History YMMV / TheDisasterArtist

** He made the decision to ''purchase'', instead of ''rent'', both an HD camera and a 35mm film camera. This is something that even multi-billion dollar studios never do, [[TechnologyMarchesOn as filmmaking technology is always evolving and what is considered cutting edge now will be obsolete in a year]].

* AwesomeMusic: The movie has an excellent collection of classic pop songs used as cues for key scenes, such as "Rhythm Of The Night" by Corona for when Tommy is happily dancing at the bar and Faith No More's "Epic" during the slo-mo shot of Greg and Tommy showing up on-set for the first day.

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: Decide for yourself: is this film a blistering satire of the HollywoodHypeMachine that mocks people like Tommy for chasing their empty dreams of stardom, or is it an unironic love letter to Hollywood that shows how passion and determination can carry even the most untalented people to the top? Yes.

* OvershadowedByControversy: Going with AwardSnub, the conversation around the film has mostly been tied around James Franco's sexual abuse accusations, as they went public the night of the Golden Globes. As a result, James Franco's role went largely overlooked outside of the Golden Globes, as people became uncomfortable with giving him awards in light of his alleged actions.

* OvershadowedByControversy: Going with AwardSnub, the conversation around the film has mostly been tied around James Franco's sexual abuse accusations, as they went public the night of the Golden Globes. As a result, James Franco's role went largely overlooked outside of the Golden Globes, as people became uncomfortable with giving him awards in light of his actions.

* HilariousInHindsight: Sandy points out during the "Hi Doggy" scene that there's no way anyone could mistake Tommy for somebody else. [[spoiler: Post-credits, We see him encounter the real Tommy Wiseau.]]

* HoYay:
** From ''The New York Times'' [[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/10/books/the-disaster-artist-dissects-a-mess-of-a-movie.html?_r=0 review]]:
--->'''Janet Maslin''': They use frequent quotations from both “Film/SunsetBoulevard” and “Film/TheTalentedMrRipley” to add a frisson of exploitative seduction to the Tommy-Greg friendship. It goes noticeably unexplored that, after Mr. Wiseau coaxes Mr. Sestero into living with him, he leaves his bedroom door ajar. Mr. Sestero hears him saying “Somebody’s chicken.” He also notices Mr. Wiseau’s open contempt for women.
** Then there is the matter of him belting out "[[{{Disney/Aladdin}} A Whole New World]]" while in the shower…
** Greg's mother said "no sex, Tommy", and his awkward response was "Well, we all do.", not getting the implication that she was referring to her son.
** Tommy's nickname for Greg, "Babyface", comes across as slightly... romantic. Judging by Greg's [[EmbarrassingNickname reaction]] to the nickname, the implications weren't lost on him.

* HoYay: Moreso than the book. It's so blatant that one would think it's intentional HomoeroticSubtext, except that James Franco is on record for thinking their relationship is "brotherly."
** The trailer for the movie is cut in such a way that Johnny's breakdown is being paralleled with Tommy's gradually getting more unhinged in real life. However, should one knows the plot of the film the story chronicles, they'll know that Greg's girlfriend doesn't fit Lisa's position, despite Wiseau talking about Lisa when said girlfriend shows up in the trailer. It seems nonsensical... until one realizes that the one "betraying" him in the trailer seems to be Greg.
** Not to mention the juxtaposition of the "Anything for my princess" line followed by a rather serene shot of Greg ''and'' Tommy shouting that he's making the movie about a romance GoneHorriblyWrong for him.
** The scene where Tommy sings lines from [[Music/RickAstley "Never Gonna Give You Up"]] while looking right at Greg.
** When Tommy suggests they share the bed in his apartment then laughs it off as a joke.
** Tommy and Greg go to a club, and Tommy wants to dance with Greg, then gets very jealous when Greg starts talking to the female bartender and wants to leave immediately.
** After Greg announces that he'll be moving out of Tommy's apartment to live with his girlfriend, Tommy shoots the sex scene between Johnny and Lisa, not bothering to cover up while talking to Greg.

** While auditioning for [[Film/PuppetMaster Andre Toulon]], Greg mentions that Creator/JamesFranco auditioned for the same part. James Franco directed and stared in the movie version of the book.

* OvershadowedByControversy: Going with AwardSnub, the conversation around the film has mostly been tied around James Franco's past of sexual abuses, as they went public during awards season. As a result, James Franco's role went largely overlooked outside of the Golden Globes, as people became uncomfortable with giving him awards in light of his actions.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The real-life story of Greg's RageBreakingPoint, where he imagined that he was screaming "Why are you doing this to me??" at Tommy when he had to read the line "Leave your stupid comments in your pocket!", is arguably a more effective and interesting story than the scuffle he and Tommy have in the park which was invented for the movie adaptation.

* AwardSnub: James Franco was considered all but a lock for a Best Actor Oscar Nomination. Then allegations of sexual misconduct on his part came out and he was not included among the five nominees. He did win a Golden Globe for his performance however.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: The fake beard that Dave Franco wears for much of the film is not convincing in the slightest.

* NarmCharm: James Franco's entire performance as Tommy Wiseau is completely ridiculous, although that's the point given that that's just what Tommy seems to be like -- and said performance ends up being surprising ''moving'' in places, in spite of the ridiculous accent.

** The trailer for the movie is cut in such a way that Johnny's breakdown is being paralleled with Tommy's gradually getting more unhinged in real life. However, should one knows the plot of the film the story chronicles, they'll know that Greg's girlfriend doesn't fit Lisa's position, despite Wiseau talking about Lisa when said girlfriend shows up in the trailer. It seems nonsensical... until one realizes that the one "betraying," him in the trailer seems to be Greg.

** Tommy's nickname for Greg, "Babyface", comes across as slightly...romantic. Judging by Greg's [[EmbarrassingNickname reaction]] to the nickname, the implications weren't lost on him.
* IronWoobie: Almost everybody that stuck with the film to the very end. Carolyn Minnott (Lisa's Mother, Claudette) continued filming even after fainting/recovering from heat stroke. Greg especially, whose relationship with Tommy turns borderline toxic by the end.

** The scene where Tommy sings lines from "Never Gonna Give You Up" while looking right at Greg.

* WhyWouldAnyoneTakeHimBack: The demands of a CompressedAdaptation meant that many scenes from the book of Greg's friendship with and affection for Tommy had to be cut out, leading for some to question why, after all of the trials on set and Tommy ruining a chance for him to get a role on a popular show, Greg would not only go back to being friends with Tommy but also give him a pep talk at the premiere.

* HoYay: Moreso than the book.

** It's so blatant that one would think it's intentional HomoeroticSubtext, except that James Franco is on record for thinking their relationship is "brotherly."

* HoYay: Moreso than the book. The trailer for the movie is cut in such a way that Johnny's breakdown is being paralleled with Tommy's gradually getting more unhinged in real life. However, should one knows the plot of the film the story chronicles, they'll know that Greg's girlfriend doesn't fit Lisa's position, despite Wiseau talking about Lisa when said girlfriend shows up in the trailer. It seems nonsensical... until one realizes that the one "betraying," him in the trailer seems to be Greg. Not to mention the juxtaposition of the "Anything for my princess" line followed by a rather serene shot of Greg ''and'' Tommy shouting that he's making the movie about a romance GoneHorriblyWrong for him. It's so blatant that one would think it's intentional HomoeroticUndertones, except that James Franco is on record for thinking their relationship is "brotherly."

* HoYay: Moreso than the book. The trailer for the movie is cut in such a way that Johnny's breakdown is being paralleled with Tommy's gradually getting more unhinged in real life. However, should one knows the plot of the film the story chronicles, they'll know that Greg's girlfriend doesn't fit Lisa's position, despite Wiseau talking about Lisa when said girlfriend shows up in the trailer. It seems nonsensical... until one realizes that the one "betraying," him in the trailer seems to be Greg. Not to mention the juxtaposition of the "Anything for my princess" line followed by a rather serene shot of Greg ''and'' Tommy shouting that he's making the movie about a romance GoneHorriblyWrong for him.

* 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 ''LiveActionTV/BreakingBad.'' When this movie was taking place, Bryan Cranston was best known in the public as the father, Hal, in sitcom ''LiveActionTV/MalcolmInTheMiddle.''

* 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 ''LiveActionTV/BreakingBad.'' When this movie was taking place, Bryan Cranston was best known in the public as the father, Hal, in sitcom ''LiveActionTV/MalcolmInTheMiddle.''