El último tour

We're currently attending a film festival and this is one of the featured films. My first indication that this might be more than I expected was the line of young people, including many young women, who were interested in getting what amounts to stand by tickets for the showing that featured an after movie panel discussion with Jason Segel and the director, James Ponsoldt. Now, I only know of Segel's work and haven't seen much of it. He isn't a particular attraction for me, but after seeing this movie, I'm quite sold on his ability especially when nurtured by the sensibilities of Mr Ponsoldt. The director read Mr Wallace's greatest work 'Infinite Jest' back when it first came out to huge success and makes sure you get a glimpse of the man's ability and charm.

Probably the only unfortunate part of all this is that this movie is not going to have wide appeal. It is almost exclusively about the real life meeting between a Rolling Stone journalist and newly minted super-author David Foster Wallace, back in the 90s. As such it is almost all dialog meant to convey a sense of Mr Wallace's breadth of knowledge about popular culture and his imagination.

There's little drama or action here in the usual sense. Still Mr Segel is most effective in breathing life into the man such that you would love to have known him. Even his co-star, Jesse Eisenberg, who I don't usually warm up to, is quite up to the task at hand, i.e., sparring with the great author to get the real man down on paper.

I loved the film, but I must make special mention that, for a film filled with dialog, for once, I caught every word. There was no asking my wife, what did he say? Why can't every film be as carefully constructed?

Prior to seeing this film, I had limited knowledge of David Foster Wallace and his works. After seeing the film, I wanted to learn more. The End of the Tour (dir. James Ponsoldt) is a very reflective film, highlighting author Wallace on the last stretch of his book tour for his novel Infinite Jest. Our entry point into this intriguing man is David Lipsky, a Rolling Stone reporter hired to do a piece on him in the late 1990s.

What little there is of plot is made up for in excellent characterization. The film is really all about existentialism, and thankfully it never leans towards pretentiousness. Rather there is an air of optimism about making your time on earth worthwhile. Wallace and Lipsky in a way represent two extremes of existentialism. Wallace is very relaxed, and takes his newfound celebrity with a grain of salt, while Lipsky is very Type-A, yet never brash or irritating. Lipsky has been trying to get his foot in the door as an author for a while now, while Wallace almost became famous overnight, and the film plays with the concept of "fame" in fun and unique ways. Through the film, Ponsoldt is able to explore these two extremes and find common ground between them, all while touching on the idea of fame and what it means to different people.

The script is outstanding, and hits all the right notes I touched on above. The dialogue between Lipsky and Wallace feels natural, nothing is forced. I wonder how much improvisation was done for the film, because the two seem like good friends from the moment they meet. There is a natural chemistry that draws these two characters together, and it's outstanding to watch on-screen. It's difficult to adapt a book like Lipsky's, which is mostly interviews and recording, as the book was published after Wallace's death in 2008. But screenwriter Donald Marguiles makes it work, and the result is an insightful, often hilarious film.

All this talk about chemistry would be a waste if it weren't for Jason Segel and Jesse Eisenberg as Wallace and Lipsky, respectively. Segel is a marvel as Wallace; it's a performance that doesn't demand much, yet Segel taps into all of Wallace's nuances and quirks. His delivery, cadence, and warmth almost makes it feel like you're talking to an old friend. It's a subtle performance that I hope is remembered come awards season. Eisenberg, too, is great. His reporter-type isn't very developed until the middle-end of the film, and he might come across as annoying for some. But he makes Lipsky tick as the curious interviewer wanting to learn more. He's driven by his desire to success, his want to make a successful piece for Rolling Stone, yet he ends up with a lot more.

The End of the Tour is a huge success. It isn't a very showy film, without much in the way of technical prowess, yet it's a talker. The realistic dialogue and blasé tone make the film feel like a 140 minute hang out with two good friends. Ponsoldt keeps a tight grip on the film's themes, never letting one overpower the film's true intentions. It's a wonderful ode to Wallace, and a funny one at that.

Rarely am I enlightened by a film in the way I was by this one. Not that I was lectured or taught something, but that I had a visceral response to what I had experienced on screen that I wouldn't be able to explain but to ask you to recall a song or a book or a show that invited you to pour your soul into it and in return reminded you of what it was like to have one. I was reminded that films can do this.

I don't expect everyone to like it to the degree that I did because I can only base my strong inclination towards this movie on the connection I personally made with it which was emotional rather than intellectual, although the film is rich and lingering in its intellect as well, and of course; I recognize what makes this film profound, which I'll try to explain.

This is a talky film from director James Ponsoldt, who I'd now have to rank as one of my favorite contemporary directors after this and another I've seen and loved, The Spectacular Now. This director isn't one you'd normally find on a list ranking among the greatest working today because he's not about style and doesn't appeal to the ego as much as other contemporaries such as Wes Anderson and David Fincher do (in addition to many others, not to single them out). No, Ponsoldt is subtle and reserves his ego. He is unimposing on the lives of his characters and candid about what his films are trying to do and say, not hiding beneath film rhetoric or allegory or the impression of a representational work. And what's great about this is how his films point out that you don't need intricate sets or perfectly symmetrical shots to create beauty. This film has some of the most beautiful shots I've seen (the shot of them walking in the snow, the shot of the normally- withdrawn Wallace dancing), all the more so because of their subtlety, giving the feeling that the beauty was discovered and not created by the director.

But the beauty is often created by the actors. Ponsoldt trusts his actors and puts his efforts towards making the characters come alive before our eyes. I was under the fantastic impression that I was witnessing a completely real human soul with Segel's performance. He felt so real, so three dimensional. I understand him, even though I am not him. This is more magical to me than sweeping camera movements or extravagant art direction.

I didn't realize when watching the film that the dialogue is all based on, if not directly taken from, the tapes journalist (and protagonist) David Lipsky (Eisenberg) recorded of his interviewee, universally acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (Segel). The dialogue is rich with insight into the character's thought processes and their observations on life (but mostly those of Wallace). I was riveted at every moment the two were talking, feeling as though being revealed before me were the truths of life. The thrill of being a fly on the wall. And it's not just the words containing the wisdom of the thoughtful and complicated Wallace, but the delivery via the actors and the way in which the many hours of tape are edited to allow Wallace's ideas and observations to resonate. Even beyond Wallace's ideas, the film cuts to the core and observes Wallace as a human being, not different for his brilliance but the same for his humanness.

The film is about so many things it would be overwhelming to attempt list all of them. Its ideas, however many, are all-encompassing of what it means to exist, which is, beyond the desire for fame and ego-boosts, to want to be understood. The film observes how the inner-worlds of all people are so uniquely complicated and pays tribute to that wonder. I'll be relating my experiences to this film in time to come.

Welcome inside the mind of David Foster Wallace. He's a peculiar man. He thinks he's a regular man, when he knows that he's a genius. He hates being a genius, and he hates being a regular guy. His life is as meandering as his dialogs recorded by David Lipsky. The End of the Tour feels more like a documentary, than dramatized narrative feature. So in effect, this movie is as real as it gets about David Foster Wallace. It's all about the acting here, and it shines. Jason Segel was born to play DFW. He proves to us that he is more than a series of cheap shots at his naked body. Here, he doesn't strip himself of his clothes, he strips himself of his emotions. I hope award season treats him very kindly. It's so natural, and easygoing, and pays a respect to Richard Linklater in tone. It's a scatterbrained wonder, a good film to watch on a lazy day.

The End of the Tour is a revelation of two things: that Jason Segel is an immense actor, and that intellectual "roadtrip" films are a thing. This one in fact, boasts of a profound & moving story that listening to 2 hours worth of conversations, was a pleasure.

Jason Segel absolutely owned this film, with an eye opening & career-defining performance far from his usual comfortable roles in comedies. His portrayal of David Foster Wallace was so on point, that the complexities of the character naturally flourishes. Also, his expositions simply captivates. His robust & free flowing delivery leaves us, the audience, in the exact same position as Jesse Eisenberg's character - hanging onto his every detail, with a craving for more.

Apart from Segel's Oscar worthy delivery, the illuminating subject matters were just as mesmerizing. As our leads converse on love, loneliness, fame, career & social trends, the film then connects on a personal level, in more ways than one. It is a kind of film that invites self-reflection & embeds ideas on how to live life.

Overall, The End of the Tour is a film that imparts reverence for the character that is David Foster Wallace, by way of picking through the brains of the great writer. It does so through incredibly true and entertaining intellectual discussions that offers the film's inspiring moments. Brilliantly acted, thought provoking and profoundly moving, this independent film demands deeper appreciation, and I happily oblige.