Short Synopsis
The hilarious and inspiring story of how a mysterious misfit got past every roadblock in the Hollywood system to achieve success on his own terms: a $6 million cinematic catastrophe called The Room.

Full Synopsis
Nineteen-year-old Greg Sestero met Tommy Wiseau at an acting school in San Francisco. Wiseau's scenes were rivetingly wrong, yet Sestero, hypnotized by such uninhibited acting, thought, "I have to do a scene with this guy." That impulse changed both of their lives. Wiseau seemed never to have read the rule book on interpersonal relationships (or the instructions on a bottle of black hair dye), yet he generously offered to put the aspiring actor up in his LA apartment. Sestero's nascent acting career first sizzled, then fizzled, resulting in Wiseau's last-second offer to Sestero of co-starring with him in The Room, a movie Wiseau wrote and planned to finance, produce, and direct—in the parking lot of a Hollywood equipment-rental shop.

Wiseau spent $6 million of his own money on his film, but despite the efforts of the disbelieving (and frequently fired) crew and embarrassed (and frequently fired) actors, the movie made no sense. Nevertheless, Wiseau rented a Hollywood billboard featuring his alarming headshot and staged a red carpet premiere. The Room made $1,800 at the box office and closed after two weeks. One reviewer said that watching The Room was like "getting stabbed in the head".

The Disaster Artist is Greg Sestero's laugh-out-loud funny account of how Tommy Wiseau defied every law of artistry, business, and friendship to make "the Citizen Kane of bad movies" (Entertainment Weekly), which is now an international phenomenon, with Wiseau himself beloved as an oddball celebrity. Written with award-winning journalist Tom Bissell, The Disaster Artist is an inspiring tour de force that reads like a page-turning novel, an open-hearted portrait of an enigmatic man who will improbably capture your heart.

"Sestero's reading of accented English captures
Wiseau's rhythms, syllable stress, and phrasing as well as emotional nuances that only a friend of long association could know." ---Booklist Audio Review

"Greg Sestero . . . . flawlessly narrates this book." ---Book Journey

"Greg Sestero does a great job narrating the book. He is honest, funny, and real." ---Mixed Media Reviews

"Sestero narrates his own story with thoughtful and emotional touches." ---Library Journal Audio Review

"Sestero provides animated and enthusiastic narration. His voice often denotes a bemusing smile as he shares anecdotes about Wiseau. It sounds as if he is smiling throughout the production." ---Publishers Weekly Audio Review

"This downright thrilling book is a lot like watching Tim Burton's Ed Wood: it's sometimes infuriating, often excruciating, usually very funny, and occasionally horribly uncomfortable, but it's also impossible to look away from." ---Booklist Starred Review

"A book about a cinematic comedy of errors . . . sharply detailed . . . funny." ---The New York Times

Audie Finalist

Booklist Review