See one of this year’s funniest films at ShortList Film Club

Bear with us. Before we talk about James Franco’s priceless The Disaster Artist, we need to talk about a really terrible film. It’s called The Room. You may or may not have seen or heard of it, but that’s not important. All you need to know is that it’s regarded as one of the worst films ever made.

Shot in 2003, The Room was written, directed and funded by the enigmatic Tommy Wiseau. Amazingly, the film has gained a cult following among the ‘so bad it’s good’ crowd of moviegoers, made millions of dollars and has inspired a major Hollywood film about its production. A critically acclaimed film no less, directed by James Franco.

The Disaster Artist sees Franco star as the ambitious artiste Tommy alongside his brother Dave as Greg Sestero (Wiseau’s best friend, co-star and author of the book The Disaster Artist from which the film is adapted). The story takes them on a journey from two struggling actors in San Francisco, to two struggling-to-be-good actors somehow making a feature film in Los Angeles – a city where a million perfectly decent scripts are binned every day.

If it seems inexplicable how The Room found its way to the big screen, The Disaster Artist is here to clear matters up. And it does so brilliantly. It’s sensitive, dramatic, extremely funny and retains just enough affection for Wiseau without turning him into a total clown. On top of that, the film boasts a blistering roster of star cameos with the likes of (deep breath) Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Sharon Stone, Kate Upton, Melanie Griffith and Bryan Cranston all in on the joke.

Thankfully, for the majority of you yet to experience The Room, you don’t even need to have seen Wiseau’s movie to enjoy Franco’s comedy. And here’s more good news: you can be one of the first people to see The Disaster Artist – for free – thanks to ShortList Film Club. To apply, simply follow the instructions below.

Book tickets for The Disaster Artist

ShortList Film Club’s free screenings will take place at 6.30pm on Monday 27 November at VUE cinemas in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Edinburgh Omni, Leeds Light, Manchester Printworks and Piccadilly Circus; and Odeon cinemas in Glasgow Braehead, Holloway, Liverpool One, Newcastle Metrocentre and Wimbledon. 

To secure your place, go to seeitfirst.com and enter code GZHS45.

The Disaster Artist is on limited release from 1 December and goes nationwide from 6 December