This article is part of NUFEC's ongoing coverage of the Independent Film Festival Boston 2015.
David Foster Wallace was a brilliant writer teaching at a small college in the Midwest whose novel, Infinite Jest, had just been released to phenomenal reviews in many national publications. The unique time period between the release of the book and the time it took people to finish the 1,000-page novel occurred during Wallace’s book tour, and it was during this time that Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky.
David Foster Wallace was a brilliant writer teaching at a small college in the Midwest whose novel, Infinite Jest, had just been released to phenomenal reviews in many national publications. The unique time period between the release of the book and the time it took people to finish the 1,000-page novel occurred during Wallace’s book tour, and it was during this time that Rolling Stone writer David Lipsky.
The film expands well beyond its calling card. Touching on Wallace’s ongoing fears and insecurities about his ascension to fame and notoriety, we’re also treated to the relationship dynamics between a cusp-of-greatness writer and a reaching-but-not-yet-grasping magazine writer who knows his latest publishing attempts have created a lukewarm audience at best. Wallace’s depths of connection to his being and his place are conveyed with astounding precision by the increasingly capable Jason Segel; his voice and cadence are remarkably consistent as he conveys Wallace’s insecurities and subdued reactions throughout the film. Jesse Eisenberg’s performance is nearly as on point, though I’m slightly less enamoured with his performance.
Director James Ponsoldt doesn’t shy away from the long shots, allowing the audience to feel the initial excitement and chemistry melt away into tension as the space they overcame initially builds back up between Lipsky and Wallace. In one particular scene, Lipsky approaches Wallace’s home and we experience the range of emotions and reactions on Lipsky’s face as he makes his way up the driveway during the long, snowy march towards his host. It’s a small thing, but it conveys so much of what Lipsky hopes to accomplish with this article, and it connects us to those dreams making it all the more painful when they unravel.
The film manages to intertwine Wallace’s thoughts and writings into the core of the film without regurgitating his entire oeuvre, as someone who loved him may be wont to do. In exploring ascension to fame, it explores so much more about the relationship of the interviewer and the interviewee; how both are always assessing one another while potentially drowning in their own self-doubt.
The End of the Tour is a must for those with any inclination to learn more about David Foster Wallace, or those who just want to see some fantastic performances and experience an evolving male relationship dynamic between two men with rich inner worlds.
Grade: A-
Director James Ponsoldt doesn’t shy away from the long shots, allowing the audience to feel the initial excitement and chemistry melt away into tension as the space they overcame initially builds back up between Lipsky and Wallace. In one particular scene, Lipsky approaches Wallace’s home and we experience the range of emotions and reactions on Lipsky’s face as he makes his way up the driveway during the long, snowy march towards his host. It’s a small thing, but it conveys so much of what Lipsky hopes to accomplish with this article, and it connects us to those dreams making it all the more painful when they unravel.
The film manages to intertwine Wallace’s thoughts and writings into the core of the film without regurgitating his entire oeuvre, as someone who loved him may be wont to do. In exploring ascension to fame, it explores so much more about the relationship of the interviewer and the interviewee; how both are always assessing one another while potentially drowning in their own self-doubt.
The End of the Tour is a must for those with any inclination to learn more about David Foster Wallace, or those who just want to see some fantastic performances and experience an evolving male relationship dynamic between two men with rich inner worlds.
Grade: A-
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