The End of the Tour

A surprise of a movie based on the memoir of a Rolling Stone reporter (Eisenberg) with David Foster Wallace. The entire movie seems to be a series of conversations that reveal a great deal of the human condition. This is not a film for those adverse to stimulating discussions on a whole host of matters.

Chatty and pretentious. A dull intellectual and philosophical discussion.

I love movies where there's lots of conversation and nothing much happens over a long period of time.. I'm serious!

A film that dares to exposit the shallow, vacuous nature of our modern North American culture, festooned as it is within this film at least, by scenes of soulless commercial strips and eating toxic glyphosate-laden fast food that we dare to allow to be sold as food safe for human consumption. And behind this backdrop, it's the story of a shy writer upon whom fame and a reputation for genius are thrust for daring to write a 1,000 page tome that exposes the hollow, lonely, disconnected innards of American life. How many films dare to do that? Little pretense here folks. Only truths aired far too little.

I love a good movie that makes you think. Don’t get me wrong, I like my big monster movies where a seventy-five foot gargantuan lizard chows down on subways, pictures where colorful heroes battle each other or a prowling killer butchers one teenager after another and those are not necessarily “dumb movies”. Sometimes though, the movies that really stick with you are not the big flashy flicks. It’s the intimate stories where what grips you is the spoken word or the ideas that blossom within your own head as you sit comfortably in the theatre with no distractions except for your own thoughts and what is developing on the silver screen.

Told in flashback, “The End of the Tour” is based on the memoir “Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself” by David Lipsky. The plot covers David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg), a writer for Rolling Stone who travels to meet novelist David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) and follow him on his book tour of the smash hit novel “Infinite Jest”.

It’s not so much what happens in this movie. It’s how it makes you feel, how it all unfolds and how it’s said. I walked into this one cold, knowing only that it had received positive reviews. At first I didn’t know what to make of it, but the further in I got, the more enraptured I was by the conversations that these two men have. They’re both writers, or more importantly, artists and intelligent people.

When you hear about someone becoming famous for doing exactly what you wish you could be doing, isn’t it hard to be happy for the person? Yeah, if you know them personally you witnessed the slings and arrows they suffered through. From a distance though, I think it’s really easy to come to resent successful people. Similarly, it must be overwhelming for an artist to suddenly find him/herself famous and recognized. The years of struggle finally pay off, but if your claim to fame is art, I think it’s a complicated ordeal. Do you ever realize that point at which “wow, now I’m good enough to be big”? More than likely someone else tells you, and what a peculiar experience that must be. I think a lot of artists, who I believe are probably more prone to depression, big bursts of emotion and self-doubt. Perhaps it’s because their talent isn’t clearly visible like a perfectly symmetrical face or finely sculpted muscles. How one must struggle both with that upwards climb up the hill and with the idea that they’ve finally made it. All of these thoughts raced through my head during the film as it deals with so many philosophical and reflective topics in a way that feels completely natural. This movie is essentially one long conversation, but as the poster calls it “Imagine the greatest conversation you’ve ever had”.

What I love about this movie is that there’s so much to it. The fact that there’s not really a villain, but both the interviewer and the subject being recorded have negative and positive aspects to them. Lipsky is this fan that has real passion for his project, to the point where he begs his editor to let him do the piece. He’s also interviewing Wallace with ulterior motives in mind. If he can write a truly great article, it could be his launching point. As for Wallace, I found him to be both inspirational, but also sad. He is a great writer (you only get small snippets of his book, but it sounds terrific) and is very much down-to-earth, but he’s also insecure and kind of terrified of where this journey could take him. It’s a real paradox considering every artist dreams of turning his hobby into a living, but when you spent five or ten or even twenty years writing, painting or singing without ever getting paid or getting recognized it’s kind of weird to suddenly have your world turned upside down when your dream comes true.

I’m certain that I could watch this film numerous times and always draw something new from it. I’ll briefly touch on the technical aspects of it. Firstly, the performances are quite strong. Jason Segel, who I really loved in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “The Muppets”, but hasn’t really done much since is unrecognizable in this drama. He’s so good, as is Jesse Eisenberg. They both deliver some of the best, if not the best dialogue I’ve heard all year with absolute perfection. This brings me to the strong screenplay by Donald Margulies. I’m sure much of the credit is also due to David Lipsky’s original book, but if I can criticize a bad book adaptation, then I can shower with compliments a good one too. It’s all put together confidently by James Pronsoldt who has made one of the best films of the year.

I found it absolutely gripping and a little bit earth shattering, as I struggled internally to mentally mark down all of the thoughts and ideas that flashed in my skull as I listened. By the end of it I was very moved and heartbroken that the movie did not last longer than it did. Before you go seek out this gem, which is likely only playing at one or two theatres in your city, two things; stay for the end credits because there’s a scene about a fourth of the way through. Secondly, lest you think I’m just imitating every major critic who’s seen this movie and loved it, I have one criticism. Yeah that’s right, one. I noticed a typo in the end credits. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen that so if someone out there is able to, fix up that one word before this film gets release on Blu-ray and DVD! I can’t wait to see this again. (Theatrical version on the big screen, September 23, 2015)

Very good movie as it depends on a true story. After watching it, you want to discover more about the life of David Foster Wallace.

The script is extremely well written. Jason Segel is amazing and works the script for DFW superbly, giving us tremendous insight into the tortured being of an immensely talented author. JE also does a superb job as the wannabee. This as well written as I expect to see out of Hollywood.

Purely a dialogue piece. Throughly enjoyable and engaging if you consider yourself as someone with depth of thought and contemplation on the meanings of life.

The End of the Tour was a huge surprise. The story is gripping, even though not all that much happens. The acting is phenomenal all around, and Jason Segal deserves awards recognition. He totally blew me away. The cinematography is beautiful and the characters are very layered and developed. However, the best part of The End of the Tour was the writing. This is the best written film of 2015 so far. The dialogue is realistic and enthralling, and had me feeling all sorts of emotions. The pace is nice and I was never bored. Overall, The End of the Tour is a well-acted, incredibly well-written film that is a must-see! RATING: 9/10.

What I got from the movie was a story about a writer not suited for fame and was a shy introvert telling his story to another writer that admired his talents, and the two clashed with their different personalities and view. The movie rocks. I learnt something new too.

I walked into this movie not knowing a thing about David Foster Wallace (who this is about) but that wasn't a problem because it fulfills all you need to know. Now Jason Segel was a masterpiece this was by FAR the best role he has ever played and by FAR his best performance he captures all the emotions and everything about David Foster Wallace I am even going as far as to say that Jason Segel deserves a nomination for best actor. Now Jesse Eisenberg has never let me down in a movie not once everything from Adventureland to the Social network Jesse Eisenberg is truly an amazing actor he really takes on this role and becomes David Lipsy. The overall movie was fantastic and emotional the connection that the two characters have with each other is mesmerizing and the way they interact is phenomenal. This is a must see go see it now!