The End of the Tour

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Segel, Anna Chlumsky, Mamie Gummer, Joan Cusack, Ron Livingston, Mickey Summer
Directed by: James Ponsoldt
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A journalist (Jesse Eisenberg) interviews author David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) as he wraps up the book tour for Infinite Jest.

Review:

Tim: I was looking forward to The End of the Tour for a number of reasons. Firstly, I've read David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. It is likely the hardest book I've ever read- the guy truly was a genius and his writing is brilliant, frustrating, hilarious, and brain melting. I was very interested in seeing him depicted here. Also, a year before I saw this movie, I got a chance to meet Jason Segel and had a quick conversation with him about the book. All to say, I was looking forward to this movie. The question was, with already raised expectations, could the movie deliver?

I have to say that director James Ponsoldt is a guy I've got my eyes on. His films Smashed and The Spectacular Now are both solid efforts. You can add The End of the Tour to that list, He still hasn't directed a truly great movie, but each of his last three movies have been an improvement over the one before. He has real talent as a director and I'm so excited to see where he goes.

This movie is kind of wonderful, although it's very talky. There's nothing wrong with that because this is a movie about intellectuals. It's great fun to see the banter between the characters, especially when you know how intelligent they were in real life. This is a movie that offers up great dialogue, asks thought provoking questions, and gives you some insight into an unlikely, tragic genius. The whole film takes place over a few days, but still manages to take us on a fairly remarkable journey.

The biggest attraction is certainly getting to see Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel together. Eisenberg has cornered the market on playing these very intelligent, borderline jerk characters. You respect his mind, even if his actions occasionally turn you off. So, in a sense, he's playing it safe with a character squarely in his wheelhouse. However, he's incredibly effective in this kind of role, so his performance is very strong.

Jason Segel is fairly incredible as David Foster Wallace. I would love for Segel to get an Academy Award nomination, but that's probably unlikely. He embodies this character and delivers his dialogue wonderfully. Segel has made a ton of ineffective movies, but I believe he does have talent as an actor. I loved to see him getting the chance to reveal some of that talent with this meaty, wonderful part. He captures both the brilliance and the troubled side to Wallace. I don't know how realistic the performance was, but it's exactly what I pictured after reading Infinite Jest. Segel gives perhaps the best performance of his career here.

This movie is entertaining and very funny in an intellectual way. There's no slapstick comedy here, but some of the lines are just brilliant and I laughed out loud numerous times. The screenplay is very, very strong. The movie is only 106 minutes, and I felt like I wanted more when it finished. That's a good sign.

While I thoroughly enjoyed The End of the Tour, I think it's still the work of a very promising director who hasn't reached his full potential yet. The film is quite talky and I did on occasion wish for a bit more drama or action. There's not really a truly powerful moment, although a few attempt to get close. It's incredibly sad how Wallace took his own life, but we're never really hit with an emotional punch from the film. We do get insight into his character, but I wanted more.

The End of the Tour is a very well made film and it lived up to my expectations. It might not quite make the best of 2015 list, but it's an enjoyable, well made film. It's the kind of film that flies under a lot of people's radar, so I sincerely recommend not missing it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Social Network, Smashed, The Spectacular Now