's obvious it's terrible.

* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Though Tommy claims he is from New Orleans, few people believe him. He gets especially uncomfortable when they say he sounds more eastern European. Most notable during an audition where the casting director thinks the accent is an acting choice, on another reading Tommy tries to hide it but becomes even more difficult to understand.

The film chronicles the OddFriendship between Sestero (Creator/DaveFranco) and his eccentric, enigmatic acting classmate Creator/TommyWiseau (James Franco) as the two pursue careers in Hollywood, eventually coming together for the [[TroubledProduction frighteningly difficult production]] of Wiseau's dream project, an independent film titled ''Film/TheRoom''. Other cast members include Creator/JoshHutcherson as Philip Haldiman (Denny), Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle (Lisa), Jacki Weaver as Carolyn Minnott (Claudette), Creator/SethRogen as script supervisor Sandy Schklair, Creator/SharonStone, Creator/BryanCranston, and Creator/ZacEfron.

** Greg says this word for word after Tommy tells him that he's spent $5 million on production.

->'''Tommy:''' This town, Greg. It don't want me.

Compare ''{{Film/Ed Wood}}'', another biopic about a [[Creator/EdWood another legendarily bad director.]]

* AdaptationalJerkass: The film's changes to the account given in the book have a net effect of making Tommy a bit nicer, but a few incidents make him look ''less'' sympathetic.

* AdaptationalNationality: Greg's French heritage is written out of the film, when in the book he showed a lot of pride in this. His mother also shows no hint of being a French migrant. It's also never explicitly mentioned that Markus, the boy that Tommy hires to film all the on-set crew secretly, is Czech.

** Tommy is portrayed as nicer than in the book due to certain real-life incidents being downplayed, altered, or downright absent, such as the real Tommy recording all Greg's phone calls (and the calls of everyone else to and from his home), his emotional and economical manipulation of Greg is cut out, opening and reading through all Greg's mail behind his back, losing a cinematographer after he was caught lying to him about installing a generator, and making the actress who played Lisa cry at one point due to his verbal abuse (the abuse is depicted, but she does not get as upset about it). They also leave out the cast and crew explicitly speculating that Tommy is or was involved in organized crime and that the film might even be a money-laundering scheme. Granted, in a case like the last one, this trope would only apply (to the point of AdaptationalHeroism, for that matter) if that was true (which Sestero at least personally doubts).

** Although Greg had his frustrations with the production of the film and Tommy himself, he ''never'' called him out during the middle of filming, let alone during the scene where they toss the football in the park (it's ''Tommy'' who lost his cool when filming that scene because he couldn't catch Greg's throws and Greg [[BerserkButton spoke French at one point]]). However, Greg ''did'' blow up at Tommy at one point ... which is where the unusually well-acted "Leave your stupid comments in your pocket" quotation comes from.

** Greg's car was a 1991 Chevy Lumina in the book, which was the first generation of that model. The movie also shows him in a Lumina but it's a newer second generation model, which was introduced for the 1995 model year.
** Sandy Schklair, reportedly, wasn't present for the sex-scenes as he predicted that Tommy's behavior would make it a nightmare to shoot (he was right). He intentionally scheduled the filming to be some of the last scenes they shot, [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere and quit the day before they had to do it.]]

** Graham Futerfas, the second director of photography and the only person to ever directly call Tommy out on his bullshit (namely in regards to his lying about calling about a much-needed generator) was not seen or even mentioned, possibly due to trying to keep Wiseau in the mostly sympathetic light the film cast him in.
** Greg Ellery, who played replacement character Steven after the original actor, Kyle Vogt, who played Peter, had to leave due to previous commitments, also does not appear. Plus, he had both his appearance and his fate passed on to Kyle, who unlike in the book, was actually invited to the premiere (Tommy did not invite him due to his leaving for his other work, [[InsaneTrollLogic which he knew about and was repeatedly reminded of, being viewed as a "betrayal" of him]]).

** Tommy's dating history is a complete mystery, and he never expresses interest or attraction to any woman.

** During the lovemaking scene, Tommy seems to be completely unfamiliar with how to have sex with a woman. The crew remark at how he's [[AnatomicallyImpossibleSex thrusting at the actress' navel.]]

* ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount: Wiseau himself. The bank teller even tells Sandy that Wiseau's bank account is like a bottomless pit. To the surprise of everyone, his checks all cleared and he has multiple apartments in at least two different cities. This is despite him having no day job, no obvious family connections (to ''anyone''), and few apparent skills. Wiseau rarely flaunts his wealth (mostly when things go pear-shaped on the set of ''The Room''), lives modestly, and offers Greg Sestero the lion's share of his own home rent-free.

* BadBadActing: Required when you're starring in a movie about a movie with infamously bad acting. Some have even joked that James Franco acted ''too well'' to emulate Tommy's performance when filming ''The Room''. There's also an early moment where Sestero performs a scene from ''Theatre/WaitingForGodot'' in his acting class; he is petrified with stage fright, and his partner is wooden as a board.

* BrutalHonesty: This was the attitude of both the male acting teacher and the agent in the restaurant in dealing with Tommy, albeit the latter was a {{Jerkass}}, to boot. Tommy also seems to think he has this attitude, but he [[CantTakeCriticism takes it poorly]] [[{{Hypocrite}} when it's directed at him.]]

** Though the film adds some scenes not present in the memoir (an invented physical fight between Greg and Tommy as well as the actual premiere of the film), a number of plot points had to be adapted out for length:
*** Greg's French background and Tommy's coinciding hatred of all things French is adapted out, with his real-life French mother an American in the film. Additionally, Greg actually did manage to snag a few roles and small parts (his most prominent one helped by his skills with French), but the film omits his other projects, brushing off his modelling work with a single line and his lead role in ''Retro Puppet Master'', in order to streamline his decision to joining Tommy's production.

** InUniverse. Juliette Danielle buries her face in her hands while watching her sex scene with Tommy, occasionally looking up to say "Oh my God, it's still going."

* {{Fanservice}}: Invoked. Tommy claims that if he shows his ass, it'll help to sell the movie. It got the exact opposite effect.

* {{Jerkass}}: Tommy. Even though the movie portrays him as still human, he can be seen as a self-obsessed eccentric.

* PragmaticAdaptation: The movie primarily focuses on Tommy and Greg's relationship and either truncates, excludes or invents certain details to translate better to the screen. Rather than getting a decent start and then fizzling out, Greg is just as starved for work as Tommy. He stays on the movie purely to support his friend rather than because he could really use the money, allowing him to have a SecondActBreakup with Tommy which by all accounts never happened (although a lot of repressed anger apparently came out in the scuffle Mark and Johnny get into in ''Film/TheRoom''), as well as the fact that he was credited as line producer despite never holding that position. The in-universe film ending also implies that ''The Room''[='=]s SoBadItsGood[[invoked]] reputation and both Greg and Tommy fully embracing it began at its premiere, whereas the book simply ends with a ForegoneConclusion as the lights go down just as the movie is starting.

The film revolves chronicles the OddFriendship between Sestero (Creator/DaveFranco) and his eccentric, enigmatic acting classmate Creator/TommyWiseau (James Franco) as the two pursue careers in Hollywood, eventually coming together for the [[TroubledProduction frighteningly difficult production]] of Wiseau's dream project, an independent film titled ''Film/TheRoom''. Other cast members include Creator/JoshHutcherson as Philip Haldiman (Denny), Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle (Lisa), Jacki Weaver as Carolyn Minnott (Claudette), Creator/SethRogen as script supervisor Sandy Schklair, Creator/SharonStone, Creator/BryanCranston, and Creator/ZacEfron.

''The Disaster Artist'' is a {{biopic}} {{dramedy}} film directed by and starring Creator/JamesFranco, an adaptation of the [[Literature/TheDisasterArtist book of the same name]] written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. The film revolves around the meeting and friendship of Creator/TommyWiseau (Franco) and Sestero (Creator/DaveFranco), and the TroubledProduction and their careers after the making of ''Film/TheRoom''. Other cast members include Creator/JoshHutcherson as Philip Haldiman (Denny), Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle (Lisa), Jacki Weaver as Carolyn Minnott (Claudette), Creator/SethRogen as script supervisor Sandy Schklair, Creator/SharonStone, Creator/BryanCranston, and Creator/ZacEfron.

The film received a wide release in December 2017 by Creator/{{A24}} and Creator/NewLineCinema in the United States, with Creator/WarnerBros releasing the film internationally. '''Previews:''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qab3TMg42k Teaser]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMKX2tE5Luk Trailer 1]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPSJYXi7BWA Trailer 2]].

* TheCameo: Creator/JuddApatow plays a nameless Hollywood producer Tommy harasses at a restaurant.

** Tommy never gets his [[DarkAndTroubledPast sympathetic background]] that explains a ''lot'' of his bizarre quirks and why he wanted to make ''The Room'' (though even when recounting Tommy's background in the book, Greg is openly skeptical about much of it). In the book, Greg speculates that it's because America (and Hollywood) symbolized success and escape from a third-world CommieLand hellhole for Tommy, as well as no longer being treated like garbage for being an immigrant, where he was nearly killed several times. This is present to a lesser extent in the film, but it's more seen as a "trying to make it big, like everyone else in Hollywood" affair.

The film received a wide release in December 2017 by Creator/{{A24}} and Creator/NewLineCinema in the United States, with Creator/WarnerBros releasing the film internationally.

'''Previews:''' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qab3TMg42k Teaser]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMKX2tE5Luk Trailer 1]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPSJYXi7BWA Trailer 2]].

* WrongGenreSavvy: Tommy is repeatedly told by various directors and filmmakers that [[LooksLikeCesare his appearance]] and accent could get him steady work being typecast as villains. Unfortunately, Tommy insists on being a leading man despite everyone telling him otherwise.

''The Disaster Artist'' is a {{biopic}} {{dramedy}} film directed by and starring Creator/JamesFranco, an adaptation of the [[Literature/TheDisasterArtist book of the same name]] written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. The film revolves around the meeting and friendship of Creator/TommyWiseau (Franco) and Greg Sestero (Creator/DaveFranco), and the TroubledProduction and their careers after the making of ''Film/TheRoom''. Other cast members include Creator/JoshHutcherson as Philip Haldiman (Denny), Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle (Lisa), Jacki Weaver as Carolyn Minnott (Claudette), Creator/SethRogen as script supervisor Sandy Schklair, Creator/SharonStone, Creator/BryanCranston, and Creator/ZacEfron.

* AcceptableBreaksFromReality: TheStinger. [[spoiler: Tommy Wiseau meets...Tommy Wiseau.]]

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: During the screening of ''The Room'', everyone involved (sans Tommy) finds themselves laughing at scenes they'd risked their careers working on.
* AdaptationalJerkass: The film's changes to the account given in the book have a net effect of making Tommy a bit nicer, but certain incidents are given a ''less'' sympathetic portrayal.

** In the film, Tommy is just as callous with Carolyn Minnott (Claudette) as he is with everyone else, and accuses her of napping on the job when the heat on set causes her to faint. According to the book, the fainting episode did occur, but Tommy was quick to have Minott taken to the ER--although Greg believes Tommy did this to avoid being sued, not out of kindness.

* AdaptationalNationality: Greg's French heritage is written out of the film, when in the book he showed a lot of pride in this. His mother also shows no hint of being a French migrant. It's also never explicitly mentioned that Markus, the boy that Tommy hires to secretly film all the on-set crew, is Czech.

** Tommy is portrayed as nicer than in the book due to certain real-life incidents being either downplayed, altered, or downright absent, such as the real Tommy recording all Greg's phone calls (and the calls of everyone else to and from his home), his emotional and economical manipulation on Greg is cut out, opening and reading through all Greg's mail behind his back, losing a cinematographer after he was caught lying to him about installing a generator, and making the actress who played Lisa cry at one point due to his verbal abuse (the abuse is depicted, but she does not get as upset about it). They also leave out the cast and crew explicitly speculating that Tommy is or was involved in organized crime and that the film might even be a money-laundering scheme. Granted, in such a case this trope would only apply if that was true (which Sestero at least personally doubts).
** Greg Sestero's mother is merely an understandably concerned parent. In the book, she raises many of the same concerns, but in a much less sympathetic way, insinuating that Greg has no talent and at one point even pestering Greg's big-time acting agent until she drops him as a client. Her first encounter with Tommy in the film was also much less antagonistic than in the book, where she reportedly said to him "Don't rape my son" as they left.

** In real life, Greg [[invoked]][[ThrowItIn ad-libbed]] the mention of Guerrero Street (the location of Tommy's UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco apartment) as a way to rib the highly-secretive Tommy, who was furious about this but was forced to keep the line as it was the only viable take they'd had. In the film, it's written in as part of the script.
** Although Greg had his frustrations with the production of the film and Tommy himself, he ''never'' called him out during the middle of filming, let alone during the scene where they toss the football in the park (it's ''Tommy'' who lost his cool when filming that scene because he couldn't catch Greg's throws and Greg spoke French at one point). However, Greg ''did'' blow up at Tommy at one point ... which is where the unusually well-acted "Leave your stupid comments in your pocket" quotation comes from.

** The first screening of ''The Room'' really ''did'' break out in laughing at how horrible the entire movie was, but was nowhere near approving, mirthful, or unified. Most people just walked out, and it took months for ''The Room'' to gain a reputation for being SoBadItsGood. Also, Tommy [[SmallNameBigEgo managed to take everything in stride]] by being completely oblivious to the fact his film was a stinker. He did, however, claim ''The Room'' was a 'dark comedy' [[ParodyRetcon after it was clear no one was watching his drama movie for the drama]].[[invoked]]
** Apparently Tommy started humping the red dress ''after'' he shot himself in the mouth.

** In the movie, Greg and Tommy move down to UsefulNotes/LosAngeles together on a random whim and start splitting the apartment. In reality, Greg had already been planning to move down there earlier on, resulting in Tommy offering his apartment in the area for free. Tommy stayed back in San Francisco for a while at first, but eventually moved back in full time.
** The movie presents Tommy's decision to make the film after a convo with Greg on the rooftop. In reality, Tommy was inspired to create ''The Room'' after seeing ''Film/TheTalentedMrRipley'' in theaters. The only mention of that in the movie is a one-off remark by Tommy about naming Mark "after [[Creator/MattDamon Mark Damon]]".

** Graham Futerfas, the second Director of Photography and the only person to ever directly call Tommy out on his bullshit (namely in regards to his lying about calling about a much-needed generator) was not seen or even mentioned, possibly due to trying to keep Wiseau in the mostly sympathetic light the film cast him in.

* AnalogyBackfire[=/=]DramaticallyMissingThePoint: Tommy defends the abuse he gives his actors by comparing it favorably to Creator/AlfredHitchcock throwing live birds at Creator/TippiHedren in ''Film/TheBirds''. He fails to realize, however, that (A) Hitchcock did this for exactly ''one'' scene to [[EnforcedMethodActing get a specific reaction]], not for the entire movie; (B) just being an [[PrimaDonnaDirector asshole and screaming at everyone]] isn't the same as EnforcedMethodActing; and (C) as Greg points out, people talk about what Hitchcock did because it was cruel, ''not'' because it was admirable.[[invoked]]

* BrutalHonesty: This was the attitude of both the male acting teacher and the agent in the restaurant in dealing with Tommy, albeit the latter was a {{Jerkass}}, to boot. Tommy himself seems to ''think'' he has this attitude, but [[CantTakeCriticism takes it poorly]] [[{{Hypocrite}} when it's directed his way.]]

** Kyle Vogt (Peter) is merged with his replacement Greg Ellery (Steven). Kyle is present for the entire film, when in reality, he had already left before filming of the birthday party scene, and Ellery had to replace him.

* GiftedlyBad: Tommy in a nutshell -- he insists that he could be a great actor if just given a chance, but nobody wants to hire him because he can't act to save his life, refuses to acknowledge the existence of his thick accent, and is frequently inappropriate even when he tries (for instance, reciting [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]] badly, and loudly, in a high-end restaurant to a short-fused producer in the middle of having his dinner). Confounding things further is that he seems to have never heard of stars like Creator/JamesDean before Greg mentions him, and behind his back some of the crew wonder if he has ever even ''seen'' a movie before in his life (he has of course, and he saw at least one with Greg in the film, but his film literacy is rather eclectic). He also refuses to play to his strengths and become a quirky character actor, seeing himself only as the hero. Both he and Greg (who has some talent, though lacks the drive and passion to bring it out fully) are also told repeatedly that even if they ''do'' have the ability, it's still at least a MillionToOneChance that they will succeed, yet Tommy refuses to face reality on this point.

* {{Jerkass}}: Tommy. Even though the movie does portray him as still human, he can be seen as a self-obsessed eccentric.

** Tommy wrote ''The Room'' while in a borderline suicide funk.

* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed. Greg is charmed by Tommy's devil-may-care attitude and resourcefulness, but once Tommy convinces Greg to come with him to Hollywood, RealityEnsues as Tommy is revealed to be lacking the skills and knowledge to get any further. His flamboyance and assertiveness is shown to impress nobody in an industry where a professional attitude means everything.

* MisaimedFandom: [[invoked]]Tommy and Greg bond by sharing their favorite movies and actors with each other, and specifically bring up Creator/JamesDean and his ability to convey raw emotion. Tommy talks about wanting to be like him and Greg points out that he died young in a car crash. At many other points in the movie Tommy is trying to emulate what he thinks makes a "real Hollywood movie" rather than understanding how Hollywood movies are made. The biggest example is where he talks of Creator/AlfredHitchcock harassing his actors and thinks being a PrimaDonnaDirector is what makes good movies, missing that Hitchcock was trying to get an [[EnforcedMethodActing appropriate performance from his actors]] within the context of the movie. Tommy was just yelling and screaming at everyone.

* MysteriousPast: [[RuleOfThree Three]] major questions about Tommy Wiseau -- what country he's from, how old he is, and how he made his money -- are asked over and over again in the movie, and [[RiddleForTheAges never answered]].

* SoundtrackDissonance: During the screening of ''The Room'', the soundtrack clashes with Tommy's demeanour. He goes from humiliated during the scene with upbeat music and feeling proud by the film's DownerEnding, which uses angst-ridden music.

* ThereIsOnlyOneBed: Tommy tries this on Greg, who after expressing reluctance if not downright balking at the idea, he laughs it off and claims that he was joking.

''The Disaster Artist'' is a {{biopic}} {{dramedy}} film directed by and starring Creator/JamesFranco, an adaptation of the [[Literature/TheDisasterArtist book of the same name]] written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. The film revolves around the meeting and friendship of Creator/TommyWiseau (Franco) and Greg Sestero (Creator/DaveFranco), and the TroubledProduction and their careers after the making of ''Film/TheRoom''. Other cast members include Creator/JoshHutcherson as Philip Haldiman ("Denny"), Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle ("Lisa"), Jacki Weaver as Carolyn Minnott ("Claudette"), Creator/SethRogen as script supervisor Sandy Schklair, Creator/SharonStone, Creator/BryanCranston, and Creator/ZacEfron.

** Tommy is portrayed as nicer than in the book due to certain real-life incidents being either downplayed, altered, or downright absent, such as the real Tommy recording all Greg's phone calls (and the calls of everyone else to and from his home), his emotional and economical manipulation on Greg is cut out, opening and reading through all Greg's mail behind his back, losing a cinematographer after he was caught lying to him about installing a generator, and making the actress who played Lisa cry at one point due to his verbal abuse (the abuse is depicted, but she does not get as upset about it). They also leave out the cast and crew explicitly speculating that Tommy is or was involved in organized crime and that the film might even be a money laundering scheme, though, granted, in such a case this trope would only apply if that was true (which Sestero at least personally doubts).

** The film depicts Greg joining the ''The Room'' in a more positive and altruistic light--he wants to help Tommy make his dream come true. In the book, Greg had already formed a less positive impression of Tommy and is mainly in the project for the money after his own acting prospects had fizzled out. Additionally, in an incident completely omitted from the film, Tommy had suddenly decided to make Greg the leading man instead of the actor he had already hired, and Greg was complicit in the ridiculous lies Tommy used to string the other guy along.

** Although Greg had his frustrations with the production of the film and Tommy himself, he ''never'' called him out during the middle of filming, let alone during the scene where they toss the football in the park (it's ''Tommy'' who lost his cool when filming that scene because he couldn't catch Greg's throws and Greg spoke French at one point). However, Greg ''did'' blow up at Tommy at one point... which is where the unusually well-acted "keep your stupid comments in your pocket" quote comes from.
** The real Greg Sestero was never offered a part by Bryan Cranston, only for Tommy to ruin it by having him shave his beard. While the beard-shaving incident did happen, it was more of an annoyance than anything (Sestero was hoping to shave it off after production so as to not be recognized), though Tommy did screw with another cast member's schedule in real life, which isn't shown in the film; Kyle Vogt ("Peter") had to leave for another commitment and had warned Tommy of this plenty of time in advance, yet Tommy still failed to shoot all of his scenes in time.

** Greg was already fairly jaded and not much of a smiler by the time he and Tommy met -- most of his desperation and naïveté was covered before he ever attended Jean Shelton's class.

* ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount: Wiseau himself. The bank teller even tells Sandy that Wiseau's bank account is like a bottomless pit. To the surprise of everyone, his checks all cleared and he has multiple apartments in at least two different cities. This is despite him having no day job, no obvious family connections (to ''anyone''), and few apparent skills. Wiseau rarely flaunts his wealth (mostly when things go pear-shaped on the set of ''The Room''), lives quite frugally, and offers Greg Sestero the lion's share of his own home rent-free.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Tommy gets this during his second acting class where is teacher bluntly tells him that based on how he looks, he is only suited to be cast as villains, much to the amusement of everyone else in the class. He takes this particularly hard, insisting that he is the hero and [[NoYou they are collectively the villain]] and storms out of the room.
* BeautyInversion: The handsome James Franco takes pains to look more pale and aged to play Wiseau. It helps that Wiseau himself wouldn't be bad looking if he had a less creepy style and personality.

** The ''real'' Tommy Wiseau appears as a partygoer (credited as "Henry") in the stinger and ends up earning Franco!Tommy's ire when he tries to act buddy-buddy with him.

** This fictionalized Tommy Wiseau is exaggerated from the one Sestero describes in the book; his English is even more [[YouNoTakeCandle broken]], and his lack of common sense goes a bit further, such as having Johnny do the "hump the dress" bit ''after'' shooting himself. It should be pointed out that while this is an exaggeration of the real Wiseau's behavior, it's not by much; if they're taking him UpToEleven, the genuine article was already a ten. The film also shows that it is exaggerating nothing about ''The Room'' itself: there's a lengthy montage at the end comparing ''The Disaster Artist''[='=]s near-perfect portrayal of the scenes as they actually exist in ''The Room''.

** Kyle Vogt (Peter) is merged with his replacement Greg Ellery ("Steven"). Kyle is present for the entire film, when in reality, he had already left before filming of the birthday party scene, and Ellery had to replace him.

* DemotedToExtra: Todd Barron, who was the director of photography for one-third of ''The Room'''s production and the one to actually get credited as such, appears only very briefly in the film as a second-unit photographer, as the film's version of Raphael Smadja is kept until principle photography is over rather than quitting a third of the way through.
* DescriptionCut: Greg and his girlfriend tell Tommy that Greg is moving out, and they think it went pretty well. And cut to outside, where Tommy's throwing a mailbox and shouting like a lunatic (in a manner reminiscent of the famous ''The Room'' scene where he throws the TV).

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Tommy [[BadBadActing absolutely butchering]] the "Stella!" scene from ''Film/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' in Greg's acting class, complete with him [[CloudCuckooLander climbing up the wall for no reason]] and then writhing violently on the floor. Everything you need to know about Tommy - his love of classic movie stars like Brando and James Dean, his bizarre appearance, behavior, and voice, his total obstinacy to logic and the rules of the material world, his delusions of brilliance and sheer lack of talent - are right there on display for all to see.

* GiftedlyBad: Tommy in a nutshell -- he insists that he could be a great actor if just given a chance, but nobody wants to hire him because he can't act to save his life, refuses to acknowledge the existence of his thick accent, and is frequently inappropriate even when he tries (for instance, reciting [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]] badly, and loudly, in a high-end restaurant to a short-fused producer in the middle of having his dinner). Confounding things further is that he seems to never have heard of stars like Creator/JamesDean before Greg mentions him, and behind his back some of the crew wonder if he has ever even ''seen'' a movie before in his life (he has of course, and he saw at least one with Greg in the film, but his film literacy is rather eclectic). He also refuses to play to his strengths and become a quirky character actor, seeing himself only as the hero. Both he and Greg (who has some talent, though lacks the drive and passion to bring it out fully) are also told repeatedly that even if they ''do'' have the ability, it's still a MillionToOneChance that they will actually succeed, yet Tommy refuses to face reality on this point.

* HeroicBSOD: During the auditions for Lisa, one woman is told by Tommy they will [[{{Squick}} have to make out.]][[invoked]] Her response is a [[TheScream bug-eyed, horrified shriek that gets louder and louder...]]

* InsaneTrollLogic: Many of Wiseau's directing decisions run on this. Why did Tommy build an exact replica set of a nearby alleyway when they could just film in the actual alleyway? "Because real Hollywood movie." Given that he'd made a deal with the film crew to shoot as much of the scenes as possible within their studio, he probably took it too literally.

** By the time ''The Room'', started Greg's relationship with his girlfriend was already in shambles.

* MetaCasting: Creator/BryanCranston was explicitly cast in a cameo AsHimself in order to play with the idea of the movie also being a PeriodPiece. Due to PopCulturalOsmosis, Cranston is most known for his leading role as VillainProtagonist Walter White in ''Series/BreakingBad.'' When this movie was taking place, Bryan Cranston was best known in the public as the father, Hal, in sitcom ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle.''

* MysteriousPast: There are three major questions about Tommy Wiseau -- what country he's from, how old he is, and how he made his money -- asked over and over again in the movie, and [[RiddleForTheAges never answered]].

* NiceGuy: Greg Sestero is a very kind and loyal friend. He is the only one to befriend an obviously lonely Tommy, sticks with him through thick-and-thin in their attempt to get famous in LA, and is 100% behind what is obviously a total disaster of a film out of the sheer idealism of trying to help a friend realize his dream. He sticks around ''The Room'', even as Tommy abuses everyone, because he ''believes'' in the film.
* NiceToTheWaiter: The producer that Tommy approaches in the restaurant turns out to be an inversion. After Tommy is kicked out, he snaps at the maitre'd for not acting faster.

* OverlyLongGag: "I did not hit her. It's not true. It's bullshit. I did not hit her. I did not. Oh hi Mark." ''Take 67.''
* ParodyRetcon: [[invoked]] Tommy claims that ''The Room'' has always been intended to be a comedy after the laughter-filled premiere and his DespairEventHorizon. TruthInTelevision as the real Tommy belatedly claimed that it was intended as a BlackComedy even though Greg assures that he had taken it very seriously as a straightforward romantic drama.

* RaceLift: In real life, Bill Meurer, the owner of Birns & Sawyer, is European-American. He is played by African-American actor Hannibal Buress in the movie.

* SarcasmBlind: When Tommy picks up Greg from his mother's house, after she asks him to confirm that he is Greg's age (nineteen years old) and he, of course, can't, she says:

* TroubledProduction[[invoked]]: A film production of an infamous one, ''The Room'' itself. Ironically, ''this'' film went smoothly.

** Greg was already pretty fed up by Tommy even before the room started.
** Tommy wrote the room while in a borderline suicide funk.
** By the time The Room started Greg's relationship with his girlfriend was already in shambles.

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Tommy's actions come across as utterly bizarre, such as insisting he have his own private bathroom on set (which consists of a toilet behind a curtain) when there are perfectly good toilets on set and using a set of an alleyway instead of a conveniently placed and identical actual alleyway. Sandy notes at the premiere that by that point, it would be weird if Tommy didn't do something weird.

** Tommy is portrayed as nicer than in the book due to certain real-life incidents being either downplayed, altered, or downright absent, such as the real Tommy recording all Greg's phone calls (and the calls of everyone else to and from his home), opening and reading through all Greg's mail behind his back, losing a cinematographer after he was caught lying to him about installing a generator, and making the actress who played Lisa cry at one point due to his verbal abuse (the abuse is depicted, but she does not get as upset about it). They also leave out the cast and crew explicitly speculating that Tommy is or was involved in organized crime and that the film might even be a money laundering scheme, though, granted, in such a case this trope would only apply if that was true (which Sestero at least personally doubts).

** FullNameBasis: It's questioned why "Chris-R" '''must''' be called that rather than simply "Chris" but [[StubbornMule Tommy refuses to change it.]]

* GiftedlyBad: Tommy in a nutshell -- he insists that he could be a great actor if just given a chance, but nobody wants to hire him because he can't act to save his life, refuses to acknowledge the existence of his thick accent, and is frequently inappropriate even when he tries (for instance, reciting [[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare]] badly, and loudly, in a high-end restaurant to a short-fused producer in the middle of having his dinner). Confounding things further is that he seems to never had heard of stars like Creator/JamesDean before Greg mentions him, and behind his back some of the crew wonder if he has ever even ''seen'' a movie before in his life (he has of course, and he saw at least one with Greg in the film, but his film literacy is rather eclectic). He also refuses to play to his strengths and become a quirky character actor, seeing himself only as the hero. Both he and Greg (who has some talent, though lacks the drive and passion to bring it out fully) are also told repeatedly that even if they ''do'' have the ability, it's still a MillionToOneChance that they will actually succeed, yet Tommy refuses to face reality on this point.

* UndyingLoyalty: Greg to Tommy. He gives up a bigger role in a TV show to help his friend make his dream, even if its obvious its terrible.

--->'''Tommy''': [[NoYou I disagree!]]

''The Disaster Artist'' is a {{biopic}} {{dramedy}} film directed by and starring Creator/JamesFranco, an adaptation of the [[Literature/TheDisasterArtist book of the same name]] written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. The film revolves around the meeting and friendship of Creator/TommyWiseau (Franco) and Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), and the TroubledProduction and their careers after the making of ''Film/TheRoom''. Other cast members include Creator/JoshHutcherson as Philip Haldiman ("Denny"), Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle ("Lisa"), Jacki Weaver as Carolyn Minnott ("Claudette"), Creator/SethRogen as script supervisor Sandy Schklair, Creator/SharonStone, Creator/BryanCranston, and Creator/ZacEfron.

* RealPersonEpilogue: The film ends with [[https://youtu.be/QZpCAzCXo3k?t=110 clips]] of Wiseau after ''Film/TheRoom'' became famous, as well as a side-by-side comparison of famous ''The Room'' scenes and their reenactments done here.

* {{Determinator}}: Tommy actively seeks to be hired by an agent, and goes to the length of interrupting a producer's dinner to audition to him in the middle of the restaurant.
-->'''Producer''': It's not gonna happen for you. Not in a million years.

* PrimaDonnaDirector: Tommy insists that all the greats were this way to justify his [[BadBoss horrible behaviour]] on set, such as publicly berating his leading lady for her skin. The book makes it clear that he's simply got a short fuse, while the film implies that Greg spending time with his girlfriend triggers Tommy's mood swings.
* RaceLift: In real life, Bill Meurer, the owner of Birns & Sawyer, is Caucasian. He is played by African-American actor Hannibal Buress in the movie.
* RageBreakingPoint: When Tommy writes a new scene for him and Greg for no other reason than to pat himself on the back for being such a good friend (shortly after forcing Greg to give up a television role and pushing his girlfriend away), Greg finally gets fed up and starts pressing all Tommy's {{berserk button}}s while calling him out on all his bullshit.

* SatelliteLoveInterest: Greg's girlfriend Amber is mostly just there to provide a source of conflict between him and Tommy.

->'''Tommy:''' This town, Greg. It don't want me.\\
'''Greg:''' Wish we could just make our own movie.\\
'''Tommy:''' [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor That great idea.]]

** Greg getting the part in ''Retro Puppet Master'' is never brought up, and Tommy's jealousy of him is transferred to Amber being around Greg. Greg, however, indeed wound up doing ''The Room'' out of desperation after parts dried up, as depicted in the film. In addition, Tommy only began his attempts at modelling after seeing Greg get SAG status from ''Retro Puppet Master''.

--->'''Tommy''': Why you cut, Sandy, this is great! This real acting!\\
'''Sandy''': [[LampshadeHanging If you're gonna writhe around with the dress, maybe do it]] ''[[LampshadeHanging before]]'' [[LampshadeHanging you shoot yourself in the head and blow your brains out.]]\\
'''Tommy''': [[NoYou I disagree!]]

* AsHimself: Creator/BryanCranston makes an appearance, offering Greg a minor role on ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle''. The film also opens with a number of actors and filmmakers (Creator/JJAbrams, Creator/IkeBarinholtz, Creator/KristenBell, Creator/LizzyCaplan, Creator/KeeganMichaelKey, Creator/DannyMcBride, Creator/AdamScott, and Creator/KevinSmith) talking about the legacy of the film.

** The ''real'' Tommy Wiseau appears as a party-goer (credited as "Henry") in the stinger and ends up earning Franco!Tommy's ire when he tries to act buddy-buddy with him.

* CentralTheme: ThePowerOfFriendship. The entire movie is about how Greg and Tommy's relationship reaches a breaking point while trying to film ''The Room'', and whether or not it's worth salvaging.

-->'''Producer''': It's not gonna happen for you. Not in a million years.\\
'''Tommy''': ... But after that?

* RageBreakingPoint: When Tommy writes a new scene for him and Greg for no other reason than to pat himself on the back for being such a good friend (shortly after forcing Greg to give up a television role and pushing his girlfriend away), Greg finally gets fed up and starts pressing all Tommy's {{berserk button}}s while calling him out on all of his bullshit.

* SoundtrackDissonance: During the screening of ''The Room', the soundtrack clashes with Tommy's demeanour. He goes from humiliated during the scene with upbeat music and feeling proud by the film's DownerEnding, which uses angst-ridden music.

-->'''Sandy''': This set of the alleyway looks ''exactly'' like the real alleyway.\\
'''Tommy''': That's right!\\
'''Sandy''': Well, why don't we just shoot it in the real alleyway?\\
'''Tommy''': Because it's real Hollywood movie!

->'''Tommy:''' This town, Greg. It don't want me.
->'''Greg:''' Wish we could just make our own movie.
->'''Tommy:''' [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor That great idea.]]

--->'''Tommy''': Why you cut, Sandy, this is great! This real acting!
--->'''Sandy''': [[LampshadeHanging If you're gonna writhe around with the dress, maybe do it]] ''[[LampshadeHanging before]]'' [[LampshadeHanging you shoot yourself in the head and blow your brains out.]]
--->'''Tommy''': [[NoYou I disagree!]]

-->'''Producer''': It's not gonna happen for you. Not in a million years.
-->'''Tommy''': ... But after that?

-->'''Sandy''': This set of the alleyway looks ''exactly'' like the real alleyway.
-->'''Tommy''': That's right!
-->'''Sandy''': Well, why don't we just shoot it in the real alleyway?
-->'''Tommy''': Because it's real Hollywood movie!

->'''Tommy:''' This town, Greg. It don't want me.\\
'''Greg:''' Wish we could just make our own movie.\\
'''Tommy:''' [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor That great idea.]]

''The Disaster Artist'' is a {{biopic}} {{dramedy}} film directed by and starring Creator/JamesFranco, an adaptation of the [[Literature/TheDisasterArtist book of the same name]] written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. The film revolves around the meeting and friendship of Creator/TommyWiseau (Franco) and Greg Sestero (Dave Franco), and the TroubledProduction and their careers after the making of ''Film/TheRoom''. Other cast members include Creator/JoshHutcherson as Philip Haldiman (Denny), Ari Graynor as Juliette Danielle (Lisa), Jacki Weaver as Carolyn Minnott (Claudette), Creator/SethRogen as script supervisor Sandy Schklair, Creator/SharonStone, Creator/BryanCranston, and Creator/ZacEfron.

** In the film, Tommy is just as callous with Carolyn Minnott (Claudette) as he is with everyone else, and accuses her of napping on the job when the heat on set causes her to faint. According to the book, the fainting episode did occur, but Tommy was quick to have Minott taken to the ER--although Greg believes Tommy did this to avoid litigation, not out of kindness.
** Tommy never gets his [[DarkAndTroubledPast sympathetic background]] that explains a ''lot'' of his bizarre quirks and why he wanted to make ''The Room'' (though even when recounting Tommy's background in the book, Greg is openly skeptical about a lot of it). In the book, Greg speculates that it's because America (and Hollywood) symbolized success and escape from a third-world hellhole for Tommy, as well as no longer being treated like garbage for being an immigrant, where he was nearly killed several times. This is present to a lesser extent in the film, but it's more seen as a "trying to make it big, like everyone else in Hollywood" affair.

** Tommy is portrayed as nicer than in the book due to certain real-life incidents being either downplayed, altered, or downright absent, such as the real-life Tommy recording all of Greg's phone calls (and the calls of everyone else to and from his home), opening and reading through all of Greg's mail behind his back, losing one of his cinematographers after he was caught lying to him about installing a generator, and making the actress who played Lisa cry at one point due to his verbal abuse (the abuse is depicted, but she does not get as upset about it). They also leave out the cast and crew explicitly speculating that Tommy is or was involved in organized crime and that the film might even be a money laundering scheme, though granted in such a case this trope would only apply if that was true (which Sestero at least personally doubts).

** The film depicts Greg joining the ''The Room'' in a more positive and altruistic light--he wants to help Tommy make his dream come true. In the book, Greg had already formed a less positive impression of Tommy and is mainly in the project for the money after his own acting prospects had fizzled out. Additionally, in an incident completely omitted from the film, Tommy had suddenly decided to make Greg the leading man instead of the actor he had already hired, and Greg was complicit in the ridiculous lies Tommy used to string along said actor.

** In real life, the mention of Guerrero Street (the location of Tommy's San Francisco apartment) was ad-libbed by Greg as a way to rib the highly-secretive Tommy, who was furious about this but was forced to keep the line as it was the only viable take they'd had. In the film, it's written in as part of the script.
** Although Greg had his frustrations with the production of the film and Tommy himself, he ''never'' called him out during the middle of filming, let alone during the scene where they toss the football in the park (it's ''Tommy'' who lost his cool when filming that scene, due to not being able to catch Greg's throws, and Greg speaking French at one point). However Greg ''did'' blow up at Tommy at one point... which is where the unusually well-acted "keep your stupid comments in your pocket" quote comes from.
** The real Greg Sestero was never offered a part by Bryan Cranston, only for Tommy to ruin it by having him shave his beard. While the beard-shaving incident did happen, it was more of an annoyance than anything (Sestero was hoping to shave it off after production so as to not be recognized), though Tommy did screw with another cast member's schedule in real life, which isn't shown in the film; Kyle Vogt (Peter) had to leave for another commitment and had warned Tommy of this plenty of time in advance, yet Tommy still failed to shoot all of his scenes in time.

** Greg was already fairly jaded and not much of a smiler by the time he and Tommy met - most of his desperation and naivety was covered prior to coming to Jean Sheldon's class.
** The first screening of ''The Room'' really ''did'' break out in laughing at how horrible the entire movie was, but was nowhere near approving, mirthful, or unified. Most people just walked out, and it took months for ''The Room'' to gain a reputation for being SoBadItsGood. In addition, Tommy [[SmallNameBigEgo managed to take everything in stride]] by being completely oblivious to the fact his film was a stinker. He did, however, claim ''The Room'' was a 'dark comedy' [[ParodyRetcon after it was clear no one was watching his drama movie for the drama]].[[invoked]]

--->'''Tommy''': Why you cut, Sandy, this is great! This real acting!\\
'''Sandy''': [[LampshadeHanging If you're gonna writhe around with the dress, maybe do it]] ''[[LampshadeHanging before]]'' [[LampshadeHanging you shoot yourself in the head and blow your brains out.]]\\
'''Tommy''': [[NoYou I disagree!]]
** Tommy's condo is presented as far cleaner and organized than it really was when Greg first went there, with features like the Zodiac Killer sign being drawn in the dust-heavy disused car next to Tommy's car space, the elevator creaking, and the condo itself being covered in red with ruined floors, zebra skin rugs, dozens of Disney toys and Dalmatian figures, and a mangled mannequin in the corner.
** In the movie, Greg and Tommy move down to Los Angeles together on a random whim and start splitting the apartment. In reality, Greg had already been planning to move down there earlier on, resulting in Tommy offering his apartment in the area for free. Tommy stayed back in San Francisco for a while at first, but eventually moved back in full time.

* AnalogyBackfire / DramaticallyMissingThePoint: Tommy defends the abuse he gives his actors by comparing it favorably to Creator/AlfredHitchcock throwing live birds at Creator/TippiHedren in ''Film/TheBirds''. He fails to realize, however, that (A) Hitchcock did this for exactly ''one'' scene to [[EnforcedMethodActing get a specific reaction]], not for the entire movie; (B) just being an [[PrimaDonnaDirector asshole and screaming at everyone]] isn't the same as EnforcedMethodActing; and (C) as Greg points out, people talk about what Hitchcock did because it was cruel, ''not'' because it was admirable.[[invoked]]

* AsHimself: Creator/BryanCranston makes an appearance, offering Greg a minor role on ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle''. The film also opens with a number of actors talking about the legacy of the film.
* BadBadActing: Required when you're starring in a movie about a movie with infamously bad acting. Some have even joked that James Franco didn't act bad ''enough'' to emulate Tommy's performance when filming ''The Room''. There's also an early moment where Sestero performs a scene from ''Theatre/WaitingForGodot'' in his acting class; he is petrified with stage fright, and his partner is wooden as a board.

** Kyle Vogt (Peter) is merged with his replacement Greg Ellery (Steven). Kyle is present for the entire film, when in reality, he had already left before filming of the birthday party scene, and Ellery had to replace him.

** Greg's French background and Tommy's coinciding hatred of all things French is adapted out, with his real-life French mother an American in the film. Additionally, Greg actually did manage to snag a few roles and small parts (his most prominent one helped by his skills with French), but the film omits his other projects, brushing off his modelling work with a single line and his lead role in ''Retro Puppet Master'', in order to streamline his decision to joining Tommy's production.
** There were far, far, ''far'' more ridiculous antics that went on during the production of ''The Room'', including several walkouts and turnovers as well as the original actor for Mark (who Tommy conspired to remove from the role so Greg could portray him), but filming them all would require another adaptation in itself (as well as likely making Tommy beyond sympathy or redemption) and as such the film chooses a few key scenes to establish Tommy's belligerent incompetence.
** In the book, Greg proposes a backstory for Tommy that may or may not be what happened to him in real life, one that's interwoven in flashbacks between antics on ''The Room'' in its final days. The film omits this entirely and chooses not to theorize on Tommy's past. The film also omits a strange and possibly suicidal episode that Tommy went through while he and Greg were estranged.

* DeadArtistsAreBetter: Tommy holds a number of deceased film stars, as well as Creator/TennesseeWilliams, in high regard (and [[HighHopesZeroTalent believes he'll be as great as them.]]) Greg has similar regard for Creator/JamesDean.

* DecompositeCharacter: Jean Shelton's comments (especially the "what are you trying to do?" quote) were given to the teachers at the second acting school Tommy attends, and one noted as a shoddy "tourist trap" in the book.

* DespairEventHorizon: At the premiere, Tommy is forced to listen to the entire theater laugh their asses off at the ridiculousness of ''The Room''. As the laughs start getting louder, Tommy just slumps down in his seat when he realizes what's happening.

-->'''Producer''': It's not gonna happen for you. Not in a million years.\\
'''Tommy''': ... But after that?
* EroticEating: During the TerribleIntervieweesMontage, Tommy asks an actress to simulate different ways of licking an ice cream. Her response is to ask if they were casting for an adult movie.

* MovieMakingMess: Part of the amusement value from this story is the fact that Tommy seemed to have [[ArbitrarilyLargeBankAccount more than enough money]] to fund a respectable independent film, as they had an experienced crew and filmed on soundstages with green screen, and it's said that when all was done the movie cost $6 million (even micro-budget movies would love to work with six hundred thousand). The movie ''looks'' like it had [[in-universe]]NoBudget because of a lot of absurd creative decisions, from using both film and digital HD cameras simultaneously, ''buying'' the equipment rather than renting it and ''filming on sound stages with green screen'' instead of actual locations. Tommy suddenly gets cheap halfway through filming, refusing to pay for air conditioning or even bottled water, which [[NoOSHACompliance is mentioned to be illegal.]]

* NippledAndDimed: Unlike the movie, Juliette Danielle's breasts are covered by a ModestyBedsheet during the filming of her sex scene. Tommy also wears a sock on his crotch.

* OverlyLongGag: "I did not hit her. It's not true. It's bullshit. I did not hit her. I did not. Oh hi Mark." ''Take 67''.

* PointyHairedBoss: Everyone that Tommy hires for his film is infinitely more qualified and rational than him, but he's the one in charge, and they just go along with whatever he wants whenever he isn't being ''too'' much of {{jerkass}}.
* PragmaticAdaptation: The movie primarily focuses on Tommy and Greg's relationship and either truncates, excludes or invents certain details to translate better to the screen. Rather than getting a decent start and then fizzling out, Greg is just as starved for work as Tommy. He stays on the movie purely to support his friend rather than because he could really use the money, allowing him to have a SecondActBreakup with Tommy which by all accounts never happened (although a lot of repressed anger apparently came out in the scuffle Mark and Johnny get into in ''Film/TheRoom''), as well as the fact that he was credited as line producer despite never holding that position. The in-universe film ending also implies that ''The Room''[='=]s SoBadItsGood reputation and both Greg and Tommy fully embracing it began at its premiere, whereas the book simply ends with a ForegoneConclusion as the lights go down just as the movie is starting.

* RaceLift: In real life, Bill Meurer, the owner of Birns & Sawyer, is Caucasian. He is played by African-American actor Hannibal Buress.
* RageBreakingPoint: When Tommy writes a new scene for him and Greg for no other reason than to pat himself on the back for being such a good friend (shortly after forcing Greg to give up a television role and pushing his girlfriend away), Greg finally gets fed up and starts pressing all of Tommy's {{berserk button}}s while calling him out on all of his bullshit.
* RealPersonCameo: Tommy Wiseau appears in TheStinger in a PaperThinDisguise.

* SoundtrackDissonance: During the screening of ''The Room', the soundtrack clashes with Tommy's demeanour. He goes from humiliated during the scene with upbeat music and feeling proud by the film's ending, which climaxes on a downer note and uses angst-ridden music.
* StartMyOwn: If no one will give Tommy and Greg a role, they'll just make their ''own'' movie! [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor Surely that'll solve all their struggles!]]
* StatingTheSimpleSolution
-->'''Sandy''': This set of the alleyway looks ''exactly'' like the real alleyway.\\
'''Tommy''': That's right!\\
'''Sandy''': Well, why don't we just shoot it in the real alleyway?\\
'''Tommy''': Because it's real Hollywood movie!

* TimeSkip: The movie skips eight month ahead from the production to the movie's premiere.

* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Tommy claims he is from New Orleans but few people believe him. He gets especially uncomfortable when they say he sounds more eastern European. Most notable during an audition where the casting director thinks the accent is an acting choice, on another reading Tommy tries to hide it but becomes even more difficult to understand.