The End of the Tour

source: The End of the Tour

The End of the Tour is NOT "Brilliant", NOT "Top Notch", NOT "Superb", NOT "Near-Perfect. It IS kind of boring. The End of the Tour appears to have been filmed as cheaply and quickly as possible. The characters, dialog and story are dull and contrived but try to sound deep and intellectual. They're not. The writing seems to have nothing to say so they throw in some highbrow vocabulary to make the viewer feel like they're not smart enough to get it. "So he must've said something really smart, right?" Not really. If you pause the film and look up a word you quickly realize the statement was not enlightening or thought provoking at all (even though Jesse Eisenberg gave that subtle shake of the head as though he was just blown away). So why did it get so much praise? It's a vehicle for pretentious posers to rave about on their quest to appear like social butterflies of the intellectual world. It's truly shameful that society has sunk to this level. By that I mean that people we all know get their opinions from watching others on TV instead of using their own critical thinking skills. The talking heads on TV generally are speaking out opinions written for them by skewed producers or film industry marketers. This happens because the producer or critic doesn't have time to write a review on their own. They're looking for a quick way to be done with the work. Along comes the film marketeer who has taken the time to write a glowing review of the film they're trying to sell. This happens of course on the political scene as well, when organizations like ALEC write legislation for senators to pass off as their own idea. So if you decide to see this after all, do yourself the favor of making a note of who raved about it and stop taking advice from them. Also read up on the fine art of critical thinking. Calling out phonies and shaming them is the best thing we can do to change this trend of social corrosion.

THE END OF THE TOUR (2015) **** Jason Segel, Jesse Eisenberg, Anna Chlumsky, Mamie Gummer, Mickey Sumner, Joan Cusack, Ron Livingston. Absorbing quasi-biopic about the late author David Foster Wallace (Segel in an Oscar-worthy turn of brilliance and balancing comedy/tragedy perfectly) on the last leg of his book tour for his iconoclastic book "Infinite Jest" accompanied by "Rolling Stone" journalist David Lipsky (equally good Eisenberg) who sees a story in his subject as well as bonding with him in friendship with some doubts along the journey the two men embark upon. Literate and smartly conceived by Donald Margulies' adaptation of Lipsky's account "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself" with moments of deadpan comedy and piercing poignancy no doubt even-keeled direction by James Ponsaldt leave in indelible imprint on the cost of fame in the pursuit of honesty, truth and integrity (the ultimate price of celebrity defeating one's own self-worth). One of the year's best; a must see for those who love well-written and spoken dialogue.

Watched it because of the favorable reviews but it did not do anything for me. There isn't anything that sticks out. The acting is OK for both of the leads, the script was just bland, the interaction between them above average, the cinematography is nil, and so on. It tries to be a "smart" type of movie but it really isn't. Big words are thrown every now and then between the two leads but this is more to lead the audience to believe there's some intelligence going on. As Jessie stated on the way back from the tour, it is some patronizing thing that the characters tries to put on the audience. It doesn't feel natural at all but then neither does it feel overly forced. The music used in the movie is pretty simple, nothing extraordinary. In the end there are better drama movies than this. Buddy films such as Pineapple express and even Zombieland have more emotion, attachment and realism than this movie.

I have rarely been so bored watching a movie. "Nuanced"? "Deep exploration of character"? Is this the same film I just saw?? I had heard the name David Foster Wallace, but had never read anything by him, so I came into this movie blind. I was disappointed to learn very little about him. I would have liked to hear some of his writing, hear more about his projects, to know why he was so acclaimed. Was the movie about Wallace himself, or the interviewer? Was it supposed to draw a parallel between them? There was little content that made me care about either of them. I felt that I was supposed to be getting the impression that there was a genuine connection forming between the two men, but I never felt anything of the sort. I think I was also supposed to believe that the interviewer was in awe of or envious of the writer, but Eisenberg's acting never convinced me of this. The interviewer is supposed to be a published novelist himself, but we're given no clues about what interests him, what bothers him, what he wonders about or cares about. Instead, he came across as a novice interviewer asking boring scripted questions, trying to please his boss by digging awkwardly for prize material. Occasionally it seemed he'd have a fleeting second thought about his methods, or about some of his questions, but these weak moral quandaries never led anywhere. And his clumsiness and contrived bluntness never provoked an interesting reaction from Wallace, except in one brief scene. The script was dull; Wallace said a few wise things, but the interviewer never really picked up the threads in any believable way. It seemed like the whole first hour was just a lot of posturing by the interviewer. I hoped that this was all just to set up a plot twist, followed by a completely different second half. Indeed, there was a moment somewhere around the one-hour mark, where Wallace says to the interviewer that their conversation is "nice" but "not real" and I thought - yes, NOW we get real, get into the meat of it, where they both really open up - but it never happened. Maybe Segal's acting was good because he offered a good rendering of Wallace, but I found the character monotonous. Yeah, he said some bright stuff, but his emotional tone barely changed. Maybe that was true to life, but boring. Same but worse with the interviewer. Dull, dull, dull. What a shame, because I like these two actors a lot.

The End of the Tour is not a film about David Foster Wallace, so much as it is a carefully crafted love note to him and his complication. And to that end, it openly professes its loyalty to the disenfranchised, over-educated members of the audience. At a Cruz in the film we hear Wallace offer his opinions on depression and addiction, but these are no doubt Lipskys own feelings, and given to Wallace in screen to give them more credibility. Wallace is portrayed as a man looming large with first-world-problems, and Jason Segel's Wallace remains affably antisocial throughout the affair. Still, whatever is compelling about the film exists within the writing, but not necessarily the actual story. The film is not, in fact, based so much Wallace but on Rolling Stones interviewer David Lipskys memoirs recounting of his five days with Wallace. Our plot is set up simply, with Lipskys credentials established as a newly published author, skeptical and jealous of Wallaces universal acclaim and the sole voice of inquiring literary minds at Rolling Stone magazine. After demanding of his editors to grant him the freedom of an interview (in a scene that included, I s*** you not, the Perry White via Lois lane line delivery of "There better be a Story!"), Lipsky then embarks on cinemas least funny buddy comedy, complete with planes, trains and automobiles. The screenwriter, Donald Margulies, is an accomplished playwright, a profession suited best to find drama in what is essentially a lot of talking. To this end, he does an adequate job of making us interested, but the character development feels too compressed at times. There are moments even, when the story starts to feel like it wished it was the intellectualized parallel to Cameron Crowes Almost Famous, but never has the decency to be a clearly fictionalized. Wallace is written as the more complex character, but it's clear this is Lipsky's story and he's riding Wallaces back. Eisenberg is unintentional in lacking the dimension to convey this, while Segel's portrayal continually rings true. As Wallace loosens to Lipsky throughout the movie, he reaches our climax in three notes. First, while our duo is in a moment of confrontation, Wallace spouts the values of remaining grounded against his ever growing fame. The second is his diatribes on addictions and the romance associated with them, and lastly, a confessional late night summery of his neurosis. It's a brilliant inclusion by the screenwriter and director to allow room for melodic musing, broadening the appeal of any given insights. The Director, James Ponsoldt, does a fine job of framing the travels of the two, creating an intimacy that most likely never existed. The reality is that Ponsoldt doesn't have much to work with that isn't dramatized by Margulies, as those five days produced nothing of interest for Rolling Stone (The intended article was never published) nor did Lipsky feel compelled to expand upon it until Wallaces death 12 years later. I'm sure there's there's some clićhe to spout about why Lipsky sat so long on this story, but it feels ever the notion of timing, and good fortune on Lipskys part.

The End of The Tour was a beautifully done movie that will not be widely seen or even heard of. This movie doesn't have explosions, or side splitting humor, or sex, or anything that sells in Hollywood these days. What this movie does have is a well written plot with fantastic dialogue, a great story, wonderful performances, and thought provoking themes that make you ponder what is really important. The End of The Tour is about the five day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky, and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (played by Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Segel). This five day interview took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace's epic 1,000 page novel called Infinite Jest. An interview that would later turn out to be never published and not really heard about until Wallace's 2008 suicide. During this interview, we get to see inside what it is like between the two men. Like I said earlier, this movie asks a lot of deeper questions that will leave you thinking. Questions like what is really important? If I am unhappy right now, will having what someone has change that? That even being famous and looked upon by the public doesn't really make you truly happy. We have seen this time and time again with famous celebrities that everyone thinks has it all together, give it all away because of depression and loneliness. This movie does an excellent job of portraying that. My only critique about this movie is that you never really get to know the character David who was doing the interview. They allude to deeper issues within him but never dive into them and expose them. Average Man Score: 8/10

"The End of the Tour" is a hard-sell of a movie. While it features Jesse Eisenberg (whose career have been very hot) and Jason Segal and you'd think the film would have mass appeal, it clearly does not. This isn't a complaint--many of the films I really enjoy are really not the sorts of films that would entertain the most viewers. Instead, it's a film for a narrow audience and if you think you might be among those who would appreciate the movie, by all means watch it. After all, you will see some very nice acting and the story improves and gains momentum as the film progresses. The story is about an odd sort of interview that took place when David Lipsky (Eisenberg) of Rolling Stone Magazine hung out with literary star David Foster Wallace (Segal) for several days back in the late 1990s. Cutting right to the chase, the film begins with the announcement that Wallace committed suicide and the film is a flashback as Lipsky remembers the strange and very lengthy meeting the two had back in 1996. As I said, this lasted days as the two just hung out together and talked...making it far different than a typical magazine interview. As far as what they talk about and the themes of their meeting go, this really isn't something I can really explain very well in a review-- you just need to see it and experience it. Instead, I would rather try to convey the style of their time together on the film. It feels like you are a fly on the wall as two intellectuals talk and talk and talk....and talk. Wallace generally presents more as an 'Every Man' sort of guy while Lipsky seems, at times, as if he's trying to impress his new friend with his intellectual prowess. What all this means...well, that's really up to the viewer. The bottom line is that if you really like action films, this film's is probably not for you. If you love 'literature' as opposed to just reading a book for enjoyment, this movie might be exactly what you'd love to see. As for me, I think I'm in the middle on this one. I can really respect the acting as well as the filmmakers' desire to make a quality picture as opposed to a mass-marketed film. But, on the other hand, the film is slow and very deliberate. It also took a while until I really stared to appreciated it...and I'm not if I ever exactly enjoyed it.

"Fiction's about what it is to be a human being." David Foster Wallace In 1996 David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) interviewed acclaimed author David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) over the course of several days in Minneapolis for a book tour about his 1000 page epic novel, Infinite Jest. Essentially a two hander in the spirit of the recent True Story, about the interview with alleged murderer Christian Longo (James Franco), The End of the Tour is one of the most accessible biopics about smart people in recent memory. What sets The End off from True Story and other stories about gifted, troubled authors is its easy manner that doesn't play up intellectual snobbery but rather tries to understand the isolation and diffidence of geniuses. While Lipsky is not the genius writer that Wallace is, he is still a published novelist and a writer for Rolling Stone—the boy has the chops that allow him to get inside Wallace, as much as that is possible with writers slightly less private than, say, JD Salinger. Wallace reveals himself, albeit obliquely, as a talented working class author bedeviled by addictions that seem to feed his insecurities: Obsessed by TV, he decides not to have one because he'd watch it; having overdosed on booze, he decides not to drink; whether or not he became addicted to heroin is uncertain. What is certain is that as individualistic as Wallace is, and his densely verbose prose would confirm that, he is still one of us just trying to figure out his existential place in a chaotic world. His immersion in pop culture makes the brainy prose readable and enjoyable because he is tuned in and while heavily analytical, in touch with our daily experience. Such is the spirit of The End of the Tour: it frequently relies on the mundane (e.g., pop tarts for breakfast, McDonald's for dinner, old TV shows for entertainment) to allow the more challenging—why he wears a bandanna—to reveal his soul (he worries that Lipsky's question about the affectation of the bandanna now makes himself conscious about wearing it, as if he were trying for an impression when he actually wasn't). His prose can be downright entertaining: "Because here's something else that's weird but true: in the day-to day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshiping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship." Segel is a revelation as an actor. From mediocre romcoms to perfectly embodying a conflicted writer, Segel remains in low-key character throughout. Here's what Wallace says about the loneliness that was his constant companion before he committed suicide: "Fiction is one of the few experiences where loneliness can be both confronted and relieved. Drugs, movies where stuff blows up, loud parties — all these chase away loneliness by making me forget my name's Dave and I live in a one-by-one box of bone no other party can penetrate or know. Fiction, poetry, music, really deep serious sex, and, in various ways, religion — these are the places (for me) where loneliness is countenanced, stared down, transfigured, treated." (The Pale King, 2011) Introduce yourself to this verbal magician by seeing one of the best films of the year: The End of the Tour.

I didn't read the book so I can say this movie must be for the fans of David Foster Wallace. That's because this was the most boring movie imaginable. I suppose if you read the book and are a fan, then learning anything about the author must be nirvana. I looked up photos of the real David Foster Wallace and he looks much better than this slob in the movie, played by Jason Segel. Jesse Eisenberg is the other lead and he once again proves that to be a famous actor, you don't need to learn how to act: Just act yourself each time, and if the public likes you, you're a great actor until they tire of you. I'm getting tired of you Jesse.