I had some hesitation about seeing a movie which features two people engaged in dialogue for most of its running time. But I gave it a shot and I’m glad I did. “The End of the Tour,” which stars Jason Segel as author David Foster Wallace and Jesse Eisenberg as Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky and takes place in 1996, is a very raw and authentic portrayal of two insecure individuals.
The film is based on the 2010 book by Lipsky entitled Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace. As the movie starts out, Lipsky is conducting an interview for Rolling Stone on Wallace’s new book Infinite Jest and agrees to meet the author at his home, where he lives with his two dogs.
This thoughtful movie is heavy on dialogue, much of it intelligent, as these two guys talk about philosophical issues and everyday things. Lipsky sees Wallace as someone who he would like to become at some point, as Lipsky is an up-and-coming writer, who remarks that he had a novel of his published called The Art Fair. What starts off as an understandably awkward interview slowly develops into a friendship of sorts as the two, in particular Wallace, reveal their insecurities and vulnerabilities.
The movie is a most effective commentary on fame and loneliness. Wallace we learn is a really private individual who has never really embraced fame. He has a sloppy appearance, an untidy house, and does not seem the type that typically likes visitors. His dream date, which Lipsky is able to get out of him, would be with the singer Alanis Morissette, who he has a poster of on his wall. Wallace says that Morissette comes across to him as someone who does not seem like a celebrity. He pictures her as someone that you could easily have lunch with. To him, she seems like your everyday kind of person. He admits, though, that he would be terrified the whole time that he would be with her. Wallace, while realizing that some women might be drawn to him just because of his fame, has tried to avoid quickie relationships because they would not be fulfilling to him in the end. Still, not having a female partner there for him is something that has caused him to feel alone and self-conscious. In fact, he is so self-conscious that he does not even want to do a Q-and-A at a book signing event that he and Lipsky attend together.
Eisenberg once again excels at playing an awkward, intellectual character, but it is Segel’s moving performance that is likely to surprise a lot of people who know him for his comedic work.
While the approach here is certainly different from plot-driven movies, it is also more meaningful in that the dialogue touches on things that people should be able to relate to on some level. Above all, the movie is about forming a genuine connection and is worth seeking out.
