Best F(r)iends: Volume 1

At the screening I attended, this was billed as a work in progress, so it would feel churlish to give it a full-on review. Still, it’s an interesting concept, with writer/star Greg Sestero talking about his desire to find a role where Tommy Wiseau could actually excel. I don’t know if the film ever really gets there or overcomes Tommy’s inherent limitations, but played right, there’s a certain Lynchian unsettlingness to Wiseau, and while it’s not a high bar, the film uses that side of Wiseau’s particular energy to the best effect of any of his on-screen appearances. There’s also some interesting cinematography and moody imagery and atmosphere. It’s a clear Hitchcock homage with damning secrets and shadowy figures and threats of murders and mysteries with a moral dilemma at the center. I hesitate to say too much more given the inchoate status of the film, but at worst, the movie is an interesting experiment, trying to build a legitimately good movie around Tommy Wiseau, even if it’s a little lumpy or logy in places. A worthwhile exercise, with the “Part 2” promised at the end of our screening seeming all the more bonkers and Lynchian in its presentation.

Weird. Tommy is a better actor than Greg in this movie.