An introductory paragraph for director-writer-star-producer Tommy Wiseau seems redundant, pointless. He is a towering figure in the canon of So-Bad-It’s-Good cinema with his smash cult hit, The Room. Behind the scenes stories of his antics are widely spread — in fact, they’re the central focus of the James Franco’s latest directorial feature, The Masterpiece. Since The Room, Wiseau has since worked in various forms — on a short-lived sitcom of his own creation called The Neighbors and as a villain in Samurai Cop 2, all the while selling his brand-specific underwear. No, I’m serious.
So now, after a 15-year gap, the cult classic icon has reunited with Room star Greg Sestero — who penned the book The Disaster Artist, which Franco’s film is based on — for a new feature, the title of which is, frankly, ingenious. Best F(r)iends, which Wiseau himself promises will “make you find paradise” after viewing, is focused on a loner (Sestero) who is picked up by a strange man (Wiseau) and brought into his shady business. That business, as one would obviously guess, seems to be stealing gold teeth from corpses and making cash off of them — as a masterful graphic match-cut demonstrates. What ensues is the dark underbelly the loner finds himself tangled up in — and the lies, sex, and relationships that go with it. As Sestero puts it, “I think it’s a role that will really spotlight Tommy’s unique talent and charisma, while also setting up an unexpected and exciting reunion.”
See the trailer below, with a tip of the hat to THR.
There is no word yet on when Best F(r)iends will be released.